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The Asia-Pacific retail ecommerce sector is both dynamic and volatile. While China and Japan are slowing, South Korea is growing rapidly, and emerging markets like Southeast Asia and India are showing robust growth and untapped potential.

The situation: A cloud of uncertainty has hung over the US economy since the Trump administration鈥檚 April 9 pause of so-called reciprocal tariffs. That鈥檚 made it difficult for retailers and brands to plan for the short and medium term. The outlook is now poised to grow even murkier. President Donald Trump extended the pause period鈥攐riginally set to expire on Wednesday鈥攗ntil August 1. At the same time, he announced new 25% tariffs on imports from South Korea and Japan, also taking effect August 1, along with steep additional levies on other countries. Our take: With companies planning to pass on about 70% of the cost of levies to consumers via higher prices, it鈥檚 no surprise that we expect tariffs to take a meaningful bite out of retail sales this year鈥攚hether we remain in the moderate scenario or shift into a heavier one. In such a dynamic environment, retailers and brands should rely on scenario modeling that accounts for a range of possible futures. They can hope for the best but plan for the worst to ensure they鈥檙e ready to adapt to whatever twists lie ahead.

Chinese ecommerce platforms seek new paths for growth: Temu expands into South Korea amid challenges in Western markets.

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

GM expects the bulk of its tariff costs to take effect in the latter part of 2025, with imports from South Korea alone accounting for roughly $2 billion of the estimated $4 billion to $5 billion impact. EV tax credits are going away. The $7,500 federal incentive will be phased out on September 30, a major headwind to GM鈥檚 goal of eventually exclusively offering EVs.

The retail outlook for 2025 is worse than previously anticipated. However, many smaller emerging markets are still in line for strong years, and ecommerce continues to claw share from traditional retail.

K-beauty demand is soaring: South Korea outpaced France as the top source of US cosmetics imports in 2024.

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.

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.

Brazil鈥檚 digital advertising economy continues to thrive, driven by retail media investment, growing video ad spend, and slower social ad spending. This report explores trends shaping Brazil鈥檚 digital advertising landscape in 2025.鈥�

The news: Fortnite-maker Epic Games settled its antitrust lawsuit against Samsung, ending claims that Samsung and Google blocked rival app stores, per Bloomberg. Epic had accused Samsung鈥檚 鈥淎uto Blocker鈥� of preventing third-party app store downloads, alleging collusion with Google. Samsung and Google previously denied wrongdoing, calling Epic鈥檚 claims 鈥渂aseless鈥� and 鈥渕eritless.鈥� Our take: With Epic鈥檚 continued disruption of app store ecosystems, marketers should prepare for a fragmented but freer market鈥攁lternative app stores allow more control over promotions, subscriptions, and bundled offerings.

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.

Even as ecommerce alcohol sales rise, physical stores continue to dominate the path to purchase. Nonalcoholic beverages and Dry January are also picking up steam.