IKEA, Jysk, and H&M are among the three largest online cross-border retailers in Europe. This is evident from the annual report 'TOP 500 B2C Cross-Border Retail Europe' by Cross-Border Commerce Europe, which analyzes the dynamics of the European online retail market.
© IKEA
In 2025, the European cross-border B2C e-commerce market reached a size of 108 billion euros, accounting for 25 percent of the total online market. After years of strong growth, the sector is in a phase of slower expansion, according to the report, with the focus shifting towards profitability and operational efficiency.
The total turnover of the TOP 500 retailers amounted to 86 billion euros in the same period. The ten largest players account for approximately 20 percent of that total turnover, indicating a concentrated market structure. In addition to IKEA, Jysk, and H&M, the top ten includes Zalando, Lego, MediaMarkt, Pandora, Lidl, Notino, and Adidas, among others. Fashion and home retail are particularly well represented.
According to the researchers, leading players are evolving beyond merely implementing digital tools. The report states: "By 2025–2026, the best-performing players will go beyond merely implementing digital tools or experimenting with artificial intelligence. They are restructuring their organisations around an operational model in which human expertise and AI systems collaborate across the entire retail value chain."
Additionally, the researchers emphasise that technological integration in itself is insufficient to create value: "This reflects a growing understanding that AI does not create value on its own. The impact arises when AI is integrated into operational processes, decision-making, and customer interactions. Retailers who truly derive value from this combine strong data infrastructures, human insight, and algorithmic automation."
The shift in the European cross-border retail market thus reveals a sector that is repositioning itself, in which digital infrastructure and human expertise are becoming increasingly intertwined.
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