China’s Commerce Innovation Is Reshaping Global Retail

Key Terms

live commerce technical

Live commerce is the sale of products or services through real-time video streams where hosts demonstrate items, answer viewer questions, and provide direct purchase links—think of a televised shopping channel combined with social media interactivity. It matters to investors because it can boost sales, shorten the path from discovery to purchase, and create higher engagement and data on customer preferences; that can translate into faster revenue growth, stronger margins, and clearer signals about which products will scale.

quick commerce technical

Quick commerce is a delivery model that brings everyday goods—groceries, snacks, household items—to customers within minutes rather than hours, using small local warehouses and fast couriers. It matters to investors because it promises rapid revenue growth and strong customer habits but also involves heavy spending on inventory, real-time logistics and marketing, so profitability depends on scale, unit economics and how well the service can retain customers much like a virtual convenience store on demand.

digital shelf technical

The digital shelf is the online equivalent of a store’s display space—everywhere a product appears on e-commerce sites, marketplaces, and retailer pages, including its images, description, price, inventory status and customer reviews. For investors it matters because a strong, consistent digital shelf increases a product’s visibility, sales and margin much like a prime physical shelf spot; poor or inconsistent listings can reduce discoverability and hurt revenue and growth outlooks.

agentic commerce technical

Agentic commerce is buying and selling driven by autonomous digital agents — such as smart apps, bots, or AI assistants — that act on a person’s or business’s behalf to find, compare, negotiate and execute transactions. Investors should care because these agents can change who controls customer relationships, cut costs and speed up sales like a personal shopper that never sleeps, but they also shift competitive dynamics, data value and regulatory risk for platforms and retailers.

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New NIQ report finds China’s live, social and AI-powered commerce ecosystem is setting the pace for the next generation of retail worldwide

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Commerce models pioneered in China—including live commerce, social commerce and quick commerce—are increasingly influencing how consumers discover, shop and engage with brands around the world, according to latest report from NIQ (NYSE:NIQ), The Commerce Revolution: Where East Meets West.

The report highlights the scale of this transformation: China’s live-commerce market reached approximately US$900 billion in 2025, approaching the size of the entire U.S. e-commerce market, while Asia Pacific now accounts for approximately 55% of global e-commerce revenue. Nearly six out of 10 (59%) consumers across the region already purchase through social platforms.

Across Asia Pacific, the growth of social commerce and connected retail is accelerating the adoption of models first developed at scale in China. As these models gain traction in the region, brands need a more integrated understanding of how consumers discover, evaluate and purchase products through physical and digital channels.

“The next generation of retail will be shaped by businesses that can connect consumer intelligence across physical and digital commerce. Brands that understand how consumers discover, evaluate and purchase products across every touchpoint will be better positioned to anticipate change and drive sustainable growth,” said Rachel White, President, Asia Pacific, NIQ.

China continues to define the future of commerce

China’s digital commerce ecosystem demonstrates how integrated consumer experiences can accelerate innovation and reshape retail.

According to the report:

• China’s live-commerce market reached approximately US$900 billion in 2025.
• Asia Pacific now accounts for approximately 55% of global e-commerce revenue.
• Nearly six in 10 (59%) consumers purchase through social platforms.
• China’s social commerce market is projected to reach US$1.8 trillion by 2030.

These developments illustrate how commerce has evolved beyond traditional online shopping into connected ecosystems where content, community, media, payments and fulfillment work seamlessly together.

“China remains one of the world’s most dynamic commerce markets, where live commerce, social commerce and AI-powered experiences are continually reshaping retail. The speed and scale of innovation in China offer important lessons for brands seeking to anticipate how commerce will evolve in other markets,” said Ryan Zhou, Managing Director, NIQ China.

Helping brands navigate the next phase of commerce

As commerce ecosystems become more interconnected, brands need greater visibility across every stage of the consumer journey—from product discovery and engagement to purchase and loyalty. Success increasingly depends on understanding how retail, eCommerce, social commerce and digital channels work together rather than as separate ecosystems.

To help brands navigate this increasingly connected commerce landscape, NIQ recently expanded its commerce intelligence capabilities in China and Southeast Asia through the addition of YiMian’s digital commerce expertise. By combining NIQ’s global consumer intelligence, analytics and retail measurement capabilities with YiMian’s expertise across marketplaces, social commerce and the digital shelf, NIQ provides clients with a more connected view of consumer behavior and commercial performance.

This stronger data and analytics foundation will also support more advanced AI-powered solutions, enabling brands to respond more quickly to changing consumer behavior and make faster, more informed commercial decisions.

About the report

The Commerce Revolution: Where East Meets West analyzes the convergence of Eastern and Western commerce models across live commerce, social commerce, quick commerce, retail media networks, and emerging agentic commerce. It draws on NIQ Consumer Outlook, Retail Pulse, Digital Purchases, and Omnisales data, alongside third-party sources including McKinsey, Morgan Stanley, and Adobe.

About NIQ

NielsenIQ (NYSE: NIQ) is a leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete and trusted understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. By combining an unmatched global data footprint and granular consumer and retail measurement with decades of AI modeling expertise, NIQ builds decision systems that help companies turn complex data into confident action.

With operations in more than 90 countries, NIQ covers approximately 82% of the world’s population and more than $7.4 trillion in global consumer spend. Through cloud-based platforms, advanced analytics and AI-driven insights, NIQ delivers The Full View™—helping brands and retailers understand what consumers buy, why they buy it, and what to do next.

For more information, please visit www.niq.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding market trends, projected growth of live, social, quick, retail-media, and agentic commerce, and the anticipated impact on brands and retailers. These statements are based on NIQ's current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Third-party figures (including estimates attributed to McKinsey, Morgan Stanley, and Adobe) have not been independently verified by NIQ. NIQ undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement except as required by law.

Notes to Editors

The figures cited in this release are drawn from NIQ’s report, The Commerce Revolution: Where East Meets West (2026), which combines NIQ proprietary consumer and retail intelligence with selected third-party market data.

NIQ proprietary data includes consumer adoption and commerce behavior insights derived from NIQ Consumer Outlook, Retail Pulse, Digital Purchases and Omnisales, including:

• 59% of APAC consumers purchasing through social platforms; and
• consumer adoption of social commerce and quick commerce across Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe.

Third-party market estimates cited in the report include:

China’s live-commerce market of approximately US$900 billion (2025 market/ GMV scale);

• Asia Pacific’s approximately ~55% APAC of global e-commerce revenue (WeArisma); and
• China’s social commerce market projection of US$1.8 trillion by 2030 (WeArisma).

These market estimates are referenced in the report and are not measured directly by NIQ.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260806783537/en/

Media Contact:
Liza Martija
Communications Lead, APAC
Email: liza.martija@nielseniq.com

Source: NIQ Global Intelligence plc