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Social users around the world engage with and make purchase decisions from creator content in similar ways. Localizing creator strategies is key, but marketers can apply the same best practices across many geographies.

This report analyzes how digital adoption and evolving consumer habits are reshaping South Korea鈥檚 retail, media, and payments landscape.

The news: A US TikTok ban will take effect if a sale isn鈥檛 completed by the September 17 deadline, per comments from US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Lutnick said on CNBC that TikTok will 鈥済o dark鈥� if China does not agree to sell to a US owner. He also noted that any deal would require the US gaining control over both the app and its algorithms. Our take: Whether or not a full TikTok ban comes to pass, Lutnick鈥檚 comments reinforce a troubling trend: Advertisers are increasingly wary of the platform鈥檚 stability, accelerating the shift toward cross-platform strategies.

India鈥檚 commerce landscape is undergoing rapid transformation, fueled by booming ecommerce, rising mobile shopping, and the growing influence of social media.

Trump鈥檚 鈥淟iberation Day鈥� tariffs landed harder than expected. Uncertainty remains, given the pause on reciprocal tariffs for countries willing to negotiate with the US鈥攁long with an escalating trade war with China. Which markets will take the greatest hits? And how might our US forecasts change?

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a fast-growing and lucrative ecommerce market. To tap into growth in the country, retailers and brands need to understand what motivates consumers.

If not for China, the ecommerce giant would be nearly as dominant internationally as it is in the US. In its home market, Amazon accounts for over 75% of retail media spending. Globally, its share drops considerably, but that鈥檚 because Amazon has little business in China and captures almost none of its domestic ad spending.

Digital鈥檚 rapid adoption in recent years has made it the dominant medium with which people spend time in China, Japan, and South Korea, with consumption booming in India.

Tencent鈥檚 WeChat will have 852.8 million users in China this year, and ByteDance鈥檚 Douyin will have 864.5 million. Sina Weibo, China鈥檚 answer to Twitter, will outstrip X鈥檚 and Threads鈥� worldwide totals in just one country, with 421.4 million China-based users. However, all these services exist primarily or entirely in just one market, so we exclude them from our global discussions.

China is a global leader in online shopping, with high digital buyer and retail ecommerce penetration. Shoppers are comfortable buying luxury goods online and embracing livestreaming commerce.

Click here to view our forecasts for Sina Weibo users in China and Douyin users in China. Douyin users will grow at a relatively fast 3.7% YoY in 2025, with 80.0% of internet users in China on the platform. As its user growth slows, Douyin is deepening its ecommerce footprint to attract and engage users, including by offering its popular live shopping format.

Demand in both the US and China, the two largest markets for luxury, is softening as economic volatility and unfavorable exchange rates reduce consumer sentiment and buying power. This content is part of 蘑菇AV鈥檚 subscription Briefings, where we pair daily updates with data and analysis from forecasts and research reports.

Go deeper: Want more social commerce benchmarking data? PRO+ subscribers have access to Industry KPIs, our collection of more than 400 benchmarks in marketing and retail and ecommerce across a range of industries and countries. Click here for more information.

Brazil鈥檚 digital economy continues to thrive, driven by shifting advertising trends and increased social media usage. This report series explores key media consumption trends in Brazil in 2025.

In this report, we explore the world鈥檚 top region for retail and ecommerce, Asia-Pacific. Read on for a closer look at the markets in China, India, the Philippines, and more.

In our exclusive survey with ESW, data from shoppers in 18 countries reveals new twists in the path to purchase, the rising momentum of marketplaces, and the resilience of age-old fundamentals.

The digital landscape in Europe is slowing, but opportunities for advertisers, brands, and retailers still exist. Knowing where to look to achieve the best outcomes will be paramount.

Latin America鈥檚 digital revolution is marching full steam ahead, with consumers spending more than a third of their day online. As social commerce and retail media propel the region鈥檚 digital economy to new heights, the runway for growth remains long.鈥�

China creates an artificially high global figure. There鈥檚 always more to data than meets the eye. The digital penetration rates of retail and advertising in the three Gulf countries appear low, but when it comes to ecommerce, it鈥檚 often better to use a global average that excludes China.