TODAY’S MAZE

Hope your Wednesday’s going well! This week we’re testing a new cadence and a shorter format like today’s, with quick, useful e-commerce insights from the web and social media. Does this work for you, or should we keep it inside the longer deep-dive issues, including the one coming tomorrow’s? Hit Reply and tell us what you think!

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- Artur Stańczuk, MarketMaze Founder

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👀OUTSIDE THE MAZE

🎁 Amazon's October Big Deal Days slow to single-digit growth as sales hit $8.84B in 2025

EMARKETER forecasts Amazon’s October Big Deal Days to deliver $8.84 B in GMV in 2025, up 8.8 % YoY but slower than 2024’s 32 % surge. Sales ballooned from $5.45 B in 2022 to $8.13 B in 2024. The event now outsizes Amazon’s full-year growth forecast (5.5 %) and holiday sales projection (4.8 %). Totals exclude AWS, ads, and financial services.

🥇 Prime Days now eclipse Black Friday and Cyber Monday, redefining retail's calendar

NielsenIQ’s 2024 sales rankings show Amazon’s own holidays now top retail’s old titans: Prime Day 1 and 2 outpace Black Friday or Cyber Monday. October’s Big Deal Days and Small Business Saturday follow, while 2024 average daily sales look tiny in comparison.

🌍 Global e-commerce hits $6.4T with growth dipping to 6.8% and maturing by 2028

EMARKETER projects global retail e-commerce to reach $6.42 T in 2025 (20.5 % of retail) but with growth slowing to 6.8 %. After jumping 9.6 % in 2023 to $5.58 T and 7.7 % in 2024 to $6.01 T, the market is maturing as China softens. By 2028 sales should hit $7.89 T (22.5 % share), shifting focus from hypergrowth to AI-driven efficiency.

📈 Eurozone retail volume edges up 0.1% while EU sales stay flat

Eurostat reports euro-area retail trade volume rose 0.1 % in Aug 2025 versus July, while EU sales stayed flat. Year-on-year, the index gained 1.0 % in the euro area and 1.1 % in the EU. Food, drinks, and tobacco rose 0.3 %, non-food sales slipped 0.1 %. Lithuania (+1.7 %) led monthly gains; Romania (-4.0 %) and Poland (-0.8 %) declined.

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👀OUTSIDE THE MAZE

⌛ Social media usage peaked around 2.5h a day in 2022 as Gen Z and Millennials log off

Global data shows social media use peaked in 2022 at 2.5 h per day, with Gen Z near 3 h. Since then, time among younger users has slipped while older demographics hold steady. Analysts warn of digital fatigue and mental-health concerns flattening growth, pressuring ad-driven models built on engagement rather than utility.

👗 Celebrities and influencers drive how youth dress more than friends or parents

Pacsun’s youth survey finds celebrity culture beats peers in shaping how teens dress: 50 % say they set their own style, 45 % credit celebrities or public figures, 33 % cite influencers or religion. Romantic partners (32 %), friends (31 %), and local communities (29 %) lag behind, showing influencer marketing’s enduring power.

🔍 Branded search lifts conversions only when competition is high

Haus analysis shows paid search boosts conversions mainly in competitive markets: high-competition queries generated lift 82 % of the time with a 0.37 incrementality factor, versus 35 % and 0.09 in low competition. When rivals bid on your brand, branded ads capture new customers; otherwise, they cannibalize organic traffic.

👜 Fashion tops global e-commerce with 27.4% share; China 35%, Spain favors electronics

ECDB finds fashion dominates global e-commerce at 27.4 % of revenues. China leads (35.2 %), followed by the UK (29.2 %) and US. Spain flips the trend with electronics at 24.8 % and fashion 17.9 %. Hobby & Leisure leads in Poland (25.5 %) and ranks second in Germany (24.3 %), confirming regional diversity in digital demand.

🚀 US e-commerce share returns to 16.3% peak as total retail grows 40% since 2018

U.S. e-commerce penetration has matched its pandemic apex: Q2 2025 online sales equal 16.3 % of retail, the same as Q2 2020. Growth slowed to 6.5 % in 2022 while store sales jumped 16.9 % in 2021. Total retail expanded from $5.25 T in 2018 to $7.38 T in 2024, proving digital growth came from expansion, not cannibalization.

Sources: 🔒 Available for MarketMaze+

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THAT’S IT FOR TODAY

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See you next time in the maze!
MarketMaze team

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