The global eCommerce market is expected to reach $5.5 trillion in 2023 and continue growing over the next few years, proving that online shopping has become an increasingly lucrative option for businesses across all sectors of industry.
It’s estimated that by 2025 world online shopping could exceed $7 trillion, and it will account for almost one quarter (23.6%) of all consumer spending on earth.
We are well acquainted with eMarketplace websites such as Amazon, eBay, Rakuten, and Alibaba – the giants of online retail – but who are the rising stars? Who are the other big players around the world? Which are the best places to sell niche products?
In this post, we have compiled a definitive list of all the online eMarketplaces around the world, and we answer those questions and more.
We start with 151 eMarketplaces that have more than one million visits per month, then we look at the most popular product categories, followed by the best-served regions and countries. We include a detailed breakdown of the top four product categories – fashion, books, homewares, and electronics – and finally, take a look at the top eMarketplaces by country and region.
What is an online eMarketplace?
There are two key features that define an online eMarketplace:
There are many sellers and buyers trading through the same website.
Buyers are able to purchase products without leaving the site (or app).
This excludes price comparison sites like Shopping.com. Although they have products from many sellers, you cannot make a purchase without leaving the site. They are advertising channels rather than an online eMarketplace.
It also excludes sites where you sell used products directly to the company operating the site, such as decluttr and ubup. As you can only sell directly to the company, there is only one buyer. They are sourcing products from consumers to resell themselves (often through online eMarketplaces!)
For this article, we have focused on the type of eMarketplace website that meet two further criteria:
The buyers are mainly consumers, not businesses.
The eMarketplace sells physical products, not just digital downloads or services.
This means that eMarketplaces that only support business-to-business (B2B) trade, such as diamond trading site RapNet, are excluded. eMarketplaces specializing in services such as freelancing website Upwork and also excluded.
In summary, we are looking at true online eMarketplaces where you can sell physical products to consumers.
The world’s top online eMarketplaces
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Product Category | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | Amazon | Global | General | 5.69B |
| 2 | e-marketplace | eBay | Global | General | 2.98B |
| 3 | e-marketplace | MiAlzo | Global | General | 600.19M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | Rakuten | Global | General | 590.84M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | AliExpress | Global | General | 526.4M |
| 6 | e-marketplace | Walmart | North America | General | 514.03M |
| 7 | e-marketplace | Mercado Libre | Latin America | General | 446.97M |
| 8 | e-marketplace | Etsy | Global | Arts, Crafts & Gifts | 397.5M |
| 9 | e-marketplace | Taobao | China | General | 333.14M |
| 10 | e-marketplace | Wildberries | Russia | General | 279.8M |
| 11 | e-marketplace | Pinduoduo | China | General | 263.3M |
| 12 | e-marketplace | Trendyol | Turkey | General | 222.7M |
| 13 | e-marketplace | Target | USA, Australia | General | 206.5M |
| 14 | e-marketplace | Flipkart | India | General | 202.4M |
| 15 | e-marketplace | Allegro | Poland | General | 201.45M |
| 16 | e-marketplace | Ozon | Russia | General | 196.8M |
| 17 | e-marketplace | JD.com | China | General | 186.7M |
| 18 | e-marketplace | Zalando | Europe | Fashion | 170M |
| 19 | e-marketplace | Tokopedia | Indonesia | General | 163.8M |
| 20 | e-marketplace | Lazada | Southeast Asia | General | 144.22M |
| 21 | e-marketplace | Wayfair | North America, Europe | Homewares | 143.14M |
| 22 | e-marketplace | Mercari | Japan, Bulgaria | General | 139.52M |
| 23 | e-marketplace | Tmall | China | General | 104.77M |
| 24 | e-marketplace | Hepsiburada | Turkey | General | 97.4M |
| 25 | e-marketplace | Coupang | South Korea | General | 86.7M |
| 26 | e-marketplace | Americanas | Brazil | General | 86.7M |
| 27 | e-marketplace | Vinted | Global | Fashion | 77.31M |
| 28 | e-marketplace | bol.com | Netherlands | General | 74.4M |
| 29 | e-marketplace | Kaufland | Germany, Europe | General | 73.25M |
| 30 | e-marketplace | ASOS | Global | Fashion | 63.16M |
| 31 | e-marketplace | Myntra | India | Fashion | 56.4M |
| 32 | e-marketplace | Casas Bahia | Brazil | General | 56.0M |
| 33 | e-marketplace | Falabella | Chile | General | 53.22M |
| 34 | e-marketplace | OTTO | Germany, Netherlands | General | 53M |
| 35 | e-marketplace | Discogs | Global / USA | Music | 50.0M |
| 36 | e-marketplace | Poshmark | Global / USA | Fashion | 49.92M |
| 37 | e-marketplace | Decathlon | Europe | Sports | 48.3M |
| 38 | e-marketplace | ZOZOTOWN | Japan | Fashion | 48.2M |
| 39 | e-marketplace | Marktplaats | Netherlands | General | 46.9M |
| 40 | e-marketplace | eMAG | Eastern Europe | General | 44.73M |
| 41 | e-marketplace | ManoMano | Europe | Homewares | 44.2M |
| 42 | e-marketplace | Cdiscount.com | France | General | 41.4M |
| 43 | e-marketplace | Meesho | India | General | 36.43M |
| 44 | e-marketplace | n11 | Turkey | General | 36.0M |
| 45 | e-marketplace | Kroger Ship | USA | General | 34.7M |
| 46 | e-marketplace | Netshoes | Brazil | Fashion | 34.36M |
| 47 | e-marketplace | PayPay Mall | Japan | General | 34.0M |
| 48 | e-marketplace | Fnac | Europe | General | 33.57M |
| 49 | e-marketplace | Gmarket | Global | General | 31.92M |
| 50 | e-marketplace | StockX | Global / USA | Fashion | 30.24M |
| 51 | e-marketplace | Bandcamp | Global | Music | 29.3M |
| 52 | e-marketplace | Dafiti | Latin America | Fashion | 29.01M |
| 53 | e-marketplace | Overstock | USA, Canada | General | 28.81M |
| 54 | e-marketplace | Farfetch | Global | Fashion | 28.8M |
| 55 | e-marketplace | La Redoute | Global | General | 27.11M |
| 56 | e-marketplace | Jumia | Africa | General | 26.86M |
| 57 | e-marketplace | Extra | Brazil | General | 26M |
