Fashion Leads in 4 of 6 Countries: What We Buy Online Most

Fashion Rules, But Not Everywhere

Fashion holds the number 1 position in four of the six analyzed countries. It has the strongest position in China with 35.2% of all e-commerce revenues. The UK follows with 29.2%, which is above the global average.

The reason is simple – fashion sells easily online. Easy distribution, straightforward marketing, and presence across all platforms make fashion an ideal ec-ommerce category.

In Spain, however, fashion trails behind electronics with 17.9% share. Poland is an even bigger outlier – fashion didn’t even make it into the top 3 categories.

Electronics: Stable Second with One Exception

Electronics occupies second place in most countries with a global average of 24.0%. Spain is the exception, where electronics leads with 24.8% share.

China exceeds the global average with 26.7%, while the UK lags at 16.4%. In the USA, the battle is tight – fashion leads electronics by just 0.4 percentage points.

High electronics prices mean high revenues, but also more cautious customers when making purchases.

Source: ECDB

Hobby & Leisure: Universal Favorite

The third strongest category globally includes a wide range of subcategories – from precious metals through camping to gifts and media.

Poland takes a completely different approach here. Hobby & Leisure is the strongest category with 25.5% share, followed by electronics and furniture.

Germany places this category in second place with 24.3%, while Spain, the UK, and USA rank it third.

Local Specifics Change the Game

The Chinese market is dominated by Care Products in third place. The reason is easy access to these products at affordable prices on major Chinese platforms.

Market concentration is another factor. In China and Germany, the top 3 categories occupy around 72% of the market, while Poland and the UK leave more room for other categories.

What This Means for E-commerce

For sellers in China and Germany, success depends on competing within a few dominant categories. In Poland and the UK, there’s more space for diversified product strategies.

These differences show that global e-commerce strategies must account for local preferences. A universal approach simply doesn’t work.