Study: U.S. retailers see significant global e-commerce growth

Apparel, footwear, and sporting equipment sales are driving online order volume spikes for U.S. retailers in foreign countries.

New data from cross-border commerce company eShopWorld found that U.S. brands suffering COVID-19-related sales declines are quickly tapping new markets outside the U.S. Overall, eShopWorld finds that U.S. online order volume rose 77% internationally in April and 109% from May 1-14.

In April, the top three international online order volume growth categories for U.S. retailers were apparel (98.4%), sporting equipment (96.2%), and footwear (60.2%). From May 1-14, they were apparel (118.5%), footwear (106.6%), and sporting equipment (58.5%).

Top 10 countries where U.S. retailers found online order growth from May 1- May 14:
•    Mexico: up 258%
•    Chile: up 242%
•    Singapore: up 214%
•    New Zealand: up 207%
•    Israel: up 206%
•    Ireland: up 199%
•    Russia: up 194%
•    Spain: up 165%
•    Canada: up 157%
•    United Kingdom: up 146%

Top 10 countries where U.S. retailer found online order growth in April:
•    Israel: up 178%
•    Ireland: up 173%
•    New Zealand: up 168%
•    Canada: up 152%
•    United Arab Emirates: up 133%
•    Chile: up 126%
•    Australia: up 116%
•    Belgium: up 110%
•    Switzerland: up 97%
•    France: up 92%

“As consumers around the globe turn to e-commerce in lieu of being able to go in-store, our data show that U.S. brands that are able to move quickly to deliver a localized e-commerce experience are seeing 300%–400% growth in sales,” said said Tommy Kelly, CEO of eShopWorld. “The data also show that a market that was hot one month may be outshone the following month, as the regional effects of the pandemic influence consumer behaviors.”