| 58 | e-marketplace | Wish | Global | General | 24.7M |
| 59 | e-marketplace | Houzz | Global | Homewares | 23.26M |
| 60 | e-marketplace | Bukalapak | Indonesia | General | 23.3M |
| 61 | e-marketplace | Barnes and Noble | USA | Books | 22.2M |
| 62 | e-marketplace | Blibli | Indonesia | General | 22.1M |
| 63 | e-marketplace | Qoo10 | Southeast Asia | General | 20.77M |
| 64 | e-marketplace | Newegg | Global | Electronics | 20.02M |
| 65 | e-marketplace | Trade Me | New Zealand | General | 20.0M |
| 66 | e-marketplace | Reverb | Global | Musical instruments | 17.69M |
| 67 | e-marketplace | Best Buy Canada | Canada | Electronics | 17.9M |
| 68 | e-marketplace | noon | Middle East | General | 17.6M |
| 69 | e-marketplace | GunBroker | USA | Sports | 16.6M |
| 70 | e-marketplace | Lamoda | Russia | Fashion | 15.6M |
| 71 | e-marketplace | Qoo10 Japan | Japan | General | 15.5M |
| 72 | e-marketplace | Fruugo | Global | General | 14.74M |
| 73 | e-marketplace | Tiki | Vietnam | General | 14.6M |
| 74 | e-marketplace | Darty | France | General | 14.24M |
| 75 | e-marketplace | AbeBooks | Global | Books | 14.04M |
| 76 | e-marketplace | Linio | Latin America | General | 13.94M |
| 77 | e-marketplace | Ricardo | Switzerland | General | 13.82M |
| 78 | e-marketplace | Pontofrio | Brazil | General | 13.61M |
| 79 | e-marketplace | Shoptime | Brazil | General | 13.03M |
| 80 | e-marketplace | Takealot.com | South Africa | General | 12.74M |
| 81 | e-marketplace | Snapdeal | India | General | 12.5M |
| 82 | e-marketplace | shopgoodwill.com | USA | General | 12.3M |
| 83 | e-marketplace | Submarino | Brazil | General | 12.2M |
| 84 | e-marketplace | dba | Denmark | General | 12.2M |
| 85 | e-marketplace | Conforama | Europe | Homewares | 11.73M |
| 86 | e-marketplace | Joom | Europe | General | 11.56M |
| 87 | e-marketplace | Tradera | Sweden | General | 11.28M |
| 88 | e-marketplace | Worten | Europe | General | 11.05M |
| 89 | e-marketplace | TheRealReal | USA | Fashion | 10.9M |
| 90 | e-marketplace | Sears | USA,Latin America, North America | General | 10.56M |
| 91 | e-marketplace | G2A.com | Global | Electronics | 10.2M |
| 92 | e-marketplace | Desert Cart | Middle East, Global | General | 9.66M |
| 93 | e-marketplace | digitec | Switzerland | Electronics | 9.62M |
| 94 | e-marketplace | GOAT | Global | Fashion | 9.62M |
| 95 | e-marketplace | Depop | Global | Fashion | 9.6M |
| 96 | e-marketplace | Spartoo | Europe | Fashion | 9.45M |
| 97 | e-marketplace | The Iconic | Australia, New Zealand | Fashion | 9.32M |
| 98 | e-marketplace | Souq | Egypt, Sweden | General | 9.32M |
| 99 | e-marketplace | Grailed | USA | Fashion | 9.1M |
| 100 | e-marketplace | Zattini | Brazil | Fashion | 8.4M |
| 101 | e-marketplace | Catch.com.au | Australia | General | 8.4M |
| 102 | e-marketplace | Zalora | Southeast Asia | Fashion | 8.4M |
| 103 | e-marketplace | cdon | Scandinavia | General | 7.44M |
| 104 | e-marketplace | Kaspi | Kazakhstan | General | 7.14M |
| 105 | e-marketplace | 1stdibs | USA | Arts, Crafts & Gifts | 7.0M |
| 106 | e-marketplace | GittiGidiyor | Turkey | General | 6.9M |
| 107 | e-marketplace | Aukro | Czech Republic | General | 6.9M |
| 108 | e-marketplace | BrickLink | USA | Toys | 6.5M |
| 109 | e-marketplace | Privalia | Brazil, Mexico, Italy, Spain | Fashion | 6.17M |
| 110 | e-marketplace | Vestiaire Collective | USA | Fashion | 5.5M |
| 111 | e-marketplace | Wehkamp | Netherlands | General | 5.4M |
| 112 | e-marketplace | Vipshop | China | General | 4.7M |
| 113 | e-marketplace | morele | Poland | Electronics | 4.7M |
| 114 | e-marketplace | ePRICE | Italy, Global | General | 4.69M |
| 115 | e-marketplace | notonthehighstreet | UK | Arts, Crafts & Gifts | 4.1M |
| 116 | e-marketplace | OnBuy | UK | General | 4.0M |
| 117 | e-marketplace | MyDeal.com.au | Australia | General | 4.0M |
| 118 | e-marketplace | Konga | Nigeria, Russia, | General | 3.88M |
| 119 | e-marketplace | Galeries Lafayette | France, Middle East | Fashion | 3.56M |
| 120 | e-marketplace | Delcampe | Global | Collectibles & Antiques | 3.5M |
| 121 | e-marketplace | Rue La La | USA | Fashion | 3.4M |
| 122 | e-marketplace | Shpock | Europe | General | 3.3M |
| 123 | e-marketplace | Rue du Commerce | France | General | 3.3M |
| 124 | e-marketplace | Tradesy | USA | Fashion | 3.1M |
| 125 | e-marketplace | Bonanza | Global | General | 3.1M |
| 126 | e-marketplace | Sendo | Vietnam | General | 3.1M |
| 127 | e-marketplace | miinto | Europe | Fashion | 2.93M |
| 128 | e-marketplace | Pepperfry | India | Homewares | 2.6M |
| 129 | e-marketplace | Cel | Romania | General | 2.6M |
| 130 | e-marketplace | eCRATER | USA, UK, Australia | General | 2.55M |
| 131 | e-marketplace | Fyndiq | Global | General | 2.5M |
| 132 | e-marketplace | Kanui | Brazil | Fashion | 2.4M |
| 133 | e-marketplace | hood | Germany | General | 2.4M |
| 134 | e-marketplace | Micolet | Global | Fashion | 2.3M |
| 135 | e-marketplace | Jane | USA | Fashion | 2.1M |
| 136 | e-marketplace | GAME | UK | Electronics | 2.1M |
| 137 | e-marketplace | Shopclues | India | General | 1.9M |
| 138 | e-marketplace | Biblio.com | USA | Books | 1.8M |
| 139 | e-marketplace | Okazii.ro | Romania | General | 1.7M |
| 140 | e-marketplace | Coolshop | Europe | General | 1.64M |
| 141 | e-marketplace | Storenvy | USA | General | 1.6M |
| 142 | e-marketplace | Ruby Lane | USA, Australia | Collectibles & Antiques | 1.51M |
| 143 | e-marketplace | SidelineSwap | USA | Sports | 1.5M |
| 144 | e-marketplace | ZVAB | Germany | Books | 1.5M |
| 145 | e-marketplace | Limeroad | India | Fashion | 1.3M |
| 146 | e-marketplace | bidorbuy | South Africa | General | 1.5M |
| 147 | e-marketplace | Alibris | USA, UK | Books | 1.5M |
| 148 | e-marketplace | mumzworld | Middle East | Baby | 1.3M |
| 149 | e-marketplace | Nature & Découvertes | France | Homewares | 1.2M |
| 150 | e-marketplace | Trouva | UK | Homewares | 1.1M |
| 151 | e-marketplace | Moda Operandi | Global | Fashion | 1.0M |
| 152 | e-marketplace | ByggFix | Global | Building & Construction | 1.0M |
Estimated monthly visits for January 2023. Traffic to different domains for the same eMarketplace (e.g. amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.de etc.) has been combined.
