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Companies in South Korea are also early adopters of genAI. In fact, 72% of 50 organizations in South Korea were using genAI, well above the Asia-Pacific average of 59.5%, according to a July 2024 IDC poll. Marketers in Asia-Pacific are already using AI for a range of purposes.

Amid escalating geopolitical tensions and regulatory scrutiny in the US and Western Europe, Chinese ecommerce giants are increasingly turning their focus to Asia-Pacific.

Our expanded retail and ecommerce forecast coverage now includes country-level breakouts for 66 nations around the world. North America, China, and Western Europe continue to drive global outcomes, but a total of 53 countries will have at least $1 billion in ecommerce sales.

The most popular channels for pet food-related information are traditional ecommerce platforms such as Tmall and JD.com (64.7%), short video ads (58.5%), and pet shop ads (41.9%). South Korea is increasingly falling in love with cats and dogs. For six years, South Korea has had the lowest fertility rate (the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime) in the world.

Athleisure brands lululemon athletica and Vuori are expanding their presence overseas as the US market cools. With the US market looking increasingly uncertain, it’s no surprise that brands like lululemon and Vuori are looking to international markets to shift growth into a new gear. This trend will likely pick up among apparel brands this year, as they look for ways to mitigate the impact of tariffs and reduce their reliance on US shoppers.

It’s now disrupting social commerce with TikTok Shop, which is especially evident in Southeast Asia. TikTok has had a tumultuous global ascent. The social platform has been banned in India since mid-2020 and now faces an uncertain future in the US. This year, for the first time, its worldwide user growth rate will fall to single digits, per our forecast.

Our take: To reverse the company’s slump, de La Faverie plans to accelerate product launches and sharpen its marketing strategies to reach shoppers more effectively. But the big question remains—can Estée Lauder move fast enough to stay ahead of shifting consumer tastes?

Sustainability awareness is high in Asia-Pacific, where the majority of consumers are open to spending more on eco-friendly products. How can brands and retailers capitalize on the green opportunity—while also doing good for the environment?

In our first edition of the Global Digital Index, created in partnership with the RLC Global Forum, we explore retail and ecommerce in the Gulf States of the Middle East.