E-commerce.
Why is WeChat the engine under Chinese e-commerce?
Because the wallet, chat, content and shop live inside one ecosystem. Weixin and WeChat have more than 1.4 billion monthly users, and Mini Programs facilitated over $1.1 trillion in GMV in 2024. Weixin Pay processes more than 1 billion commercial payment transactions a day.
Igor's predictions on E-commerce
Questions about E-commerce, answered
How big is B2B e-commerce today?
Big enough that Gartner puts $15 trillion+ of it through AI agents by 2028. Gartner also counts 3 billion B2B machines that can already place an order, 8 billion by 2030. Reorders, spare parts, cloud credits, ad inventory: the rules-based spending goes machine-to-machine first, because nobody enjoys doing it.
Full answer →Why is WeChat the engine under Chinese e-commerce?
Because the wallet, chat, content and shop live inside one ecosystem. Weixin and WeChat have more than 1.4 billion monthly users, and Mini Programs facilitated over $1.1 trillion in GMV in 2024. Weixin Pay processes more than 1 billion commercial payment transactions a day. China removed friction before it scaled live commerce. The West needs 1-tap checkout before it needs more influencers.
Full answer →How big is global e-commerce by 2030?
E-commerce is the online channel inside retail: $6.9 trillion in 2025, 1 dollar in 5. Consensus: $9 to $10 trillion by 2030, still barely 1 in 4 of retail. Big number, slow share. Wrong story. The real shift is not online versus offline. It is website versus everywhere.
Full answer →What makes or breaks a brand in a live room?
Makes: live shopping can convert 9% to 30% of viewers versus roughly 2% to 3% for standard e-commerce, although audiences and categories differ. Breaks: the host. Live claims move faster than compliance teams, and China's new rules keep the operator liable when AI enters the room. If the AI host invents the claim, the operator owns the problem. Script the claims, own the data, rent the face.
Full answer →Does the West have the volume for live commerce?
No. Not in people. East and South Asia count about 4.7 billion; the US and EU together fewer than 800 million. The problem is habit. Live is still a small share of US e-commerce, and TikTok Shop's US live share fell from 26% to 18% in 1 year. Whatnot sold $8B live in 2025 and eBay Live grew 8x, so the players exist; the habit does not. My prediction: the West gets there through AI hosts, shoppable short video and 1-tap checkout, not 6-hour livestreams.
Full answer →How big is the metaverse economy by 2030?
$5 trillion a year: VR, AR, XR and mixed reality, plus virtual goods, e-commerce and services. McKinsey's own model now lands on the same number. The suits caught up to the call, they just charge $500 an hour to repeat it.
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