It’s no surprise that Amazon and eBay top the list, with Amazon pulling in over five and a half billion visits per month and eBay getting almost 3 billion visitors each month. You can find the biggest sellers on these eMarketplaces in our articles on the world’s top Amazon sellers and the world’s top eBay sellers.
Only Amazon and eBay break the one billion visits mark, although MiAlzo, Mercado Libre, Rakuten, Walmart, and AliExpress aren’t too far behind, with around 500 million visits per month each.
Latin America’s Mercado Libre is seventh on the list, which may come as a surprise to many westerners who have never heard of them before. Mercado Libre is the biggest eMarketplace in Latin America. This is a world eMarketplace chosen by many companies that are looking to target Latin American markets.
Looking at the product categories, the top 20 market places overwhelmingly sell general merchandise, with only two specializing in a specific product category – Etsy and Zalando.
Etsy is the largest of the non-general eMarketplaces, underscoring the popularity of handmade and craft items. It’s an incredibly strong niche, especially when you consider that competing eMarketplaces are trading in mass-produced products such as electronics and clothing.
In the top 20, there is a 40/60 split between eMarketplaces that are retailers themselves, and those that are only eMarketplaces. The best known retailer with their own eMarketplace is Amazon, where over 50% of sales are now made by eMarketplace sellers. But it also includes companies like Walmart, JD.com, and Target.
These companies have added eMarketplaces to their existing retail websites, giving shoppers greater product choice and creating price competition between sellers.
When it comes to geographic regions, there is a diverse mix represented in the top 20 international eMarketplaces. Five are global brands (Amazon, eBay, Rakuten, AliExpress, Etsy), but there are also eMarketplaces from Latin America, China, North America, Southeast Asia, India, and Europe, all represented in the top 20.
It’s important to note that this list is ranked by estimated monthly website visits using SimilarWeb data. While GMV (gross merchandise value) would be an ideal measure of eMarketplace size, this is not reliably available for most online eMarketplaces. Traffic data provides a consistent measure of popularity that can be applied to all eMarketplaces worldwide.
What has changed in 2023?
Marketplace closures included:
After 23 years of operation, the Chinese e-commerce website eachnet.com officially shuts down. Eachnet was once owned by the US online marketing powerhouse eBay.
Less than six months after its debut in India, the social commerce network MiAlzo is leaving the nation due to “global market uncertainty.” MiAlzo immediately became popular in India thanks to its broad selection of affordable items. The MiAlzo app is not available on Google Play Store and the Apple App Store yet.
Shopify, the leading eCommerce platform, is discontinuing Oberlo. Oberlo was Shopify’s dropshipping extension. Shopify is switching to a different dropshipping program created by DSers.
According to Facebook, its live shopping function will be discontinued on October 1 in favor of Reels. Facebook originally introduced live shopping in 2018 and has been experimenting with methods to make it more user-friendly and well-liked over the last few years.
There were also a number of high-profile brand and company changes:
H&M returned to China a year after it left the country over forced labor in Xinjiang. The H&M store is available on Tmall, an Alibaba-owned eMarketplace.
Authentic Brands Group Inc. bought Ted Baker Plc. for around $254 million.
Amazon acquired iRobot for $1.65 billion. iRobot manufactures a popular Roomba vacuum cleaner. Most analysts believe Amazon wants to use Roomba to get better insights into how people live to push their Alexa smart home products.
By October 15, WHP Global and Macy’s Inc. hope to have a Toys R Us store inside each Macy’s location. The stores will range in size from 1,000 square feet for “flagship” sites to 10,000 square feet for locations in multiple cities.
Amazon decided to shut down Selz, an e-commerce startup that helps entrepreneurs sell products online. Amazon acquired Selz last year.
Top product categories sold by online eMarketplaces
| # | Product Category | Marketplaces (1) | Visits/month |
| 1 | General | 89 | 13.95B |
| 2 | Fashion | 30 | 710.31M |
| 3 | Arts, Crafts & Gifts | 3 | 408.6M |
| 4 | Homewares | 7 | 227.74M |
| 5 | Music | 2 | 79.32M |
| 6 | Sports | 3 | 66.4M |
| 7 | Electronics | 6 | 64.57M |
| 8 | Books | 5 | 41.04M |
| 9 | Musical instruments | 1 | 17.69M |
| 10 | Toys & Baby | 2 | 7.8M |
| 11 | Collectibles & Antiques | 2 | 5.01M |
1 – Includes only eMarketplaces with more than one million visits per month.
General eMarketplaces, where a very wide range of products are sold, are by far the most common type, comprising nearly 60% of all eMarketplaces and 18 out of the top 20.
Online eMarketplaces selling mainly fashion take the second spot, despite only being featured at number 18 in the main list, with Zalando. Compared to 2020, Zalando climbed to the number 18 spot from the 20th place by improving their overall traffic by more than 20%.
The Arts, Crafts & Gifts category comes next, although this is mainly down to Etsy. Only two other eMarketplaces feature in this category – the UK’s notonthehighstreet and global site 1stdibs.
