IPC: Temu Catches Up with Amazon in Global Cross-Border E-commerce Market Share, Together They Account for Nearly Half the Market

Ebrun Original: On January 16, a report released by the International Post Corporation (IPC) revealed that Temu has caught up with Amazon in global cross-border e-commerce sales in 2025, with both platforms holding a remarkable 24% market share. The report highlights Temu's rapid ascent as particularly striking: when the platform first launched in 2022, it accounted for just 1% of global cross-border transactions, but within three years, that figure surged to 24%, marking exponential growth.

This finding comes from IPC's "2025 Cross-Border E-commerce Consumer Survey," which is based on data from 30,970 consumers across 37 countries and regions, covering multiple European nations as well as key markets like Australia, Canada, China, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, and the United States. In the same survey, Amazon's cross-border transaction share was also 24%. In terms of order volume, the two platforms are nearly neck and neck, together accounting for nearly half of the global cross-border e-commerce market. However, IPC notes that this data reflects order share, not transaction value. Industry observers widely agree that Temu's average order value is significantly lower than Amazon's, so a clear gap remains between the two in terms of total sales. Looking at other platforms, Shein, ranked third in cross-border transaction volume, remained relatively stable over the past year with a 9% market share. AliExpress saw its share drop from 9% to 8%, while eBay held about 5%. Zalando emerged as the largest European platform in cross-border transactions last year, with a 3% share. Over a longer timeframe, industry shifts are even more pronounced. IPC's report shows that between 2018 and 2025, Wish's cross-border transaction share plummeted by 95%, eBay declined by 68%, and AliExpress fell by 33%, indicating mounting pressure on traditional players amid intensified competition. Despite its strong overall performance, Temu's expansion in Europe has shown signs of slowing. Factors such as stricter tariff policies and trade regulations contributed to a moderated user growth rate of 12.5% year-over-year in the first half of 2025, bringing its user base to 115.7 million. To adapt to external challenges, Temu is planning to rely more on local warehouses for shipments and strengthen partnerships with European sellers to shorten delivery times, enhance fulfillment capabilities, and boost platform appeal. In terms of cross-border shopping flows, IPC's report outlines the primary destinations for consumers in various countries. Among 30 European countries, China ranked first in 26, underscoring its continued dominance in the global cross-border e-commerce supply chain. The report also details shifts in consumer preferences and logistics trends. As more countries require shoppers to prepay duties and taxes at checkout, the importance of price and fee transparency has risen significantly. IPC's survey found that 61% of consumers consider clear, upfront information on shipping and costs crucial before placing an order.

Regarding delivery speed, the most common timeframes for cross-border purchases are 4–5 days (19%) and 10–14 days (20%), with over half of orders delivered within 2–7 days. Regionally, markets that source mainly from neighboring countries experience the fastest shipping, while those reliant on long-distance cross-border procurement are slower. Notably, the share of packages taking over 15 days to arrive dropped sharply from 29% in 2020 to 7% in 2025, reflecting ongoing improvements in cross-border logistics efficiency.

In delivery method preferences, parcel locker usage rose significantly in 2025. The survey shows that 44% of consumers opt for home delivery, 13% choose parcel locker pickup, and 12% prefer mailbox delivery.

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