May E-Commerce Update: Global Online Retail Reaches US$430 Billion

May provides a fresh look at global e-commerce, and the outlook is positive. Revenues increased by 9.3% year-on-year and reached US$430.1 billion. While April showed more or less the same revenue as in March, May revenues accelerated again.

Regional Growth: U.S. Leads, Europe Close Behind

The United States set the pace this month, at a YoY increase of 9.5%. Close behind is Germany, with 9.4%.

Further follows the United Kingdom, with 6.3% growth. China (+8.1%), France (+7.6%) and South Korea (+7.1%) remain somewhat in the middle.

Category Performance: Care Products Still Dominate

On the category side, Care Products once again led global performance with a 10.3% increase compared to May 2025. The category maintains its position as one of the growth drivers of global e-commerce.

However, the fastest-growing category was Grocery, which surged by 14%, continuing its post-pandemic evolution into a core online retail segment rather than a niche convenience channel.

Other strong performers included:

• DIY (+9.3%)

• Fashion (+8.9%)

• Furniture (+8.9%)

Together, these categories reflect clear seasonal behavior in May: consumers engage more in home improvement projects, wardrobe refreshes, and lifestyle upgrades as spring activity peaks in many regions.

Payments: The Usual Leaders Hold Firm

Card payments continue to dominate in online checkout adoption.

VISA leads together with MasterCard at around 77% of online stores offering this payment method at checkout. American Express follows a little further, at 56.5%.

Outlook: Stable Development in May 2026

Regional leadership remains unchanged in May 2026, category growth continues to be driven by a mix of essentials and lifestyle spending, and payment infrastructure remains firmly anchored in established global networks.