When you think of e-commerce, your mind probably goes straight to the global online shopping behemoth Amazon.
Amazon is so strong that its dominance can seem absolute – but there are in fact many markets where it is not the most popular destination for online shoppers.
In this blog post, we will explore four e-commerce websites that are actually more popular than Amazon in certain markets around the world.
I hope these insights will highlight the importance of doing proper market research when considering selling your products in new international markets.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
1. Shopee
If you are targeting Southeast Asia, you may want to consider selling your products on Shopee, rather than Amazon.
Shopee is the most popular e-commerce platform in the following countries:
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- Singapore
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Vietnam
Like Amazon, Shopee is a marketplace that sells a huge variety of products, from electronics, to fashion and accessories, cosmetics, food and beverages, home supplies, hobby items and more.
Brand owners, authorised distributors, and individual local sellers can all sell their items on Shopee.
The platform offers various marketing tools, from advertising, to vouchers and discounts to attract shoppers and encourage sales.
2. Mercado Libre
Let’s now turn our attention to Latin America, where you may want to familiarise yourself with Mercado Libre.
Mercado Libre is the most popular e-commerce platform in the following countries:
- Argentina
- Chile
- Colombia
- Mexico
- Brazil (in Brazil, it is called Mercado Livre, but it is the same company)
Mercado Libre is a well-established e-commerce marketplace in Latin America with over 20 years of experience.
Shoppers can buy a huge range of items, from electronics, to fashion, home and garden, vehicle accessories, agricultural products, sports and fitness, event tickets and more.
The platform offers several helpful features to international sellers targeting the Latin American market, from shipping solutions, to advertising options, to international payment options.
3. Bol
Let’s now turn our attention to the northwest of Europe, where you may hear the name Bol.
Bol is the most popular e-commerce platform in the following countries:
- Belgium
- Netherlands
Bol was founded 25 years ago and since then has expanded to serve 13 million active customers with 38 million items from around 50,000 sellers.
Customers on Bol can buy a wide range of items, from personal care, to home and garden, electronics, books, toys, fashion, sport, music, cooking and more.
Sellers can benefit from shipping solutions, as well as various marketing tools, such as advertising options, volume discounts to encourage sales, analytics, advice on product page optimisation and more.
4. OLX
And finally, still staying in Europe, let’s talk about OLX.
OLX is the most popular e-commerce platform in the following countries:
- Bulgaria
- Portugal
A little different from the other marketplaces on this list, OLX is a classifieds platform that focuses on growth markets, where sellers can sell new or used items.
It is proud of growing the circular economy by enabling second-hand trade and promoting re-use and sustainability.
Commentary from our in-house experts
Agnieszka Gebara, Team Leader of Content Care at Webcertain, says: “To achieve success in e-commerce, focus on the fine details of content management. Start by optimising your product pages with relevant keywords, detailed meta descriptions and high-quality images to enhance search visibility and attract organic traffic. Building trust is crucial, and this can be achieved by curating and prominently displaying customer reviews, ratings and photos. Additionally, leveraging content management systems to deliver personalised product recommendations and targeted offers based on user behaviour can significantly enhance the shopping experience, leading to higher engagement and repeat customers.”
Want to learn more?
If you want more international e-commerce and digital marketing insights, check out the Webcertain search and social report 2024. The report covers 57 markets from all over the world, making it an ideal read for international digital marketers wanting an easy-to-digest overview of each market. Download your copy for free from Webcertain’s Self-learning platform today!
Data sources
The e-commerce platform popularity data quoted in this blog post is taken from the Webcertain search and social report 2024, which used the latest data taken at the time of writing from Similarweb. Stats on Bol came from the Bol newsroom.
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