Millennials drive international, cross-border D2C ecommerce, survey shows

The survey was based on 15,000 consumers across 14 countries, of which 52% of shoppers were motivated to buy online during the pandemic. That average rose to 58% among 25–44-year-olds, as shuttered stores and reduced access to physical shops prompted consumers to purchase items online that they normally would have validated and bought in-store. This was most keenly felt in South Africa and India (both 63%), followed by the UAE (56%), China (53%) and the US (52%).

Reduced access to stores also boosted cross-border ecommerce, with almost half (46%) of global shoppers surveyed saying it prompted them to buy directly from an international brand online, rising to 52% among those ages 25–34. Consumers in India and China (both 61%), Mexico (59%) and Russia (50%) were the most likely to have purchased directly from an international brand online in the first half of 2021.

A quarter (25%) of global shoppers bought clothing online outside their domestic market over the period, while footwear (19%), luxury goods (18%), skincare (17%), health and beauty (17%), fragrance (16%) and cosmetics (16%) rounded out the list of the most popular international e-commerce purchases. Once again, Millennial and Gen Z shoppers led the way, making cross-border purchases at three times the rate at of Baby Boomers (those ages 57–75).