If global eCommerce were only about price and product assortment, building the next Amazon would be easy. It isn’t—because at scale, retail stops being a catalog business and becomes a customer-experience infrastructure business.
The world’s largest eCommerce marketplaces now serve hundreds of millions of buyers, operate across dozens of countries, and manage billions of post-purchase interactions every year. Orders are placed in seconds. Problems, unfortunately, last longer.
That’s why the marketplaces dominating global retail today didn’t just grow big. They learned how to absorb CX chaos at scale—returns, refunds, delivery failures, disputes, and seller issues—without losing customer trust.
If you want a quick way to spot where retail is heading, don’t look at ads. Look at marketplaces. They’re where demand aggregates, price expectations reset, delivery standards get weaponized, and customer patience drops to “two taps, and I’m gone.”
Two data points set the stage:
- Global eCommerce sales are projected to hit $8.3T by 2025, and mobile commerce is expected to represent 70%+ of online retail sales by 2025.
- Payments are shifting too: digital wallets accounted for $13.9T in transaction value in 2023 – 50% of eCommerce spend and are projected to exceed $25T by 2027.
That combination (massive volume + mobile-first behavior + wallet-based checkout) is why “CX strategy” for marketplaces isn’t a vibe. It’s infrastructure.
Data Comparison: GMV, Users, Regions, Payments
Note:“Users” isn’t standardized across companies (some disclose MAU, others disclose active buyers, and others don’t). GMV (Gross Merchandise Value), MAU (Monthly Active Users).
| Marketplace | 2024 GMV (USD) | User Scale (latest cited) | Primary Regions | Payments Reality (high-level) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $790.3B | 390M MAU | North America + EU + global | Cards + wallets; wallets rising fast globally |
| Taobao | $723.8B | 960M MAU | China | Wallet-dominant (Alipay/WeChat Pay ecosystem) |
| Tmall | $682.7B | 1B annual users (reported) | China | Wallet-dominant |
| Pinduoduo | $715.2B | 720M MAU | China | Wallet-dominant + mobile-first |
| JD.com | $506B | 400M MAU | China | Wallet-dominant + strong logistics-driven checkout |
| Temu | $70.8B | 292M MAU | US + EU + expanding | Wallets + cards; low-friction checkout matters |
| eBay | $75B | 134M active buyers | US + EU + global | Cards + PayPal-style wallet behavior (varies by market) |
| Douyin (TikTok China) | $554B | Not consistently disclosed | China | Wallet-dominant; livestream-native |
| Mercado Libre | $51.5B | 100M annual unique buyers; 61M Fintech MAU | Latin America (18 countries) | Wallet + local real-time rails (e.g., Pix in Brazil) |
| Shopee | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Southeast Asia + select expansion markets | Mobile-first + wallets/COD patterns vary by country |
Sources: Business.com, MarketScreener, Worldpay
1) Amazon (founded 1994; marketplace-era scale, worldwide expectations)
Amazon started in 1994 as an online bookstore, then spent the next decades turning “fast shipping” into a competitive sport. Today, it’s the benchmark marketplace for delivery reliability, returns simplicity, and “I can probably find that in 11 seconds.”
The scale is staggering: $790.3B in GMV in 2024, with 390M monthly active users.
Amazon’s reach spans North America, Europe, and a widening global footprint, and its assortment ranges from everyday essentials to premium electronics—often with third-party sellers doing the heavy lifting in the long tail.
When a platform sets the default expectation (“my package is late” becomes a brand-level crisis), the entire retail industry feels it. This is why even non-Amazon brands obsess over post-purchase notifications and returns flows: customers are comparing you to a company that treats delivery like a religion.
Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy has emphasized learning velocity as a competitive edge—because in retail, the customer changes their mind faster than your quarterly roadmap.
2) Taobao (launched 2003; China’s everyday bazaar at internet scale)
Taobao launched in 2003 and became the online version of “walk two steps, find three options.” Its journey is tightly linked to China’s mobile-first consumer behavior and deep platform ecosystems that blur shopping, content, and payments.
