Based on insights from 4,500 marketplace shoppers across the US, UK, Germany, France, and the Netherlands, this report reveals how trust, value, and transparency are now shaping the marketplace shopping experience.

Shopping journeys are broader, not linear

Shoppers no longer move from one channel to one checkout. They discover on marketplaces, validate on social platforms, compare across borders, and increasingly use AI to reduce effort. This report connects those touchpoints into a single, end-to-end view of how decisions are actually made.

As part of the EU’s measures to support consumers contracting with online retailers, it has introduced requirements that retailers make it easier for consumers to withdraw from online contracts, by providing clearer (and well signposted) means of withdrawal online. Despite its name, Directive (EU) 2023/2673 as regards financial services contracts concluded at a distance contains important new rules for all online consumer contracts as it amends an important directive on consumer rights (Directive (EU) 2011/83).  Online retailers (whether based in the EU or based outside the EU but targeting the EU market) will therefore need to adjust their online contracting processes and ensure they have appropriate online architecture in place to permit consumers to withdraw from a contract in the manner the directive requires. France has now implemented the changes required into French national law, but all EU Member States need to follow suit. Online retailers should be working to implement these new requirements before 19 June 2026.

A growing share of EU online shopping is flowing to marketplaces based outside the European Union. Greece has emerged as an extreme example of this shift. Recent survey data shows that roughly 80 percent of Greek consumers have purchased from at least one non-EU e-commerce platform, with Temu and Shein standing out as the most frequently mentioned marketplaces.

This development is more than a short-term consumer trend. It reflects bigger structural changes in European e-commerce, affecting price expectations, competitive dynamics, logistics, and regulatory priorities across the EU.

From Gen Z to boomers, adoption is accelerating across all age groups, reshaping how consumers live, shop, and interact. But as AI becomes mainstream, concerns around trust is rising. From hype to habit: How consumers are embracing AI, the latest research brief from the Capgemini Research Institute, explores this evolving landscape, drawing insights from a survey of 10,000 consumers from 13 countries across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. The results reveal how attitudes toward AI have shifted over the past two years, and what this means for businesses aiming to innovate responsibly. Key findings include:

Returns are no longer just a logistics challenge, they’re a window into consumer behavior, expectations, and brand loyalty. In this exclusive report, ReBound surveyed 2,200 consumers across five countries to uncover how shoppers approach returns in fashion ecommerce, and what retailers can do to meet them halfway.

This eBook is essential reading for fashion brands, ecommerce leaders, and retail strategists looking to reduce returns, improve customer experience, and build smarter post-purchase journeys.

G20 nations have inched ahead in making cross-border payments more efficient and affordable, but progress has been uneven, says a new BIS study. The G20 forum consists of 19 nations, including the U.S., the U.K., South Africa, Germany, Japan and China, plus two regional organizations, the African Union and European Union.

Brief:

G20 member countries will likely not meet their cross-border payment targets by 2027, according to a Bank of International Settlements report released Dec. 11.

The Paypers has just launched the Global Ecommerce Report 2026– Scaling Ecommerce and SaaS: Finding the Right Partners to Succeed across Borders. The global ecommerce landscape is shifting. Trade tensions, tariff volatility, and recession fears defined 2025, resulting in the slowest ecommerce growth since 2022. However, projections for 2026 suggest that we are nearing a period of stabilisation, as the market is anticipated to reach USD 6.8 trillion.

European sellers will see lower fees on Amazon next year, which Reuters surmised was a response to competition from Temu and Shein, sites that sell “clothes, homeware and gadgets at rock-bottom prices.” Amazon’s selling-fee reductions are “focused first on lowering fees for sellers of cheap fashion,” the news outlet reported.

Amazon had previously announced 2026 fees for US sellers, which are rising by an average of $0.08 per unit sold, saying its fee changes were “significantly less than inflation and less than the 3.9%-5.9% annual cost increases from other major US carriers during the last two years.”