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Low-cost online marketplaces like Temu and Shein have surged in popularity across the US in recent years, and starting today, both retailers have enacted price hikes due to rising import costs As of January 2025, 44% of US adults have shopped on Temu, while 31% have purchased from Shein, according to data from Morning Consult. Competitive pricing is a key draw for consumers.

Shoppers worldwide are flocking to online marketplaces and social commerce for convenience, variety, and competitive pricing. While price remains key, brand trust is becoming a major factor in certain markets. As these platforms drive discovery and sales, brands must adapt to stay competitive. Here are three ways digital shopping habits are evolving among consumers worldwide.

Retail sales via online marketplaces are growing faster than overall ecommerce. As competition in the sector rises, brands and retailers must navigate the challenges of an increasingly complex landscape.

Best Buy takes another stab at an online marketplace: The consumer electronics giant, which operated a marketplace from 2011 to 2016, aims to align the marketplace鈥檚 SKUs with its product mix.

As the share of US ecommerce sales on marketplaces continues to expand, our latest survey examines consumer buying habits and expectations across leading platforms.

Lowe鈥檚 has a blueprint to drive long-term growth: The home improvement retailer plans to expand its physical footprint and lean on a marketplace to broaden its online product assortment.

B2B ecommerce growth is outpacing B2B product and electronic sales growth. And ecommerce site sales are taking an increasing share of the market. Macroeconomic conditions, buyers鈥� preferences, and AI use are fueling increased digital transactions, particularly through third-party marketplaces.

EBay scores a significant win for online marketplaces: A federal judge ruled the site isn鈥檛 liable for items sold on its platform that violate environmental laws.

Target integrated with Shopify last year so that merchants can apply to appear on the Target Plus online marketplace. Shopify also acquired Vantage Discovery, a generative AI (genAI) company, to deliver personalized search results for consumers on Shopify merchants鈥� storefronts.

The Commission鈥檚 decision represents the EU鈥檚 strongest effort yet to curb the market power of big tech companies and promote a more competitive digital marketplace. Given that Meta and Apple intend to appeal the decision, the actual payment of fines could be significantly delayed, and appeals could alter the final outcome.

Walmart enhanced its online marketplace with new capabilities and seller solutions, the retailer announced at its annual Walmart Marketplace Seller Summit this week. Updates include the addition of premium beauty products, expanded fulfillment services, and revamped seller solutions.

David鈥檚 Bridal is the latest retailer to rely on a third-party marketplace to shore up sales: Like Walmart and Best Buy, it adopts an 鈥渁sset-light鈥� model to expand inventory鈥攁nd ad sales鈥攚hile minimizing expenses.

From revolutionizing logistics and digital payments to capturing a major share of ecommerce and retail media ad revenues, Mercado Libre has profoundly reshaped Latin America鈥檚 digital economy.

TikTok Shop has emerged for many brands as a pivotal marketplace for discovery and sales. Some 50% of US consumers take product recommendation suggestions from influencers on TikTok Shop, according to February 2024 data from PartnerCentric.

Mercado Libre, which combines data from its digital marketplace and fintech arm, Mercado Pago, to build richer audience profiles and enable more precise ad targeting across its ecosystem. Rappi and DiDi go even further, operating across retail, banking, and travel.

Marketing has dramatically changed over the first quarter of the 21st century. The rise of digital, hyper-specific targeting, connected TV(CTV), and real-time advertising marketplaces are just a few of the trends that have made the marketing industry almost unrecognizable to what it was at the beginning of 2000.

Gen Z shoppers embrace Temu, Shein, and TikTok Shop: 1 in 4 makes a purchase at a Chinese online marketplace at least once a week, as their array of cheap, trendy goods proves impossible for the price-sensitive cohort to resist.

So far, the retail media space has been slower to materialize in physical stores than on digital marketplaces. Cannes could reveal a move offline for networks. 鈥淚鈥檓 ready for the conversation around in-store retail media to move beyond potential and into execution,鈥� said Marzano. 鈥淚鈥檒l be keeping an eye out for compelling on-premise initiatives and activations.鈥�. 4. Talk of tariffs.

With Amazon accounting for 76.7% of the US retail media industry鈥檚 $60.81 billion in ad spend, smaller retail media networks (RMNs) have to innovate to differentiate themselves in the longtail of the marketplace.

Most consumers use online marketplaces to find products, but the number who are browsing in-store or on social media is growing. Retailer websites are where customers go for product research. And when it comes to purchasing, price and delivery options are the most important factors.