$723.8B GMV (2024) and 960M monthly active users – a reminder that in China, “audience” can mean “the population of a continent.”
Taobao’s core is broad: fashion, accessories, home goods, electronics, lifestyle—driven by merchants who move quickly on trends and pricing.
Payments matter here because China is a wallet-first market. Netguru notes that China’s eCommerce penetration is 47%, and digital wallets dominate, anchored by Alipay and WeChat Pay.
When commerce is mobile-first and wallet-native, checkout friction becomes a conversion tax. Taobao’s ecosystem reduces that tax to near-zero.
3) Tmall (launched 2008; brand-first commerce, China’s premium front door)
Tmall began in 2008 (as Taobao Mall) and evolved into the “official store” lane—where brands go when they want scale and credibility. If Taobao is the bazaar, Tmall is the shopping mall with signage, lighting, and someone actually folding the shirts.
With $682.7B GMV (2024) and references 1B annual active consumers, Tmall’s categories skew heavily toward branded retail: beauty, apparel, consumer electronics, premium home, and cross-border “official” storefronts.
In a market where online sales can be nearly half of retail, the CX bar is ruthless: fast answers, authentic products, clear returns, and consistent service.
Tmall’s model shows that at scale, “brand trust” is operational—not just marketing.
4) Pinduoduo (founded 2015; social commerce turned into a value engine)
Pinduoduo launched in 2015 and used social dynamics (group buying, sharing) to make shopping feel like a game—sometimes literally. The journey here is simple: turn value-seeking into a habit loop.
With $715.2B GMV (2024) and 720M monthly active users, its assortment is vast, with strong pull in everyday items and price-sensitive categories, and it’s optimized for mobile-first behaviors.
Netguru’s China section underscores why platforms like Pinduoduo win: high eCommerce penetration, mobile-dominant transactions, and wallet-first checkout.
“Cheap” only works if the service doesn’t collapse. At this scale, even small error rates become huge support volumes.
5) JD.com (founded 1998; the logistics-first marketplace)
JD began in 1998 (with an online shift in the early 2000s) and built a reputation around something unglamorous but decisive: control over logistics and fulfillment. That’s not a brand story. That’s a CX strategy disguised as operations.
With $506B GMV (2024) and about 400M monthly active users, JD is powerful in electronics and appliances—categories where delivery accuracy, installation coordination, and warranty handling can make or break loyalty.
In mobile-dominant markets, “where is my order?” is the universal support ticket. Multiply that by hundreds of millions, and you understand why JD’s end-to-end operational DNA matters.
JD demonstrates that the fastest way to reduce customer service costs is to reduce operational uncertainty.
6) Temu (launched 2022; ultra-low-cost globalization at speed)
Temu launched in 2022 and expanded like a startup with a jetpack. Its journey is also pretty simple: go global fast, lead with price, and keep checkout friction low enough that customers don’t have time to second-guess their cart.
With $70.8B GMV (2024) and 292M monthly active users worldwide, the model creates enormous CX pressure in post-purchase: shipping transparency, returns clarity, dispute handling, and expectation-setting—especially as it crosses borders and regulatory environments.
Payments matter more than people think here. Worldpay notes that digital wallets account for half of eCommerce spend, and consumers increasingly expect familiar, “one-tap” methods.
Temu’s biggest CX challenge isn’t acquisition—it’s keeping trust when delivery timelines and product expectations collide.
7) eBay (founded 1995; the original marketplace is still doing volume)
eBay launched in 1995 and proved the internet could be a giant yard sale—then turned it into a professional commerce channel. Its journey is resilient: categories change, competitors rise, but eBay keeps a deep buyer base for collectibles, refurbished goods, and niche inventory.
With $75B in GMV in 2024 and 134M active buyers, eBay’s regions are broad (primarily the US and Europe), and its seller model makes the customer experience uniquely complex: disputes, authenticity, shipping variability, and policy enforcement.