Electronics, Homewares, and Books all ranked above Arts, Crafts & Gifts in previous years, but the explosive growth of Etsy starting in 2020 has moved the entire category with it.
Fashion online eMarketplaces
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | Zalando | Europe | 170M |
| 2 | e-marketplace | Vinted | Global | 77.31M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | ASOS | Global | 63.16M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | Myntra | India | 56.4M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | Poshmark | Global / USA | 49.92M |
| 6 | e-marketplace | ZOZOTOWN | Japan | 48.2M |
| 7 | e-marketplace | Netshoes | Brazil | 34.36M |
| 8 | e-marketplace | StockX | Global / USA | 30.24M |
| 9 | e-marketplace | Dafiti | Latin America | 29.01M |
| 10 | e-marketplace | Farfetch | Global | 27.56M |
| 11 | e-marketplace | Lamoda | Russia | 15.6M |
| 12 | e-marketplace | TheRealReal | USA | 10.9M |
| 17 | e-marketplace | GOAT | Global | 9.62M |
| 13 | e-marketplace | Depop | Global | 9.6M |
| 21 | e-marketplace | Spartoo | Europe | 9.45M |
| 18 | e-marketplace | The Iconic | Australia, New Zealand | 9.32M |
| 16 | e-marketplace | Grailed | USA | 9.1M |
| 15 | e-marketplace | Zattini | Brazil | 8.4M |
| 19 | e-marketplace | Zalora | Southeast Asia | 8.4M |
| 14 | e-marketplace | Privalia | Brazil, Mexico, Italy, Spain | 6.17M |
| 20 | e-marketplace | Vestiaire Collective | USA | 5.5M |
| 25 | e-marketplace | Galeries Lafayette | France | 3.56M |
| 22 | e-marketplace | Rue La La | USA | 3.4M |
| 23 | e-marketplace | Tradesy | USA | 3.1M |
| 24 | e-marketplace | miinto | Europe | 2.93M |
| 26 | e-marketplace | Kanui | Brazil | 2.4M |
| 27 | e-marketplace | Micolet | Global | 2.3M |
| 28 | e-marketplace | Jane | USA | 2.1M |
| 30 | e-marketplace | Limeroad | India | 1.3M |
| 31 | e-marketplace | Moda Operandi | Global | 1.0M |
Clothing and accessories are one of the most popular online eMarketplace niches. Zalando leads this category, followed by Vinted, ASOS, Myntra, Poshmark, ZOZOTOWN, Netshoes, and StockX, which all ranked in the top 50 biggest online eMarketplaces.
Most fashion eMarketplaces are focused on customers in the USA, Europe, Latin America, or worldwide, but Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan, India, and Russia also feature. We looked into the best places to sell clothes online in a previous article.
Homewares online eMarketplaces
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | Wayfair | North America, Europe | 143.14M |
| 2 | e-marketplace | ManoMano | Europe | 44.2M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | Houzz | Global | 23.77M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | Conforama | Europe | 11.73M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | Pepperfry | India | 2.6M |
| 7 | e-marketplace | Nature & Découvertes | France | 1.2M |
| 6 | e-marketplace | Trouva | UK | 1.1M |
When it comes to homewares, Wayfair takes the top spot by a large margin. It gets three times the traffic of the second biggest homeware eMarketplace ManoMano.
At #3 on the list, Houzz highlights another important trend in creating new online eMarketplaces, which is the community-driven eMarketplace. Houzz began as an online community about architecture and interior design, with tools to help users plan renovation and design projects. It later added an online eMarketplace website as well as retailing products itself using a dropshipping model.
Five out of the seven top homewares eMarketplaces are European. Although Wayfair’s websites in the US and Canada have the highest traffic, they also have a strong presence in Europe.
Electronics online eMarketplaces
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | Newegg | Global | 20.05M |
| 2 | e-marketplace | Best Buy Canada | Canada | 17.9M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | G2A.com | Global | 10.2M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | digitec | Switzerland | 9.62M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | morele | Poland | 4.7M |
| 6 | e-marketplace | GAME | UK | 2.1M |
Electronics is perhaps a surprising product category for eMarketplaces to target, given that electronic goods are typically commodity products that are easily available and very price-sensitive.
However, for many of these eMarketplaces, the driver is video games rather than electronics in general. Newegg has its roots in PC components and systems for gaming, while G2A.com is an online gaming eMarketplace, and GAME is a UK-based retailer selling video games, consoles, and accessories.
While electronics as a whole is a commoditized product category, video gaming is an area with a lot of innovation and enthusiastic communities.
Note that although G2A.com is best known for digital products such as video game registration codes, it does also sell physical products, including merchandise and electronics, qualifying it for inclusion here.
Books online eMarketplaces
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | Barnes and Noble | USA | 22.2M |
| 2 | e-marketplace | AbeBooks | Global | 14.04M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | Biblio.com | USA, UK, AU, NZ | 1.8M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | ZVAB | Germany | 1.5M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | Alibris | USA, UK | 1.5M |
Books is perhaps an unlikely category for this list simply because it’s difficult to think of buying books online anywhere other than Amazon. For its first four years, Amazon sold nothing but books and marketed itself as “The world’s largest bookstore”. They have come to dominate book sales both online and offline.
So what is keeping online eMarketplaces selling books alive? There are two main trends:
Rare books (including antiques and collectibles, as well as out-of-print books)
Textbooks
Retailer Barnes and Nobles takes the top position in this category, closely followed by Amazon-owned AbeBooks. AbeBooks has global coverage, but the majority of the book eMarketplaces are focused on the US, with only Germany’s ZVAB targeting any other region (incidentally, ZVAB is AbeBook’s brand in Germany).
Note that textbook eMarketplaces eCampus.com and TextbooksRush do not feature here as they have under one million visits per month.
Community-driven online eMarketplaces
Marketplaces with a strong community-driven atmosphere feature several times in the smaller product categories. Examples include:
Reverb, for musical instruments and related equipment.
Bandcamp, for bands to sell music and merchandise.
BrickLink, specializing in collectible Lego.
These eMarketplaces work because they relate directly to hobbies and pastimes that people are passionate about and also meet a strong need to trade products that are collectible, esoteric, or simply hard to find.
Two product categories that are in some ways similar are:
Arts, Crafts & Gifts
Collectibles & Antiques
Etsy, and its much smaller competitors, also tend to have a community feel, although not quite to the extent of Reverb, Bandcamp and BrickLink mentioned above. These include notonthehighstreet and Folksy in the UK, and ArtFire and Ruby Lane in the US.
