In 2012, B2C ecommerce sales grew 21.1 percent to top USD 1 trillion for the first time, according to new global estimates by eMarketer. This year, sales will grow 18.3 percent to USD 1.298 trillion worldwide, as Asia-Pacific surpasses North American to become the world's No. 1 market for B2C ecommerce sales.
Sales in North America grew 13.9 percent to USD 364.66 billion in 2012 and is expected to increase 12.2 percent to USD 409.05 billion this year as more consumers shifted spending from physical stores to retail and travel websites. But despite strong growth, North America's share of global sales will drop from 33.5 percent last year to 31.5 percent in 2013 as Asia-Pacific surges ahead.
B2C ecommerce sales in Asia-Pacific grew more than 33 percent to USD 332.46 billion in 2012. This year, the region will see sales increase by more than 30 percent to over USD 433 billion, more than one-third of all global B2C ecommerce sales. The rapid growth in Asia-Pacific sales is a result of three factors. Three Asia-Pacific markets, China, India and Indonesia, will see faster B2C ecommerce sales growth than all other markets worldwide this year, while Japan will continue to take a large share of global sales. China will surpass Japan as the world's second-largest B2C ecommerce market this year, taking an estimated 14 percent share of global shares, as its total reaches USD 181.62, up 65 percent from USD 110.04 billion in 2012.
The US will remain the single country with the largest share of worldwide B2C ecommerce spending, at 29.6 percent in 2013, down from 31.5 percent in 2012 despite relatively strong growth. In 2016, China will have 22.6 percent of the worldwide market compared to 26.5 percent in the US. China also boasts the highest number of people who buy goods online in the world, nearly 220 million in 2012, according to eMarketer.
B2C commerce sales in the US will grow 12 percent to USD 384.80 billion in 2013, after growing 13.8 percent to USD 343.43 billion last year, as average B2C ecommerce sales per user reach USD 2,466 this year among those who buy goods online in the US. Average spending per user is lower in China, set to reach USD 670 this year. However, the country will nearly double the number of people who buy goods online between 2012 and 2016.
In all, eMarketer analysed more than 1,100 data sets from over 130 research sources, whose ecommerce figures are tracked an evaluated by eMarketer based on respective methodologies, definitions and historical accuracy, looking at more than twenty-two markets and six major regions.
