Demographics, mobile phones and rising wealth are helping emerging regions catch up with mature online markets
Internet retailing is becoming a highly competitive arena which, according to Euromonitor, accounted for global sales worth $580bn in 2012. But online spend varies greatly between regions due to varying levels of internet and mobile phone penetration, cyber security, and broadband and mobile infrastructure.
An analysis of online retailing in more than 100 countries (PDF) by the commercial property services groups Cushman & Wakefield suggests that although developed regions have hitherto enjoyed an advantage, rapid advances are allowing emerging markets to soar ahead.
The report confirms that Latin America trailed North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific in terms of internet retail sales in 2012, and that Brazil was the only Latin American country within the world's top 20 markets. However, as a region, Latin America ranks second in terms of annual online retail sales growth, averaging 20% in the five year period 2007 to 2012 – more than double that of North America and behind only Asia Pacific (25%).
