It is worth noting that e-commerce has rapidly developed within the framework of classical social networks. From sales directly to the pages of networks or application stores before integrating marketplaces into social networks. This is an increasing trend of the past few years. E-commerce becomes social, when people influence other people to buy, consciously or unconsciously. The trend can be traced from simple mechanics in the integration of social networks with online shopping sites (entry through social networks, widgets, like and share) to the socialization of the online stores themselves and the use of data received in social networks for personalization. In the next few years, we will see the emergence of new types of projects, which will be a mix of online stores and social networks. At the expense of which leading countries is this happening and what features are there in each of the markets?

№1. China is the largest e-commerce market in the world, not least because of the population. The country has more than 600 million Internet users. Shopping is the fastest growing online activity in China. At the same time, great success in the Chinese e-commerce market has email marketing. When polling 75% of consumers answered that they were ready to make a purchase after they received a special offer by mail.

№2. Despite the fact that in the US there are about 191.1 million online buyers, only 28% of small businesses sell their products through the Internet. In general, more than half (57.4%) of American stores operate online. For most American buyers, the key is the ability to check the availability of goods in the warehouse or in an offline store located near the house.

№3. The UK ranks third in the ranking of e-commerce markets. Online sales in this country account for more than 13% of total retail sales. Most Britons use PayPal, debit and credit cards to pay for goods on the Internet. 70% of British consumers have a smartphone, but only 16.5% use it for shopping. An interesting fact - a third of online sales occur after 6 pm. Perhaps this is due to the fact that local residents often leave online orders in pubs.

№4. Almost all Japanese Internet audience, which makes up 80% of the total population, makes purchases in online stores. This is the second most popular online activity after reading e-mail. Recent research shows that today Japanese consumers spend more time at home than ever, which means they spend less time shopping in traditional stores. This opens up great opportunities for online retailers. However, it should be taken into account that the Japanese choose the trading platform with all responsibility, preferring only reliable sellers with a good reputation, offering quality products. Great success is enjoyed by reviews of various products.

№5. 85% of the population of Germany are Internet users. Among online retailers, Amazon and Otto, the German marketplace, are the most popular among Germans. Small and medium-sized businesses are not easy to compete with such giants, but there is a way out. The most popular trend in Germany's online trading is fashion. So, if you have a small fashion store, you could develop quite successfully in the German market. When promoting the online magahine it is worth considering that, despite the high degree of penetration of the Internet, the inhabitants of Germany are not very active in social networks. So, for example, only 17% of users check their Facebook in the morning. The Germans pay much more attention to e-mail.
Great value for German consumers has the opportunity to return the goods. Germany shows a very high percentage of returns - up to 50% of all orders are sent back to the store. Therefore, in order to ensure that customers are satisfied, online stores operating in Germany, it is important to think over the return system and organize free shipping.