In the dynamic world of European cross-border e-commerce, three major marketplaces stand head and shoulders above the rest: AliExpress from China and Etsy and Amazon from the USA. The latest annual ranking from Cross-Border Commerce Europe (CCE) unveils an exciting trend in the market, where e-marketplace sales continue to surge. In 2021, these sales were valued at €141 billion, a substantial increase from the previous year’s €115 billion. This upward trajectory persisted in 2022, with sales soaring to an impressive €167 billion, almost doubling the 2019 figure of €84 million. Remarkably, in 2022, the top 100 e-marketplaces constituted a staggering 84% of the total volume, generating sales amounting to a remarkable €140 million.

In the European cross-border e-commerce arena, AliExpress, Etsy, and Amazon maintain their leading positions, followed closely by eBay and music-focused platform Discogs, owned by Zink Media. Beyond the top tier, Dutch company Naspers, with its versatile marketplace OLX, and Epic Games-owned music platform Bandcamp, along with Uber Eats, claim their spots in the rankings. A noteworthy newcomer is China’s Temu, specializing in budget-friendly apparel, securing the ninth position and surpassing Vinted, the Lithuanian second-hand clothing specialist, which dropped three places compared to the previous year. According to Cross-Border Commerce Europe (CCE), out of 498 active marketplaces (a 14% increase), 175 are identified as cross-border operators, marking a 35% growth. CCE predicts that by 2025, about 50% of international marketplaces operating in Europe will be classified as cross-border operators, signifying a significant shift in the European e-commerce landscape.

Beyond Amazon’s €55 billion in sales and Ebay’s €23 billion, the combined sales volume of European and non-European e-marketplaces in 2022 painted a remarkable picture of balance, reaching €44 billion and €45 billion respectively. When it comes to the nature of commerce, the sales volume of the top 100 e-marketplaces in Europe is nearly evenly divided between business-to-consumer (B2C), accounting for 49.5% of the total volume, and consumer-to-consumer (C2C) at 43.7%. A particularly noteworthy observation is that a significant 80% of these top 100 e-marketplaces operate as pure marketplaces

Source: FashionNetwork by Matthieu Guinebault