AI will rejuvenate the ecommerce giants. After several bumpy years amid US tariffs and a tech crackdown, AI will help the country’s ecommerce behemoths like Alibaba and JD.com rejuvenate their business, mainly by improving efficiency in the supply chain, marketing, and content creation. Korea extends its cultural reach.

Asia-Pacific leads AI adoption worldwide, but penetration varies widely by market. From rapid uptake to cautious testing, markets are taking very different paths.

Asia-Pacific has the largest retail and ecommerce sales in the world. While China continues to dominate global ecommerce share, India and Southeast Asia are increasingly driving growth. As consumer sentiment improves in China, the retail sales gap with the first-place US will narrow in the coming years.

American Express and UPS partnered to help ease the cost of shipping for small and midsize businesses (SMBs), per a press release. Amex and UPS’ partnership can help SMBs save on shipping costs and could make UPS a more attractive logistics partner—especially as other mailing providers, such as Korea Post, Norway and Finland’s carriers, Deutsche Post, and DHL Parcel Germany plan to stop US-bound deliveries due to confusion over duty charges and required data submissions.

Over a third (37%) of direct-to-consumer (D2C) ecommerce professionals in North America and the UK are most concerned about tariffs/regulations ahead of Q4’s busy season, according to a July survey from Passport conducted by Drive Research.

Eighty-five percent of adult mobile gamers in the US, the UK, Japan, and South Korea play daily—but how they play and pay diverges sharply, per Mistplay’s 2025 Mobile Gaming Across Markets report. The East–West loyalty gap is redefining how mobile game studios and advertisers compete. Asian markets lean on depth and narrative while Western ecosystems chase reach and novelty. Brands and publishers must find ways to localize the full player journey—from discovery to monetization. Cultural fluency and first-party data will define who retains gamers’ attention.

Demand for Korean beauty products is soaring, helping buoy industry sales even as growth slows. US shoppers spent $2 billion on K-beauty products in the 12 months ended July, up 37% YoY, per Nielsen data shared with Business Insider. The Hallyu wave shows no signs of ebbing. Korea’s rising cultural influence is being felt on everything from films to music to food, with global spending on Korean cultural exports expected to nearly double by 2030.

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

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 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.

In this report, we explore the world’s top region for retail and ecommerce, Asia-Pacific. Read on for a closer look at the markets in China, India, the Philippines, and more.

Toys R Us will open 10 new flagship stores and 20 seasonal holiday shops by year-end, doubling down on its return to physical retail. If the retailer can consistently find ways to make in-store shopping fun, its strong name recognition and nostalgic pull should help it recapture meaningful market share.

Brazil’s 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.