The New Normal: Identifying the Markets Most Primed for Sustained E-Commerce Growth

Key findings

Coronavirus pandemic led to a sudden surge in e-commerce purchases

A comparison of two consumer tracking surveys fielded by Euromonitor International in 2020 showed a double-digit increase in the percentage of connected consumers shopping online for that category. Besides shopping more in already-familiar categories, consumers have turned to e-commerce across a broader range of products and services during the pandemic.

Identifying the best markets for sustained e-commerce growth

In order to help companies understand which categories are most primed for sustained e-commerce growth post-pandemic, Euromonitor developed the E-Commerce Readiness Model. This tool uses analytics modelling to determine which markets are best positioned to support sustained e-commerce growth.

Global retail industry could support significant e-commerce growth without expansion

Euromonitor International’s E-Commerce Readiness Model found that markets globally could support more than USD77.7 billion in additional e-commerce sales. This growth could come from both developed and emerging markets alike.

E-commerce growth opportunities exist across all industries explored in this model

In looking across the 16 industries included in the model, industries with relatively low e-commerce sales today such as fresh and packaged food as well as alcoholic drinks have potential for significant movement towards online sales (USD38.5 billion globally) while other more developed e-commerce industries such as apparel (USD3.4 billion globally) still show prospects for growth.