Region Deep-Dive
North America
Top languages in this region: English · Español · Français · 中文 · Tiếng Việt
Related platforms are listed under Platform intelligence. Every figure below can be checked in the expanded source text. Platform intelligence.
Key Research
Source notes and the methodology audit that underpin this region.
QHow large is the North America ecommerce market, and how is it growing?
US ~$1.2T (2024 final, DC360); 2025 broad definition exceeds $1.5T; eMarketer US 2025 ~$1.23–1.5T
Low single digits (US in a fourth consecutive year of single-digit growth)
Expand: original global-report section (country/sub-market detail and sources)
3. North America
3.1 United States
Market size: - 2024 (final): about $1.2 trillion, more than double 2019 (Digital Commerce 360). - Source: https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2025/03/03/us-ecommerce-sales-2024/ - 2025: DC360’s early-year forecast $1.23T; full-year actuals (after December data) show 2025 crossed $1.5T (broad definition, including categories Census does not count), and it was the fourth consecutive year of single-digit growth. - Source: https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/02/16/december-ecommerce-sales-total-2025/ - Ecommerce as a share of US retail: Census definition 17.9% in 2024 Q4; DC360 broad definition reached 25% for the first time in 2025 Q4. - Source: https://www.pymnts.com/news/ecommerce/2025/ecommerce-grabs-17-9-percent-of-overall-retail-sales-in-2024s-fourth-quarter/ ; https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/04/02/online-ecommerce-sales-q4-2025/ - Forecast: Forrester expects online to exceed 29% of US retail by 2029; Amazon + Walmart will take a quarter of total US retail by 2029. - Source: https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/features/industry-insights/forrester-forecast-onlines-share-of-u-s-sales-to-top-29-by-2029
Platforms: | Platform | Key data (2024–2025) | Source | |---|---|---| | Amazon | GMV crossed $800B in 2025; about 40% of US ecommerce; 2025 new-seller registrations hit a decade low (~165,000) | https://www.marketplacepulse.com/articles/amazon-gmv-surpassed-800-billion-in-2025 ; https://www.ecexpress.com.cn/mo/article/1306.html ; https://www.marketplacepulse.com/articles/amazon-seller-registrations-hit-decade-low-in-2025 | | Shopify | 2025 revenue about $11.5B (+30%); Q4 2025 GMV held +30% growth; together with Amazon about half of US ecommerce | https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/02/12/shopify-revenue-b2b-sales-ai-2025/ ; https://www.marketplacepulse.com/articles/amazon-and-shopify-are-now-half-of-us-e-commerce | | Walmart | Ecommerce quarterly growth +21%~+28%; Marketplace active sellers over 200,000 | https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2025/02/21/walmart-online-sales-q4-fy25/ ; https://cross-border-magazine.com/walmart-marketplace-growth-surges/ | | eBay | Q1 2026 revenue $2,508M (+17%) | https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1065088/000106508826000093/ebay-20260331.htm | | Etsy | 2025 Q3 platform GMS $2,432.6M; about 5.4 million active sellers | https://www.sec.gov/ixviewer/ix.html?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1370637/000137063725000100/etsy-20250930.htm | | Temu / Shein | In August 2025 about 12% of US consumers shopped weekly on Temu/Shein (despite tariff increases) | https://www.chwang.com/news/196529428230 | | TikTok Shop | 2025 US GMV $15.1B (+68%); about 18–20% of US social commerce | https://thelowdown.momentum.asia/new-report-tiktok-shop-u-s-gmv-grew-68-to-reach-us15-1b-in-2025/ ; https://www.emarketer.com/press-releases/tiktok-shop-makes-up-nearly-20-of-social-commerce-in-2025/ |
