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E-Commerce in the Dominican Republic: Adoption, Access, and Opportunities
Latest update: March 2025
In this article, we share key insights into the Dominican Republic’s e-commerce market. Most of the data comes from our annually updated, trusted PCMI E-Commerce Data Library for Latin America. We’ve also enriched the analysis with carefully selected information from external sources.
You can also download a PDF version of this article in infographic report format below. And don’t forget to explore our full library of e-commerce reports across Latin America.
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Current State of E-commerce in the Dominican Republic
E-commerce in the Dominican Republic is booming, with 7 out of 10 adults now shopping online, according to PCMI data.1
By 2024, PCMI estimated that the country’s e-commerce market reached US$5.2 billion and will continue growing at a compound annual rate of 17% through 2027, when it’s expected to hit US$8.3 billion.
This growth takes place in a context of moderate connectivity and financial inclusion. According to official data, 76% of the population accesses the internet at least once a day.2 In addition, data from the Central Bank shows at least 8.7 million online banking users3—equivalent to roughly 85% of the population aged 15 and older.
Still, challenges remain, particularly in terms of digital inclusion: only 21.5% of people over the age of 10 have what’s considered “meaningful connectivity,” according to the latest figures from CETIC (2022).4 This “meaningful connectivity” is defined as having “available, frequent, useful, quality, secure, reliable, affordable (cost-effective) connectivity through an appropriate device.”
Profile of the Dominican Online Shopper
While it’s helpful to have a general overview of e-commerce in the Dominican Republic, analyzing consumer behavior is just as important. This helps us better understand the key drivers behind market growth. Here are some standout insights:
82% of households in the Dominican Republic that shop online use WhatsApp as their access point. Most purchases are made through colmados (cornerstores)5
1 in 2 Dominicans (52%) buy an FMCG product through e-commerce (versus the regional average of 10%)6
The most common age group for online shoppers is 25–44, accounting for more than 50% of all digital consumers7
66% of online sales volume comes from the retail sector8
Dominican Republic E-Commerce Payment Methods and Devices
According to PCMI’s E-commerce Data Library, the leading payment methods for e-commerce in the Dominican Republic, by share of sales volume, are:
- Credit card — 66%
- Debit card — 21%
- Digital wallet — 7%
- Bank transfers — 4%
- Other* — 2%
- Cash payments — 1%
*Includes gift cards, pay-on-delivery, and other miscellaneous payment methods.
Note: the total may not sum up to 100% due to rounding.
It is also important to track device usage for e-commerce. According to PCMI E-Commerce Data Library:
- 70% of e-commerce sales volume in 2024 in the Dominican Republic came from mobile devices.
- The remaining 30% came from desktops.
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Top-Selling Categories and Leading Online Stores in the Dominican Republic
The following is the ranking of the best-selling products online in the Dominican Republic, based on users who bought these products online in the last three months:9
- Clothing, personal items, household goods, and others — 69%
- Supermarket, colmados, pharmacy, stationery, and others — 42%
- Services for physical consumption (hotel reservations, transportation, etc.) — 18.5%
- Apps, software licenses, etc. — 9%
- Digital content for entertainment, education, etc. — 4%
As for the top online stores in the Dominican Republic, the following ranking lists the most visited platforms (based on traffic in February 2025):10
- eBay — 2.3 million visits
- AliExpress — 2.2 million
- Shein — 627,000
- Xbox — 556,000
- Samsung — 452,000
Key Insights into the Dominican E-commerce Market
Finally, here are some key insights on payments and e-commerce in the Dominican Republic, according to our E-commerce Data Library:
PayPal and tPago are the most widely used digital wallets for online shopping in the Dominican Republic, accounting for 58% and 40% of wallet-based payment volume, respectively
Foreign retailers account for 57% of total e-commerce sales in the Dominican Republic
Cross-border e-commerce is projected to grow by 22% in 2025, while domestic e-commerce is expected to grow by 16%
Next Step:
The PCMI E-Commerce Data Library
The data provided in this report is part of PCMI’s Latin America E-commerce Data Library. The Library covers not only the Dominican Republic but also 14 other Latin American countries, featuring e-commerce market data such as:
- Historical e-commerce market volume in the Dominican Republic for 2023, 2022, and previous years.
- Projections for the Dominican Republic’s e-commerce market volume from 2024 to 2027
- Breakdowns by merchant vertical for e-commerce in the Dominican Republic: retail, travel, ride-hailing, digital goods and services like streaming
- Data on both cross-border and domestic e-commerce purchases in the Dominican Republic for 2024 and projections for 2025 and beyond
- This includes detailed breakdowns and projections of payment methods in Dominican Republic e-commerce, such as international and local credit cards, Buy Now Pay Later, digital wallets, and others
Other key advantages make the PCMI E-commerce Data Library for Latin America a uniquely powerful tool for companies that seek a fuller understanding of e-commerce in the region:
- It’s customizable to client needs: you can obtain additional data you need for your company’s specific business concerns, beyond what the Library offers
- It’s budget-friendly: while detailed reports are available for 15 Latin American countries, you can just buy data on just 1 or save money by purchasing a country bundle
- It includes personalized guidance: every purchase of the Library entitles you to a free 1-hour consultation about the data with one of PCMI’s industry experts
- It offers unlimited sharing: there is no single-user license with the PCMI E-commerce Data Library for Latin America, so you can share it freely with your organization
Keep up to date with our e-commerce, payments and crypto insights:
Source:
- PCMI. (2024). E-Commerce Data Library ↩︎
- Centro Regional de Estudios para el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Información (CETIC). (2024). Informe de Conectividad Significativa 2022 ↩︎
- Banco Central República Dominicana. (2025). Usuarios de internet banking, Departamento de Sistemas de Pagos [Dataset] ↩︎
- Centro Regional de Estudios para el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Información (CETIC). (2024). Informe de Conectividad Significativa 2022 ↩︎
- Kantar. (September 24, 2024). República Dominicana destaca por sus compras en E-commerce ↩︎
- Kantar. (September 24, 2024). República Dominicana destaca por sus compras en E-commerce ↩︎
- ICEX. (December, 2023). Informe e-País: El comercio electrónico en República Dominicana. Oficina Económica y Comercial de la Embajada de España en Santo Domingo ↩︎
- PCMI. (2024). Global E-commerce Data Library ↩︎
- ONE – Sistema Nacional de Estadísticas. ENHOGAR (Encuesta Nacional de Hogares de Propósitos Múltiples), Informe general 2022 ↩︎
- Semrush. (2024). Top websites in the Dominican Republic (Retail Industry), February 2025 ↩︎
