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Inside Ecuador’s Growing E-Commerce Market
Latest update: March 2025
In this article, we share key insights into Ecuador’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 Ecuador
Online shopping in Ecuador has become an increasingly natural choice for consumers. Today, one in two adults in the country already shops online, according to PCMI data, in a landscape marked by rapid tech adoption. In 2024, PCMI estimated that Ecuador’s e-commerce market reached US$6.4 billion—and it’s projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20%, hitting US$11 billion by 2027.1
This growth is taking place in a context of widespread internet access and greater financial inclusion: 95% of Ecuadorians use the internet daily,2 and 84% have at least one financial product.3
Profile of the Ecuadorian Online Shopper
While having a general overview of Ecuador’s e-commerce landscape is important, understanding consumer behavior is key to identifying the factors driving its growth. Below are some standout insights from CECE (2024):4
32% of Ecuadorians have used AI tools—such as chatbots and personalized recommendations—for online shopping.
42% rely on recommendations from friends, acquaintances, and family when making online purchases.
52% of online shoppers in Ecuador belong to the lower-middle socioeconomic class.
WhatsApp (74%) and Instagram (72%) are the most used social media platforms for online shopping in the country.
Ecuador E-Commerce Payment Methods and Devices
According to PCMI’s E-commerce Data Library, the leading payment methods for e-commerce in Ecuador, by share of sales volume, are:
- Credit card — 74%
- Debit card — 16%
- Digital wallet — 6%
- Bank transfers — 3%
- Other* — 1%
- 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:
- 75% of e-commerce sales volume in 2024 in Ecuador came from mobile devices.
- The remaining 25% came from computers.
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Top-Selling Categories and Leading Online Stores in Ecuador
The following is the ranking of the best-selling products online in Ecuador, based on the average purchases in 2024, according to CECE:
- Services — 87%
- Personal goods — 78%
- Food, beverages, and tobacco — 73%
- Entertainment — 59%
- Technology — 56%
As for the top online stores in Ecuador, the following ranking lists the most visited platforms (based on traffic in January 2025):5
- Mercado Libre — 3.4 million visits
- AliExpress — 3.3 million
- eBay — 2.2 million
- Samsung — 1,5 million
- Fybeca — 1,4 million
Key Insights into the Ecuadorian E-commerce Market
Finally, here are some key insights on payments and e-commerce in Ecuador, according to our E-commerce Data Library:
Deuna! is the most used digital wallet for online shopping in Ecuador.
Streaming services make up just 3% of e-commerce sales, but their volume is expected to grow by 75% in 2025.
Domestic stores represent 55% of total e-commerce sales in the country.
Cross-border e-commerce is projected to grow by 21% in 2025.
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 Ecuador but also 14 other countries in Latin America, featuring e-commerce market data such as:
- Historical volume of Ecuador’s e-commerce market for 2023, 2022 and further back
- Projections of Ecuador’s e-commerce market volume for 2024-2027
- Breakdowns by merchant vertical for e-commerce in Ecuador: retail, travel, ride-hailing, digital goods and services like streaming
- Data on both cross-border and domestic e-commerce purchases in Ecuador for 2024 and projections for 2025 and beyond
- Breakdowns and projections of payment methods used in Ecuador e-commerce (international/domestic 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 ↩︎
- CECE. (2024). Estudio de transacciones no presenciales en Ecuador – VII Medición ↩︎
- Central Bank of Ecuador. (2023). Informe de resultados – Estadísticas de inclusión financiera ↩︎
- CECE. (2024). Estudio de transacciones no presenciales en Ecuador – VII Medición ↩︎
- Semrush. (2024). Top websites in Ecuador (Retail Industry), January 2025 ↩︎