Payments sit inside broader global shifts—wallets and local payment preferences increasingly shape conversion and trust.
Marketplaces with heterogeneous sellers need policy + support to function like a brand.
CEO Jamie Iannone highlighted consecutive quarters of GMV growth and eBay’s push to “reinvent” ecommerce for enthusiasts.
8) Douyin (TikTok China) (social commerce scale, built on attention)
Douyin’s commerce rise isn’t the story of “a store.” It’s the story of “a feed” that became a checkout. The journey: compress discovery, influence, and purchase into a single session—then do it again tomorrow.
With $554B in GMV for Douyin commerce in 2024, its assortment is heavily shaped by content-driven demand: beauty, fashion, gadgets, home items, and impulse categories. Livestream shopping transforms customer questions into real-time conversion—and real-time support expectations.
When commerce happens inside content, “customer support” starts before purchase—often in comments, DMs, and creator-led Q&A.
9) Mercado Libre (founded 1999; Latin America’s marketplace + fintech flywheel)
Mercado Libre launched in 1999 and built what many marketplaces attempt but few execute: a commerce platform tightly coupled with fintech, logistics, and advertising. The journey is a regional moat—built by solving local friction (payments, delivery reliability, and trust).
The company reports $51.5B commerce GMV for full-year 2024, $21B net revenue, and crossing 100M annual unique buyers, with 61M fintech monthly active users.
It operates in 18 countries, and it’s investing aggressively in fulfillment capacity and delivery speed—important because “delivery uncertainty” can be a bigger conversion killer in emerging markets than price.
In Brazil, GMV grew 34% YoY; items sold growth accelerated 42% YoY, and Unique Buyers grew at the fastest pace since Q1 2021.
Mercado Libre shows the power of bundling trust: payments, shipping, and marketplace policies become one customer promise.
10) Shopee (launched 2015; Southeast Asia’s mobile-first marketplace reality)
Shopee launched in 2015 and grew in the exact conditions where marketplaces thrive: mobile-first consumers, diverse languages, and a region where logistics complexity can turn “a simple order” into a multi-act drama.
Shopee’s core markets are typically recognized across Southeast Asia (including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia), with additional presence across fashion and beauty, electronics, and home, often driven by promo cycles and mobile engagement loops.
In multi-country, multi-language regions, customer support becomes a product feature. It’s not just “answering tickets.” It’s translating intent, resolving delivery exceptions, and maintaining consistent policy enforcement across languages and markets.
What the Biggest Marketplaces Get Right About CX (and why it’s so hard to copy)
The common thread across these platforms isn’t “better chatbots.” It’s system design:
- They reduce uncertainty post-purchase.
Shipping visibility, proactive alerts, and predictable returns aren’t “nice-to-have.” They’re how you avoid a support tsunami. - They build CX around mobile behavior.
When 70%+ of online retail sales are mobile, the interface becomes the service desk. - They treat payments as CX.
Wallet-led checkout is now mainstream: digital wallets were 50% of eCommerce spend in 2023, and the trend is still on the rise. - They invest in governance.
Marketplaces aren’t “stores.” They’re rule-based ecosystems. Trust requires policy enforcement, dispute resolution, and consistent seller standards—at scale.
This is why many rely on an eCommerce contact center and eCommerce marketplace support outsourcing models behind the scenes. At scale, CX execution must flex faster than internal hiring cycles allow.
And yes—this is where the humor sneaks in: marketplaces don’t “handle customer service.” They manufacture customer expectations… and then everyone else gets the invoice.
As marketplaces grow, something counterintuitive happens: CX complexity grows faster than GMV (Gross Merchandise Value).
Mobile commerce now dominates traffic, digital wallets are replacing cards, and cross-border buying is normal. Every one of those shifts increases customer inquiries. The biggest marketplaces survived not because they avoided this—but because they designed for it.