The release of Amazon Handmade in October 2015, for craftspeople to sell directly through Amazon, competes directly with Etsy, showing just how large this category is.
Top online eMarketplaces by country and region
| # | Region | Marketplaces (1) | Visits/month |
| 1 | North America | 48 | 5.54B |
| 2 | Europe | 57 | 3.84B |
| 3 | East Asia | 15 | 2.51B |
| 4 | Latin America | 18 | 1.53B |
| 5 | Southeast Asia | 12 | 837.04M |
| 6 | Southern Asia | 9 | 654.53M |
| 7 | Middle East | 7 | 470.97M |
| 8 | Australasia | 7 | 157.82M |
| 9 | Africa | 6 | 59.85M |
| 10 | Central Asia | 1 | 7.1M |
1 – Includes only eMarketplaces with more than one million visits per month.
The top four regions
North American consumers generate the most traffic to online eMarketplaces, with 5.4 billion visits per month and 48 different eMarketplaces having one million or more visits each.
This is followed by Europe, which has the highest number of different eMarketplaces – 57 had over one million monthly visits and generated a total of over 3.8 billion visits from European shoppers.
Third in the table is East Asia, primarily China and Japan, with 2.5 billion visits, but a less diverse landscape with only 15 sites having more than one million visits each.
Fourth is Latin America, with 1.5 billion visits per month from 18 different online eMarketplaces.
Smaller regions: emerging markets and Australasia
After these big four regions, which include most of the developed economies of the world, traffic levels drop substantially.
Southeast Asia and Southern Asia (primarily India) both have over 500 million visits to online eMarketplaces each month. The Middle East and Australasia fall into the 100 million to 500 million range. Africa has only 52 million visits to online eMarketplaces per month, and just six eMarketplaces breaking the one million visits mark.
Online eMarketplaces in emerging markets
In the developing world, eMarketplaces are often mobile-centric because consumers are less likely to own a desktop or laptop computer. In 2015, India’s Flipkart went so far as to shut down its mobile website and force users to download their app (although it later reversed this decision).
Ecommerce faces challenges in many developing countries due to low adoption of credit cards, slow internet access, and patchy delivery logistics. Despite that, online eMarketplaces are growing strongly in all regions, with Southeast Asia, India, and Russia leading the way.
Middle Eastern ecommerce is also building up momentum (front-runner Souq was acquired by Amazon) and is attracting interest from European online sellers. There are a growing number of affluent consumers there, a demand for western products, and the Middle East is geographically close to Europe.
United States
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Product Category | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | Amazon | Global | General | 2.7B |
| 2 | e-marketplace | eBay | Global | General | 788.6M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | Walmart.com | North America | General | 443.3M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | AliExpress | Global | General | 425.1M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | Etsy | Global | Arts, Crafts & Gifts | 397.5M |
| 6 | e-marketplace | Target.com | USA | General | 198.1M |
| 7 | e-marketplace | Mercari | Japan, USA | General | 138.4M |
| 8 | e-marketplace | Wayfair | USA, Europe | Homewares | 106.3M |
| 9 | e-marketplace | Rakuten | Japan | General | 71.6M |
| 10 | e-marketplace | Discogs | Global | Music | 50.0M |
| 11 | e-marketplace | Poshmark | USA | Fashion | 46.3M |
| 12 | e-marketplace | Kroger Ship | USA | General | 34.7M |
| 13 | e-marketplace | StockX | Global | Fashion | 30.2M |
| 14 | e-marketplace | Bandcamp | Global | Music | 29.3M |
| 15 | e-marketplace | Overstock | USA | General | 28.1M |
| 16 | e-marketplace | Farfetch | Global | Fashion | 27.1M |
| 17 | e-marketplace | Wish | Global | General | 24.7M |
| 18 | e-marketplace | Barnes and Noble | USA | Books | 22.2M |
| 19 | e-marketplace | Newegg | USA, Canada | Electronics | 20.02M |
| 20 | e-marketplace | Houzz | Global | Homewares | 18.1M |
| 21 | e-marketplace | Reverb | Global | Musical instruments | 17.6M |
| 22 | e-marketplace | GunBroker | USA | Sports | 16.6M |
| 23 | e-marketplace | shopgoodwill.com | USA | General | 12.3M |
| 24 | e-marketplace | TheRealReal | USA | Fashion | 10.9M |
| 25 | e-marketplace | AbeBooks | Global | Books | 10.3M |
| 26 | e-marketplace | G2A.com | Global | Electronics | 10.2M |
| 27 | e-marketplace | Depop | Global | Fashion | 9.6M |
| 28 | e-marketplace | GOAT | Global | Fashion | 9.5M |
| 29 | e-marketplace | Grailed | USA | Fashion | 9.1M |
| 30 | e-marketplace | 1stdibs | Global | Arts, Crafts & Gifts | 7.0M |
| 31 | e-marketplace | BrickLink | Global | Toys | 6.5M |
| 32 | e-marketplace | Sears | USA | General | 5.8M |
| 33 | e-marketplace | Vestiaire Collective | USA | Fashion | 5.5M |
| 34 | e-marketplace | Rue La La | USA | Fashion | 3.4M |
| 35 | e-marketplace | Bonanza | Global | General | 3.1M |
| 36 | e-marketplace | Tradesy | USA | Fashion | 3.1M |
| 37 | e-marketplace | Desert Cart | USA, Middle East | General | 3.05M |
| 38 | e-marketplace | eCRATER | USA, UK, Australia | General | 2.2M |
| 39 | e-marketplace | Jane | USA | Fashion | 2.1M |
| 40 | e-marketplace | Storenvy | USA | General | 1.6M |
| 41 | e-marketplace | Ruby Lane | USA | Collectibles & Antiques | 1.5M |
| 42 | e-marketplace | Alibris | USA, UK | Books | 1.4M |
This table shows the most popular sites used by people based in the US. We have only included those with more than one million monthly visits from American customers.
Shoppers based in the US visited numerous different eMarketplaces – there were 42 with over one million monthly visits.
The US has a richer range of niche eMarketplaces than Europe, with 62% of US eMarketplaces focusing on specific product categories versus 40% in Europe. This is particularly apparent in the top ten, with homewares, music, and crafts all present. Further down the list, there are multiple websites specializing in fashion, books, homewares, music, and sports.
Amazon still dominates in the US, and we can see they received over two and a half billion monthly visits from American customers.