Consumer behavior: - About 274–290 million US online shoppers in 2025 (Statista definition about 288 million; another restated figure 274 million; both about 80%+ of the population). - Source: https://soax.com/research/how-many-people-shop-online ; https://www.upcounting.com/fr-ca/blog/how-many-people-shop-online - Mobile is about 72% of US ecommerce transactions (2024, transaction-count definition; marketing-blog restatement — prefer the Section 2.3 Statista/SOXA figure "mobile is 59% of global ecommerce sales"); mobile contributed 53% of online sales in the 2024 holiday season (Adobe). - Source: https://www.amraandelma.com/us-mobile-commerce-statistics/ ; https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2024/08/21/adobe-analytics-mobile-shopping-expected-drive-53-percent-online-sales-during-2024-holiday-season - BNPL: About half of US consumers planned to use buy-now-pay-later in the 2025 holiday season; BNPL contributed about $1B of incremental Cyber Monday sales. - Source: https://retailgazette.com/blog/2025/10/half-of-us-shoppers-plan-to-use-buy-now-pay-later-this-holiday-season-paypal-finds/ ; https://www.newsweek.com/buy-now-pay-later-gives-1-billion-boost-to-cyber-monday-sales-11151133
What to watch: - End of de minimis: In May 2025 the US cut the lowest tariff on small China parcels to 30%; in September 2025 the de minimis exemption effectively ended, changing Temu/Shein’s price and delivery model (consumers still buy, but average order value and fulfillment have been reset). - Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-cut-de-minimis-tariff-china-shipments-54-120-2025-05-13/ ; https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2025/09/04/when-de-minimis-rules-ended-ecommerce-changed/ - Retail media: More than $10 billion of incremental ad budget flowed into US retail media in 2025. - Source: https://www.emarketer.com/content/10-billion-incremental-ad-spending-will-flow-us-retail-media-2025 - AI shopping: AI-driven shopping volume on 2025 Black Friday surged about 805%; AI chatbots helped drive record US holiday-season online spend (about $257.8 billion). - Source: https://www.moneycontrol.com/world/black-friday-s-new-influencer-ai-powered-shopping-surges-805-as-online-spend-hits-new-us-record-article-13703025.html ; https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikestunson/2026/01/07/ai-chatbots-help-drive-record-holiday-spending-data-suggests/
3.2 Canada
- Canadian ecommerce growth slowed in 2025 (while the rest of the world accelerated).
- Source: https://thehub.ca/2026/05/15/canadian-e-commerce-growth-slowed-in-2025-as-the-rest-of-the-world-surged-ahead/
- Ecommerce share of retail differs by definition: StatCan 5.7% vs commercial institutions about 12%.
- Source: https://eightx.co/blog/canada-ecommerce-retail-share-2026
- Platforms: Amazon leads; Walmart and national retailers (Loblaw, Best Buy Canada, Canadian Tire) are strengthening Marketplace and loyalty programs.
- Source: https://www.globenewswire.com/de/news-release/2026/01/29/3228301/28124/en/Canada-B2C-Ecommerce-Market-Report-2025-Amazon-Leads-Online-Retail-While-Walmart-and-National-Players-Loblaw-Best-Buy-Canada-and-Canadian-Tire-Strengthen-Marketplace-and-Loyalty-In.html
- Chinese-platform penetration: 60% of Canadian consumers shop on Chinese cross-border ecommerce platforms (1 in 10 weekly) — Omnisend 2025 survey.
- Source: https://www.omnisend.com/blog/canada-chinese-marketplaces-research/
3.3 Mexico (high-growth market)
- 2024 ecommerce size MX$789.7B (about $38.8B), +20% (AMVO).
- Source: https://mexicobusiness.news/ecommerce/news/mexicos-e-commerce-market-was-worth-mx7897-billion-2024
- 2025 MX$941B, +19.2% (AMVO).
- Source: https://www.dny1.com/Main/ArticleDetails?id=952217255721046016
- Ecommerce growth is driven mainly by mobile and social commerce; Mexico social commerce is expected at about $5.09B in 2025.
- Source: https://mexicobusiness.news/ecommerce/news/mexico-sees-e-commerce-surge-through-mobile-and-social-sales ; https://www.yilantop.com/news/77243
QWhich are the Top 5 ecommerce platforms in North America, and how do they rank?
Amazon dominates (US share ~36%), Shopify is merchant infrastructure (~14%), Walmart omnichannel + grocery, eBay C2C, Temu ultra-low-price cross-border at #5; TikTok Shop is near-list #6.
