Mixed fortunes for online retail giants

Amazon, eBay and Alibaba are all among the world's biggest online retailers, but are developing at very different speeds, a new study has found, writes Warc.com.

Research group ComScore reported Amazon's portfolio of sites secured 282 million visitors across the globe in June 2011, equivalent to 20.4% of the whole Internet population.

More specifically, 35.4% of people logging on were from North America, 31.8% from Europe and 24.1% from Asia-Pacific, with Latin America on just over 4%, the same as the Middle East and Africa.

However, the more prominent retailers in Asia, such as China's Alibaba and Japan's Rakuten, still dominate the Asia-Pacific region with 85.7% and 72.7% respectively, reports GMA News.

Warc, a provider of marketing information, notes that this “uneven growth” indicates the challenges that Alibaba - owner of sites like Taobao, Alibaba.com and Alipay - is facing in terms of overseas expansion.

Gian Fulgoni, ComScore co-founder and chairman, says technology has changed the way consumers behave and that they are increasingly opting for the convenience and pricing advantages offered by online channels.

“Several global retail brands have already capitalised on this global consumer trend, and many other retailers are sure to pursue their share of the pie,” he says.

Online auction titan eBay received 223.5 million visitors in June, or 16.2% of the total number of Internet users, reveals AFP.