Currently, the European e-commerce market is expanding rapidly and has become a new growth point for global trade. According to a research report recently jointly released by Nielsen IQ and "Smart Intelligence", in the first half of 2024, the number of users in the European e-commerce market will increase by 1%, and the frequency of online shopping will increase by 4%. The report of the European cross-border e-commerce platform "European Cross-border Commerce" also shows that in 2023, the sales of European business-to-consumer (B2C) online goods will reach 741 billion euros, a year-on-year increase of 13%, of which the cross-border e-commerce market will reach 237 billion euros, an increase of 32%.

As online shopping becomes more and more popular among European consumers, the number of users and transaction volume continue to increase. The Consumer Insight Report released by AliExpress pointed out that in the first quarter of this year, 95.8% of European consumers have made online purchases at least once, and 35% of consumers spend more than 5 hours a week on online shopping. By the end of 2023, the number of European e-commerce users will reach 540 million, and it is expected to grow to 586 million by 2027. Western Europe is still the largest B2C e-commerce market in Europe, with the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain accounting for the majority of the market. Data shows that in 2022, the e-commerce transaction volume in these countries will reach 291 billion euros, 146 billion euros, 102 billion euros and 72 billion euros respectively.

Germany is particularly outstanding in cross-border e-commerce transactions, with cross-border e-commerce transactions reaching 43 billion euros in 2023, an increase of 28%, becoming the largest cross-border e-commerce market in Europe. A report by market analysis agency "Modo Intelligence" predicts that e-commerce is redefining business activities in Europe, and the size of the European e-commerce market may reach 951.16 billion US dollars by 2029. The French e-commerce market also shows strong growth momentum. In 2023, e-commerce transactions accounted for 10% of total retail trade, and 39.4 million French people shopped on the Internet, with an average of 60 orders per person.

Central and Eastern Europe is becoming a new growth point for the European e-commerce market. In 2023, the e-commerce market in the region will grow by 29% to 104 billion euros. Countries such as Poland and Bulgaria are developing particularly rapidly. Poland's online sales increased by 12.6% year-on-year in June 2023, and its e-commerce market is expected to reach 28.09 billion US dollars by 2027. Bulgaria's e-commerce transaction volume increased by 31% in 2022. The growth of the e-commerce market in these countries is due to the increase in Internet penetration, the improvement of logistics infrastructure, and the expansion of the online shopping consumer group.

The digital transformation of Central and Eastern European countries has also further promoted the development of e-commerce. For example, Poland's largest payment system BLIK completed 1 billion transactions between January and August 2023, setting a new record for online transactions. Bulgaria has launched a variety of innovative mobile payment solutions, and mobile payment has covered more than 80% of the country's payment market. It plans to further regulate the development of the e-commerce industry by amending regulations.

Cooperation between China and Europe is also driving the rapid development of e-commerce. In January 2024, JD Logistics reached a strategic cooperation with British express company Evri to jointly create two-way logistics services between China and the UK, and customize supply chain solutions in the fields of beauty, clothing, etc. for global customers. JD Logistics also cooperated with Polish retail giant "Ladybug" to improve the company's online order fulfillment speed and warehouse management level, bringing its inventory accuracy rate to 99.5%. More and more Chinese companies are promoting the development of the European e-commerce market by establishing overseas warehousing and entering local e-commerce platforms.

According to a Nielsen IQ report, Chinese e-commerce platforms have become important players in the European e-commerce market. More than one-third of online shopping in Spain is completed through Chinese e-commerce platforms. AliExpress has now become the largest cross-border e-commerce platform in Europe, and the German e-commerce platform Auton has launched a "full hosting" service to attract Chinese cross-border e-commerce sellers to settle in and provide German consumers with a diverse shopping experience.

Jens von Wedel, partner of the Berlin office of Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm headquartered in New York, pointed out that as a global leader in e-commerce, China is expanding its market through new technologies such as artificial intelligence and marketing channels such as social platforms, and deepening cooperation with European companies, which will help improve the service level of the entire industry. Strengthening cooperation between Europe and China will not only help promote the development of European e-commerce, but also bring new vitality and growth potential to the future of the global e-commerce market.