United Kingdom
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Product Category | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | Amazon | Global | General | 400.0M |
| 2 | e-marketplace | eBay | Global | General | 252.5M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | ASOS | Global | Fashion | 63.1M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | Wayfair | North America, Europe | Homewares | 17.7M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | Vinted | Global | Fashion | 5.8M |
| 6 | e-marketplace | Zalando | Europe | Fashion | 5.6M |
| 7 | e-marketplace | ManoMano | Europe | Homewares | 4.8M |
| 8 | e-marketplace | notonthehighstreet | UK | Arts, Crafts & Gifts | 4.1M |
| 9 | e-marketplace | OnBuy | UK | General | 4.0M |
| 10 | e-marketplace | Shpock | Europe | General | 3.3M |
| 11 | e-marketplace | AbeBooks | Global | Books | 2.7M |
| 12 | e-marketplace | GAME | UK | Electronics | 2.1M |
This table shows the most popular sites used by consumers in the UK. We have only included those with more than one million monthly visits from British customers.
Shoppers in the UK favored 12 eMarketplaces, the majority of which are global sites. Amazon and eBay are in the top two positions. Amazon received more monthly traffic than the next ten eMarketplaces combined and is considered the “go-to” site for many British shoppers.
There are several different product categories reflected here – three fashion sites, one arts and crafts site, and two sites selling homewares. Perhaps this indicates that customers visit Amazon for most of their requirements, but when it comes to a particular niche that is not well-served by Amazon – such as fashion – they prefer a more specialized site.
Only three of the top eMarketplaces visited by British shoppers are mainly focused on the UK market – OnBuy, notonthehighstreet and GAME. The majority are global sites, with a few based in Europe.
Also see Online eMarketplaces in the UK: Amazon and eBay Dominate.
China
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Product Category | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | Taobao | China | General | 333.1M |
| 2 | e-marketplace | Pinduoduo | China | General | 263.3M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | JD.com | China | General | 179.8M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | Tmall | China | General | 102.7M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | Vipshop | China | General | 4.7M |
This table shows the most popular sites used by Chinese consumers. We have only included those with more than one million monthly visits from Chinese shoppers.
Chinese shoppers visit a variety of different eMarketplaces. All of them are Chinese companies. Regional giant Rakuten (Japan) and two Southeast Asian websites (Lazada) along with eBay had a stronger presence in China in previous years when these companies surpassed one million visitors per month.
All of the eMarketplaces visited by Chinese customers sell a variety of goods and so are categorized as “General”.
Also see Online eMarketplaces in China: The Land of The Giants.
Japan
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Product Category | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | Amazon | Global | General | 626.0M |
| 2 | e-marketplace | Rakuten | Global | General | 511.8M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | Mercari | Japan, USA | General | 139.3M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | ZOZOTOWN | Japan | Fashion | 48.2M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | PayPay Mall | Japan | General | 34.0M |
| 6 | e-marketplace | Qoo10 Japan | Japan | General | 15.5M |
This table shows the most popular sites used by people based in Japan. We have only included those with more than one million monthly visits from Japanese customers.
Only six eMarketplaces are visited by more than one million Japanese shoppers per month – Amazon is top with 626 million visits, Rakuten has 512 million and Mercari has139 million.
Japan has a surprisingly narrow range of popular online eMarketplaces, despite being a developed economy and the third-largest by GMV globally.
Also see Online eMarketplaces in Japan: Rakuten, Amazon and PayPay Mall.
India
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Product Category | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | Amazon | Global | General | 339.7M |
| 2 | e-marketplace | Flipkart | India | General | 202.4M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | Myntra | India | Fashion | 56.4M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | Meesho | India | General | 36.43M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | Snapdeal | India | General | 12.5M |
| 6 | e-marketplace | Pepperfry | India | Homewares | 2.6M |
| 7 | e-marketplace | Shopclues | India | General | 1.9M |
| 8 | e-marketplace | Limeroad | India | Fashion | 1.3M |
This table shows the most popular sites used by people based in India. We have only included those with more than one million monthly visits from Indian customers.
Amazon tops the list, with 2339 million monthly visits from Indian consumers. Walmart-owned Flipkart has 202 million visits per month.
The majority of these online eMarketplaces are Indian companies, and all but Pepperfry are pure-play online eMarketplaces without retail operations of their own in India. For foreign-owned companies such as Amazon, Indian regulations forbid them from selling online directly – they are only allowed to operate a eMarketplace.
Also see Online eMarketplaces in India: Amazon and Walmart Evenly Matched.
