1 in 5 Holiday Dollars Will Cross Borders This Year — What It Means for US Stores

The Scale of Cross-Border Shopping Now

Roughly 70% of global online shoppers now report buying from sellers in other countries at some point, up from 60% just a year earlier — a meaningful jump in a single year. Nearly half of cross-border shoppers report making international purchases more than once a month, suggesting this has become routine behavior rather than an occasional exception.

Why Shoppers Buy Internationally

Lower prices remain the dominant reason shoppers cite for buying from sellers abroad, which explains why Chinese discount marketplaces have captured such significant international shopping share. This price sensitivity is a genuine competitive pressure for domestic stores selling comparable products at higher price points, particularly in categories where these international marketplaces have strong offerings.

The Competitive Pressure This Creates

For US stores selling products with international, lower-cost equivalents readily available, this trend represents real competitive exposure — customers increasingly have a lower-priced alternative just a few clicks away, and a meaningful share are willing to accept longer shipping times to access it. Understanding whether your specific category faces this pressure is worth an honest look.

The Flip Side: Expansion Opportunity

The same trend that creates competitive pressure also represents opportunity for US brands willing to sell internationally themselves — a growing, comfortable cross-border shopping audience exists on the buying side too. Brands with genuine differentiation beyond pure price (quality, brand story, faster regional shipping) are better positioned to compete for this cross-border spending rather than simply losing to it.

• — Understand whether your category faces real cross-border price competition
• — Differentiate on factors beyond price where lower-cost alternatives exist
• — Consider cross-border expansion if your product has genuine international appeal
• — Localize pricing, currency display, and duties handling if expanding internationally

What This Means Heading Into the Holiday Season Specifically

With roughly one in five global holiday e-commerce dollars crossing borders, the competitive landscape during peak season includes international sellers as a genuine factor, not just domestic competitors. Stores that understand and address this — through pricing strategy, differentiation, or their own cross-border expansion — enter the season with a clearer picture than those treating competition as purely domestic.

Navigating Cross-Border Dynamics — With Devrex Digital

Whether you're facing cross-border competitive pressure or considering international expansion yourself, a custom-coded store gives you the flexibility to address either honestly — competitive positioning, localized pricing, or genuine cross-border sales capability. Devrex Digital can help you think through which side of this trend matters most for your specific business.