Expand: original Top-5 report section (GMV / revenue / users / positioning tables)
2. North America
Ranking basis: by US ecommerce sales/GMV (Marketplace Pulse definition). Shopify is merchant infrastructure (not a marketplace) and is included because its merchants’ sales are about 14% of US ecommerce. TikTok Shop (#6, US GMV $15.1B) and Etsy are near-list platforms.
| Rank | Platform | Company | Key data | US ecommerce share | Positioning & strengths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon | Amazon.com | North America segment net sales FY2024 $387.5B (+10%); US sales 2025 about $440B | 35.7% (Marketplace Pulse 2025; eMarketer definition about 40%) | Marketplace+1P+Prime+FBA; 62% of GMV from third-party sellers (Q4'24); ads $17.3B (Q4'24); AI assistant Rufus |
| 2 | Shopify | Shopify Inc. | Global GMV FY2024 $292.2B (+24%); FY2025 revenue ~$11.56B (+30%); GMV >$300B (MP est. $378B ⚠) | ~14% (2025) | World’s largest ecommerce SaaS/D2C infrastructure; Shop Pay+fulfillment+POS; AI shopping orders +15x |
| 3 | Walmart | Walmart Inc. | FY2025 total revenue $681B (+5.1%); global ecommerce +16%; ecommerce about 18% of Q4 sales | ~7% (Consumer Edge) | Omnichannel + #1 US grocery ecommerce; Marketplace 200,000+ sellers; Walmart+ membership; WFS fulfillment |
| 4 | eBay | eBay Inc. | Global GMV FY2024 $74.7B (+2%); US GMV about $39.1B; about 131 million active buyers | ~3% | Strongest in C2C/collectibles/refurbished; pivoting to live shopping and AI |
| 5 | Temu | PDD Holdings | US GMV 2024 about $25B → 2025 about $22B (MP est.) | ~2% | Ultra-low-price cross-border; end of de minimis (May 2025) directly hit the direct-mail model; growth stalled |
| Near-list | TikTok Shop | ByteDance | US GMV 2025 $15.1B (+68%); 2024 $9B | ~1.3–2% | Social+live commerce; still growing fast amid US ownership controversy |
⚠️ Definition note: Amazon’s US share differs between 35.7% (Marketplace Pulse GMV definition) and ~40% (eMarketer retail-ecommerce definition); Temu US GMV is a third-party estimate (PDD does not disclose); Walmart does not disclose US ecommerce GMV ("~$15B" is 3P marketplace only).
2025 developments: the end of de minimis duty-free treatment reset Temu/Shein’s low-price model; Amazon Haul (low-price store) and Rufus AI launched; Shopify first crossed $10B revenue/$300B GMV; eBay strategically narrowed to collectibles; TikTok Shop kept growing through the ownership controversy.
Sources (selected): Amazon Q4'24 official — https://ir.aboutamazon.com/news-release/news-release-details/2025/Amazon-com-Announces-Fourth-Quarter-Results/ ; Shopify FY25 — https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/02/17/shopify-revenue-gmv-q4-2025/ ; Walmart FY25 — https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250219052528/en/Walmart-reports-strong-revenue-of-4.1-up-5.3-in-constant-currency-cc-with-operating-income-growing-faster-at-8.3-or-9.4-adjusted-cc ; eBay FY24 — https://www.ebayinc.com/stories/news/ebay-inc-reports-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2024-results/ ; Temu US (MP via AMZ123) — https://www.amz123.com/t/0sguPyAC ; TikTok Shop US — https://thelowdown.momentum.asia/new-report-tiktok-shop-u-s-gmv-grew-68-to-reach-us15-1b-in-2025/
QWhat is worth watching?
- End of de minimis duty-free (tariff to 30% in May 2025, effective end in Sep 2025) is reshaping Temu/Shein price and delivery models
- Amazon Haul (low-price store) and Rufus AI launched; 2025 Black Friday AI-driven shopping volume +805%
- TikTok Shop US $15.1B (+68%), still growing amid ownership controversy (near-list #6)
- US retail media incremental ad budget exceeded $10B in 2025; AI chatbots drove record holiday online spend (~$257.8B)
QWhat are the key insights?
- End of de minimis is reshaping Temu/Shein's low-price direct-mail model
- TikTok Shop US $15.1B (+68%) is near-list #6
- Amazon new-seller registrations hit a 10-year low (~165,000 in 2025); the market has entered mature-market competition
QAs a merchant, how should I choose and lay out my e-commerce business here?