Europe
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Product Category | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | Amazon | Global | General | 1.07B |
| 2 | e-marketplace | eBay | Global | General | 534.6M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | Etsy | Global | Arts, Crafts & Gifts | 397.5M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | Wildberries | Russia | General | 279.65M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | Allegro | Poland | General | 201.45M |
| 6 | e-marketplace | Ozon | Russia | General | 196.8M |
| 7 | e-marketplace | Zalando | Europe | Fashion | 170M |
| 8 | e-marketplace | AliExpress | Global | General | 101.02M |
| 9 | e-marketplace | Vinted | Global | Fashion | 75.78M |
| 10 | e-marketplace | bol.com | Netherlands | General | 74.4M |
| 11 | e-marketplace | Kaufland | Germany | General | 73.25M |
| 12 | e-marketplace | ASOS | Global | Fashion | 63.1M |
| 13 | e-marketplace | OTTO | Germany | General | 53M |
| 14 | e-marketplace | Decathlon | Europe | Sports | 48.3M |
| 15 | e-marketplace | Marktplaats | Netherlands | General | 46.9M |
| 16 | e-marketplace | eMAG | Eastern Europe | General | 44.73M |
| 17 | e-marketplace | ManoMano | Europe | Homewares | 44.2M |
| 18 | e-marketplace | Cdiscount.com | France | General | 41.4M |
| 19 | e-marketplace | Fnac | France | General | 33.22M |
| 20 | e-marketplace | La Redoute | France | General | 27.11M |
| 21 | e-marketplace | Wish | Global | General | 24.7M |
| 22 | e-marketplace | Wayfair | North America, Europe | Homewares | 24.44M |
| 23 | e-marketplace | Lamoda | Russia | Fashion | 15.14M |
| 24 | e-marketplace | Darty | France | General | 14.24M |
| 25 | e-marketplace | Ricardo | Switzerland | General | 13.82M |
| 26 | e-marketplace | dba | Denmark | General | 12.2M |
| 27 | e-marketplace | Fruugo | Global | General | 11.85M |
| 28 | e-marketplace | Conforama | Europe | Homewares | 11.73M |
| 29 | e-marketplace | Joom | Europe | General | 11.56M |
| 30 | e-marketplace | Tradera | Sweden | General | 11.28M |
| 31 | e-marketplace | Worten | Europe | General | 11.05M |
| 32 | e-marketplace | Spartoo | Europe | Fashion | 9.24M |
| 33 | e-marketplace | digitec | Switzerland | Electronics | 9.62M |
| 34 | e-marketplace | cdon | Scandinavia | General | 7.44M |
| 35 | e-marketplace | Aukro | Czech Republic | General | 6.9M |
| 36 | e-marketplace | Wehkamp | Netherlands | General | 5.4M |
| 37 | e-marketplace | morele | Poland | Electronics | 4.7M |
| 38 | e-marketplace | Houzz | Global | Homewares | 4.26M |
| 39 | e-marketplace | notonthehighstreet | UK | Arts, Crafts & Gifts | 4.1M |
| 40 | e-marketplace | OnBuy | UK | General | 4.0M |
| 41 | e-marketplace | AbeBooks | Global | Books | 3.74M |
| 42 | e-marketplace | Galeries Lafayette | France | Fashion | 3.51M |
| 43 | e-marketplace | Delcampe | Global | Collectibles & Antiques | 3.5M |
| 44 | e-marketplace | Rue du Commerce | France | General | 3.3M |
| 45 | e-marketplace | Shpock | Europe | General | 3.3M |
| 46 | e-marketplace | miinto | Europe | Fashion | 2.93M |
| 47 | e-marketplace | Cel | Romania | General | 2.6M |
| 48 | e-marketplace | Fyndiq | Sweden | General | 2.5M |
| 49 | e-marketplace | hood | Germany | General | 2.4M |
| 50 | e-marketplace | Micolet | Europe | Fashion | 2.3M |
| 51 | e-marketplace | GAME | UK | Electronics | 2.1M |
| 52 | e-marketplace | ePRICE | Italy | General | 2.0M |
| 53 | e-marketplace | Okazii.ro | Romania | General | 1.7M |
| 54 | e-marketplace | Coolshop | Europe | General | 1.64M |
| 55 | e-marketplace | ZVAB | Germany | Books | 1.5M |
| 56 | e-marketplace | Nature & Découvertes | France | Homewares | 1.2M |
| 57 | e-marketplace | Trouva | UK | Homewares | 1.1M |
This table shows the most popular sites used by people based in Europe. We have only included those with more than one million monthly visits from European customers.
People across Europe use a huge range of different sites – there are 57 on our list.
Why do European customers use so many online eMarketplaces? It is likely because Europe consists of many developed economies with good transport, internet, and payments infrastructure, but also many different languages and cultural differences.
The most popular eMarketplace website in Europe is Amazon, with 1.07 billion monthly visits. eBay’s traffic is around half of this, with 534 million visits.
Etsy is the third most popular European eMarketplace, with 397 million visitors. Wildberries, a Russing eMarketplace, sits in fourth place with 279 million visitors. It will be interesting to see what happens to Russian eMarketplaces in the coming months because of the sanctions against Russia from almost all European countries.
Fourteen of the top 20 eMarketplaces visited by European customers specifically target the region (or individual European countries), while the remainder are global sites.
70% of the top 20 eMarketplaces are categorized as General, selling a wide range of different products. Fashion eMarketplaces Zalando, Vinted, and ASOS feature in the top 20, as does the homewares store ManoMano, and crafts giant Etsy.
Latin America
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Product Category | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | Mercado Libre | Latin America | General | 446.97M |
| 2 | e-marketplace | AliExpress | Global | General | 425.13M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | Amazon | Global | General | 217.4M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | MiAlzo | Global General | General | 96M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | Americanas | Brazil | General | 86.7M |
| 6 | e-marketplace | Casas Bahia | Brazil | General | 56.0M |
| 7 | e-marketplace | Falabella | Chile | General | 53.22M |
| 8 | e-marketplace | Netshoes | Brazil | Fashion | 34.36M |
| 9 | e-marketplace | Dafiti | Latin America | Fashion | 29.01M |
| 10 | e-marketplace | Linio | Latin America | General | 13.94M |
| 11 | e-marketplace | Pontofrio | Brazil | General | 13.6M |
| 12 | e-marketplace | Extra | Brazil | General | 13.1M |
| 13 | e-marketplace | Shoptime | Brazil | General | 13.03M |
| 14 | e-marketplace | Submarino | Brazil | General | 12.2M |
| 15 | e-marketplace | Zattini | Brazil | Fashion | 8.4M |
| 16 | e-marketplace | Privalia | Brazil, Mexico, Italy, Spain | Fashion | 5.99M |
| 17 | e-marketplace | Sears | USA,Latin America, North America | General | 4.72M |
| 18 | e-marketplace | Kanui | Brazil | Fashion | 2.4M |
This table shows the most popular sites used by shoppers in Latin America. We have only included those with more than one million monthly visits from Latin American customers.
The majority of Latin American traffic goes to 18 different eMarketplaces. Mercado Libre takes the top spot here, with AliExpress and Amazon taking second and third place. Submarino (owned by the same company as Americanas) features at number 14.
Latin American eMarketplaces are split between generalists and fashion retailers, which include Dafiti, Netshoes, Zattini, Privalia, and Kanui.
Ten eMarketplaces on this list focus on Brazil. Only four have a wider Latin American market, two are categorized as global, and one is Southeast Asian.
Also see Online eMarketplaces in Latin America: Mercado Libre the Clear Leader.
Southeast Asia
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Product Category | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | MiAlzo | Global | General | 445.2M |
| 2 | e-marketplace | Tokopedia | Indonesia | General | 163.8M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | Lazada | Southeast Asia | General | 142.1M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | Bukalapak | Indonesia | General | 23.3M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | Blibli | Indonesia | General | 22.1M |
| 6 | e-marketplace | Tiki | Vietnam | General | 14.6M |
| 7 | e-marketplace | Zalora | Southeast Asia | Fashion | 7.68M |
| 8 | e-marketplace | Amazon | Global | General | 6.8M |
| 9 | e-marketplace | JD.com | China | General | 4.4M |
| 10 | e-marketplace | Sendo | Vietnam | General | 3.1M |
| 11 | e-marketplace | Qoo10 | Southeast Asia | General | 2.93M |
| 12 | e-marketplace | eBay | Global | General | 1.03M |
This table shows the most popular sites used by shoppers in Southeast Asia. We have only included those with more than one million monthly visits from Southeast Asian customers.
