The e-commerce logistics market: an overview of volumes in different regions
Analysts have forecasted the development of the global transportation sector. According to their expectations, the global e-commerce logistics market will grow by about 12% annually. At this rate, the volume of the segment will reach almost 771 million euros.
In 2021 the share of e-commerce in the logistics sector is estimated at 441.5 million euros. This figure exceeded the previous year’s figures by 20%. However, this value was lower than the record growth of the market in 2020, when it showed an increase of more than 27%. During the pandemic, there was a real boom in e-commerce, and although the sector is still growing strongly, it failed to reach the record levels of 2020.
Last year, the leader of the logistics market was the APAC region. Its value was more than 178 million euros, but the annual growth rate was 16.5% lower than in the global segment. Such trends most likely indicate that by 2026 the region may lose its leading position, and North America will take the first place.
The decline in Asia is influenced by the slowdown in the e-commerce sector in major markets in the region, such as Japan, China, and Korea. In this case, the high level of e-commerce development and its maturity played a role. In addition, China is experiencing the effects of new legislative innovations established by the European Union. Until July of last year, the EU did not charge VAT on goods imported into the community of countries whose value did not exceed 22 euros. However, after the EU abolished this rule, which significantly affected the turnover of large retailers, such as AliExpress and other online stores, which had been shipping mostly cheap products to Europe.
The second position in terms of e-commerce market volume belongs to North America. Last year, the local market grew by almost 21% and reached about 155 million euros. According to forecasts, by 2026 the value of the segment will reach 312 million euros. Experts pay special attention to Mexico, which has high growth potential. Despite a large population, the e-commerce sector is still underdeveloped here.
European logistics market e-commerce in 2021 reached more than 88 million euros. The growth for the year was almost 25%. The rate of increase here is much higher than in APAC and North America. According to experts, by 2026 the value of the segment will reach the level of 164 million euros. On average, the volume of the region is expected to increase by more than 13% annually.
