Cross-Border Rewired 🌍

The Maze: Cross-border shopping is no longer niche behavior. It is mainstream, mobile-led, and China-centric. A global shopper survey across 37 countries tracks how buyers choose where to shop, who they buy from, how parcels arrive, and which device drives the decision.

• China still dominates cross-border buying, holding close to 40% share despite a small pullback in 2025 as demand spreads beyond one exporter
• Temu moved from near zero to joint leadership in three years, matching Amazon at 24% of last cross-border purchases in 2025
• Doorstep delivery remains default, but parcel lockers grew fastest year over year as logistics costs and density rise
• Smartphones crossed the 50% threshold, becoming the primary decision and checkout device for global online shopping

Why it matters: Cross-border commerce is consolidating around fewer platforms, fewer countries, and fewer devices. Scale now wins on price, logistics, and habit, reshaping how brands compete internationally and where value concentrates in e-commerce.

China remains the backbone of cross-border e-commerce even as growth moderates. After dipping to 30% in 2022, its share rebounded to 40% in 2024 before easing to 38% in 2025, far ahead of any other country.

• China’s share stayed above Germany, the US, UK, and France combined, with Germany stable near 11% and France falling to 4% by 2025
• The “Others” bucket rose to one-third of purchases, showing diversification but not displacement of China
• Scale manufacturing, direct-to-consumer shipping, and price leadership keep China central despite rising regulatory pressure

China is losing momentum at the margin, not its role. The system still runs through it.

Cross-border retail shifted from slow evolution to sudden disruption. From 2022 to 2025, Temu jumped from below 1% to 24%, matching Amazon as the most used platform for the latest cross-border purchase.

• Amazon held steady around 24% to 28% across the period, but stopped growing as Temu surged
• Legacy players collapsed: Wish lost 95% of its share since 2018, AliExpress lost one-third, eBay over two-thirds
• Growth came from consolidation, not new shoppers, with buyers switching platforms rather than behavior

The market moved from many doors to two main gates. Price, speed, and habit decide.

Doorstep delivery remains the default, but momentum is shifting. Home delivery fell from 49% to 44% in one year, while parcel lockers rose from 9% to 13%, the fastest growth of any delivery option.

• Lockers gained where density is high and networks are mature, with Estonia and Latvia above 70% adoption
• Courier shops and postal points inched up, while mailbox delivery declined
• Cost pressure, failed delivery attempts, and emissions push carriers toward out-of-home options

Convenience still wins today, but efficiency is shaping tomorrow’s last mile.

Smartphones became the dominant shopping device, rising from 31% in 2019 to 53% in 2025. Laptops fell to 23% and desktops to 17%, while tablets stayed marginal.

• Mobile gained 22 points in six years, with the fastest jump between 2021 and 2023
• Cross-border favors phones due to tracking, wallets, and notifications
• Larger screens still matter for complex purchases, but frequency and habit belong to mobile

Shopping is no longer a session. It is a reflex.

Editable Slides & Sources:
🔒 Available for MarketMaze+ subscribers

Before you go we’d love to know what you thought of this maze to help us improve!

See you next time in the maze!
MarketMaze team