Marketplaces account for 61% of European ecommerce

A large majority of online transactions in Europe take place on marketplaces. In 2025, marketplaces accounted for 61 percent of total ecommerce GMV, according to ECDB. In other parts of the world, this share is even higher. The concentration is expected to increase further in Europe as well.

Globally, marketplaces accounted for 83.4 percent of ecommerce GMV last year, ECDB reports. Only the remaining 16.6 percent took place on first-party online stores, amounting to just one-sixth of total trade volume. “The marketplace trend is in full swing”, the ecommerce data provider concludes. Marketplace adoption is growing in every region.

Marketplaces in Europe

The GMV share of marketplaces in Europe grew from 56.2 percent in 2023 to 60.8 percent in 2025. According to ECDB, it still lags behind other parts of the world because many heritage brands traditionally focus on direct-to-consumer sales or their own online stores. By comparison, the marketplace GMV share in the Americas reached 67.8 percent last year, and in Asia as much as 97.0 percent.

‘Heritage brands in Europe traditionally focus on D2C’

Amazon is by far the largest marketplace in Europe, holding leading positions in the most populous countries. Last year, the American company recorded double-digit growth in both Germany and the United Kingdom, its two key European markets.

Cross-border ecommerce

Marketplaces play a key role in the growth of cross-border ecommerce, as research by Cross-Border Commerce Europe showed last autumn. In the financial year between 2024 and 2025, marketplaces generated 247.5 billion euros, or 70 percent of total online cross-border revenue.

Further concentration of top platforms is expected

The trend toward third-party marketplaces is expected to continue, according to ECDB, driving further concentration among leading platforms. Online sellers use multiple platforms to offer their products. International research by ChannelEngine showed that they are active on six marketplaces on average.