Summary of the Top 3 ecommerce companies in the world

let’s look at the global retail eCommerce sales from 2014 to 2025

This handy guide on the biggest eCommerce companies in the world will serve as a useful blueprint for brands wanting to invest in the eCommerce and DTC space.

You’ll get insights into:

  • Which eCommerce brands are nailing it and why they have the biggest market share
  • What kind of strategies are helping brands to lead the way to success
  • What do the growth trends of the biggest eCommerce companies look like

A Breakdown of the Biggest eCommerce Companies in the World

Before we start looking at what are some of the biggest eCommerce companies in the world, let’s look at the global retail eCommerce sales from 2014 to 2025:

In 2022, global retail sales are predicted to reach $5,542 billion. This figure will reach $7,391 billion by 2025. Other quick facts to make a note of include:

  • Country-wise eCommerce sales: Nearly 50% of retail sales are conducted over the internet in China, making it the world’s most penetrated eCommerce market in 2022. In the second and third places respectively, we have the UK and South Korea, with over 36% and 32% of their retail sales expected to take place online.
  • Fastest-growing markets: With digital development exploding in the Asia Pacific region, unsurprisingly, the fastest growing online retail markets are the Philippines, India, and Indonesia:

Clearly, eCommerce sales are demonstrating an upward trend and will continue to rise due to the changing customer expectations and advancements in technology.

Market Share of the Biggest eCommerce Companies in the World

According to research by Statista, the market cap of leading consumer internet and online service companies worldwide (as of June 2021) is as follows:

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Key takeaways: As of June 2021:

  • Amazon takes the number one spot as the biggest consumer internet and online service company globally, with a market cap of approximately $1,735 billion. Amazon also ranked first among the assorted online companies related to the retail, real estate, mobility, travel, and hospitality sectors.
  • The digital commerce platform, Alibaba.com, ranked second with a market cap of $614.8 billion.

Speaking with respect to eCommerce companies in the United States, according to recent research by Statista, here’s a snapshot of the market share of the biggest eCommerce companies in the US (as of October 2021):

Key takeaways: As of October 2021:

  • Amazon accounts for 41% of the US eCommerce market, making it the leading online retailer
  • Walmart takes the second spot, with a 6.6% market share
  • In the third place, we have eBay, with 4.2% of the market share

A Deeper Dive into the Top 5 eCommerce Companies in the World

According to recent data, here are the top 10 eCommerce companies by market value:

Source: oberlo.in

In this section, we’ll examine certain aspects to understand what these five brands are doing right.

1. Amazon: The Trailblazer in the eCommerce World

Founded in 1994, Amazon leads the way with innovative offerings, continued expansion, and a customer-obsessed culture. Considering the fact that Amazon boasts of the highest market share and retail sales, its monthly footfall surpasses its competitors—no surprises there:

Amazon.com’s monthly traffic averaged at 3.68 billion visitors in 2020, followed by eBay.com’s 1.01 billion visits on average each month.

A critical factor that has contributed to Amazon’s dominance over eCommerce sales includes an increased focus on agility and expansion.

To cater to the growing demands of online shopping, particularly during COVID-19, the brand added over 500,000 workers in 2020:

Source: geekwire.com

Today, the brand employs 1.1 million employees in the US alone, whereas it employed 1.6 million employees globally by the end of 2021, going up by 24% year-over-year.

Data further suggests that the United States was Amazon’s biggest market in 2021, followed by Germany ($37.3 billion) and the UK ($31.9 billion):

Source: statista.com

In terms of the rising online sales, Amazon’s Prime membership is playing a critical role in building a customer base of highly engaged customers. As per research, in 2021, members in the US received more than 6 billion free deliveries, and over 200 million Prime members worldwide streamed shows and movies.

In other words, Amazon prime members routinely benefit from VIPish benefits such as free 2-day shipping, music and video streaming, and other exclusive offers and deals.

According to a June 2021 survey, over four in ten Amazon Prime members were likely to shop during Prime days and other retail events, including Cyber Monday.

The company’s website further suggests that it witnessed the biggest-ever Black Friday to Cyber Monday holiday shopping weekend, with apparel, beauty, home, and toys among the top-selling categories.

During the holiday season:

  • Third-party sellers achieved record worldwide sales on Amazon’s store with more than 130,000 third-party sellers worldwide surpassing $100,000 in sales on Amazon
  • Between Black Friday and Christmas, US-based third-party sellers sold an average of 11,500 products per minute.
  • In addition, Amazon India’s month-long Great Indian Festival sales event was the biggest shopping celebration ever for sellers and brand partners on Amazon.in, with nearly 30,000 sellers surpassing $100,000 in sales.

Finally, the brand enjoys a positive image, with the Retailer Preference Index ranking Amazon as the best overall grocery retailer.

The brand was recognized for offering customers consistently low prices, convenience, and a great selection of a wide variety of grocery items on the website. Additionally, Forbes has ranked Amazon as the second-most admired company in the world.