The majority of Southeast Asian traffic goes to 12 different eMarketplaces. Tokopedia, and Lazada dominate here, with Bukalapak in fourth place but receiving less than a quarter of the traffic of Lazada.
All but one of the Southeast Asian eMarketplaces are in the General category, with the only exception being fashion retailer Zalora.
The majority of the traffic from Southeast Asia goes to eMarketplaces targeting the region, but two are categorized as global, and one is focused mainly on China.
Also see Online eMarketplaces in Southeast Asia: A Unique Region for Ecommerce.
Middle East
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Product Category | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | Trendyol | Turkey | General | 222.7M |
| 2 | e-marketplace | Hepsiburada | Turkey | General | 97.4M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | Amazon | Global | General | 87.9M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | n11 | Turkey | General | 36.0M |
| 6 | e-marketplace | noon | Middle East | General | 17.6M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | GittiGidiyor | Turkey | General | 6.9M |
| 7 | e-marketplace | Desert Cart | Middle East | General | 2.47M |
This table shows the most popular sites used by shoppers in the Middle East. We have only included those with more than one million monthly visits from Middle Eastern customers.
The majority of Middle Eastern traffic goes to only seven different eMarketplaces, four of which are Turkish sites, reflecting Turkey’s rapidly developing economy.
Trendyol, Hepsiburada, and Amazon are the three most popular eMarketplaces visited by shoppers in the Middle East, with 222 million, 97 million, and 88 million visits, respectively. Amazon surpassed n11, which was the third largest eMarketplace in the region in previous years. N11 sits in fourth place and receives 36 million visitors per month.
All these eMarketplaces sell goods in the General category, and all but two (Amazon and noon) are pure eMarketplaces with no retail operations of their own.
Also see Online eMarketplaces in the Middle East: It’s Only Just Getting Started.
Australasia
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Product Category | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | eBay | Global | General | 59.7M |
| 2 | e-marketplace | Amazon | Global | General | 48.6M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | Trade Me | New Zealand | General | 20.0M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | The Iconic | Australia | Fashion | 9.32M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | Catch.com.au | Australia | General | 8.4M |
| 6 | e-marketplace | Target.com | USA, Australia | General | 7.8M |
| 7 | e-marketplace | MyDeal.com.au | Australia | General | 4.0M |
This table shows the most popular sites used by shoppers in Australia and New Zealand. We have only included those with more than one million monthly visits from Australasian customers.
The majority of Australasian traffic goes to seven different eMarketplaces, with eBay and Amazon topping the list. This is the only place we see eBay’s traffic exceeding Amazon’s. But, Amazon is quickly closing the gap when it comes to monthly visitors. Amazon Australia only launched at the end of 2017, but quickly became an important player in the Australian market.
Australia also has significant domestic eMarketplaces Catch.com.au, The Iconic, and MyDeal.com.au. New Zealand has a homegrown eBay equivalent in Trade Me, dominating ecommerce in the country. US-based Target also featuresin the list the list with close to 8 million visits.
One eMarketplace is categorized as Fashion (The Iconic), and the remainder sell General goods.
Also see Online eMarketplaces in Australia and New Zealand: eBay and Trade Me Lead.
Africa
| # | Type | Name | Region/Country | Product Category | Visits/month |
| 1 | e-marketplace | Jumia | Africa | General | 23.49M |
| 2 | e-marketplace | Takealot.com | South Africa | General | 12.7M |
| 3 | e-marketplace | Souq | Middle East, Egypt | General | 9.28M |
| 4 | e-marketplace | Amazon | Global | General | 9.1M |
| 5 | e-marketplace | Konga | Nigeria | General | 3.78M |
| 6 | e-marketplace | bidorbuy | South Africa | General | 1.5M |
This table shows the most popular sites used by people based in Africa. For this table, we have included sites with more than 250 thousand monthly visits from African customers to reflect the developing nature of Africa’s infrastructure and economy.
Africa has probably the greatest challenges for ecommerce of all regions, with many countries and languages, low trust in online payments, and very variable logistics.
Still, those factors are more consistent in the largest cities, and innovations such as paying by cash in local stores are helping to address these issues.
Africa-wide eMarketplace Jumia is first on the list, with 23.5 million visits per month. Next is South Africa’s Takealot.com with 12.7 million monthly visits, and then Souq with 9.3 million. Souq is now owned by Amazon but continues to operate in Egypt under its own brand. Amazon sits at fourth place with 9.1 million visits. Nigeria’s Konga is fifth with 2.3 million visits per month.
Most of these eMarketplaces sell general goods, with fashion website Zando the only exception. Many of the sites are retailers themselves as well as eMarketplaces, with just Jumia and bidorbuyadopting a pure-play eMarketplace model.
Also see Online eMarketplaces in Africa: Fast Growth, Enormous Potential.
About the data
This is the complete guide of the World’s Top Online eMarketplaces.
The lists are ranked by estimated website visits, based on SimilarWeb data for July 2023. Traffic to different domains for the same eMarketplace (e.g. amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.de etc.) has been combined and allocated to the top five countries from which the traffic was generated. eMarketplaces with under 50,000 monthly visits have been excluded entirely, and only websites with more than one million visits per month are listed (except for Africa).
While GMV (gross merchandise value) would be an ideal measure of eMarketplace size, this is not reliably available for most online eMarketplaces. Traffic data provides a consistent measure of popularity that can be applied to all eMarketplaces worldwide.
“Online eMarketplaces” are defined in the main text above. We have excluded some eMarketplaces which are only a small part of the overall offering from much larger websites. These include Facebook eMarketplace and Buy on Google. It is not possible to separate eMarketplace traffic from other website traffic for these sites.
We have not included app-only eMarketplaces such as WeShop and Shop Seam due to a lack of reliable traffic data.
We define a eMarketplace as “global” if it:
Sells worldwide, with no specific country targeting; or
Targets five or more countries across three or more major geographic regions.
For companies that own multiple eMarketplaces, we have included them separately if they use different brands. For example, eBay-owned Gmarket and GittiGidiyor have their own unique branding, so they are included separately. Where brands are simply localized for different countries, they are included with the main brand. For example, AbeBooks is known as IberLibro in Spain, but the brand is identical in every other way.