A practical guide for merchants: which platforms to prioritise in this region, in what order to enter, and what to watch out for.
How to choose a platform
The U.S. is a mature market (online accounts for roughly 20–25% of retail), and Amazon dominates alone (about 35.7% U.S. share). Choose platforms by business model: go with a Shopify independent site (独立站) if you are building a brand D2C play; choose Amazon for full-category scale (the most complete traffic and logistics, though commissions and competitive intensity are high); pick Walmart for groceries/omnichannel; use eBay for secondhand, collectibles, and refurbished items; and you can try Temu/Shein for extreme low-price volume — but the 2025 U.S. tariffs and the end of the de minimis duty exemption have already dealt a heavy blow to the direct-shipping low-price model. If you want to cover all of North America, also factor in Canada (Amazon-led, slower growth) and Mexico (20%+ growth, where localized payments and logistics are the deciding factors).
Entry path & rollout
Suggested path: start with Amazon to build baseline sales and reviews (FBA fulfillment + Prime traffic), use a Shopify independent site in parallel to capture brand equity and repeat purchases, then expand by category to Walmart (groceries/daily essentials) or eBay (secondhand/refurbished), and finally evaluate Temu/Shein only if your product has extremely strong pricing power. Lean on retail media advertising as your traffic lever (Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect) — incremental U.S. retail media ad spend exceeded US$10 billion in 2025.
Watch-outs & risks
The end of the de minimis small-parcel duty exemption (scaled down from May 2025, fully eliminated in September 2025) nearly halved Temu's U.S. daily active users and put the entire direct-shipping model under pressure; Amazon's commissions and FBA fees keep rising, and new seller registrations hit a ten-year low in 2025 — a sign of white-hot competition; the FTC antitrust lawsuit and the US$2.5 billion ROSCA settlement show regulation tightening; the ownership saga around TikTok Shop in the U.S. remains unresolved; and state sales tax (sales tax nexus) and consumer protection compliance are must-dos.
Platform quick-fit table
What type of seller each Top platform in this region fits best (click a platform for the full merchant analysis):
| Platform | Best-fit sellers |
|---|---|
| Amazon | Best for brand/factory sellers with a stable supply chain who can carry FBA inventory and advertising costs, and for merchants with a trademark who can enroll in Brand Registry. Full-category coverage; standardized categories like 3C, home, and baby products have clear volume advantages. Not suitable for thin-margin, undifferentiated, or cash-strapped newcomers — fees and competition will quickly eat gross margin; cross-region expansion (Europe/Japan/Middle East, etc.) requires simultaneously addressing VAT and local certifications. |
| Shopify | Best for D2C merchants with brand awareness who can sustain content/ads/repeat-purchase operations (apparel, home, beauty, 3C accessories, etc.), and for multi-platform sellers wanting an official independent site; B2B wholesale and cross-border (Global-e) are new growth areas. Not suitable for total beginners expecting "list it and traffic comes" with no operating capability of their own, nor for ultra-low-price white-label volume sellers (acquisition costs cannot be amortized). |
| Walmart | Best for mid-to-large cross-border sellers that already have US warehousing/local delivery capability and sell grocery, home, daily consumer goods, baby products, and apparel, as a lower-fee supplementary channel outside Amazon; grocery supply-chain sellers have a natural edge. Not suitable for small new sellers without a US fulfillment plan who want rapid volume, nor for brands that need rich seller tools/ad ecosystems. |
| eBay | Best for sellers of used/refurbished/collectibles (sports cards, watches, sneakers, handbags), auto parts, and enthusiast long-tail items; friendly to individual and small sellers with no inventory-pressure risk; multi-site coverage across North America, Europe, and Australia/NZ. Not suitable for sellers pushing volume with new standardized products or those needing Prime-level logistics and advertising scale. |
| Temu | Best for Chinese factory/supply-chain sellers (fully managed: supply goods only, no operations) and sellers with US/EU overseas-warehouse capability (semi-managed); suited to white-label low-price standardized goods (apparel, home, 3C accessories, small general merchandise). Not suitable for sellers seeking brand premium, heavy compliance, or high-AOV categories — price orientation and regulatory risk will erode brand and profit. |
QWhere does this evidence come from?
Underlying research documents for this region (with full source URLs):