The Rise of E-Commerce in Pakistan 2024-2027

Latest update: November 2024

Pakistan’s e-commerce market saw significant growth in 2024, reaching US$7.7 billion in sales, with a 17% CAGR projected through 2027.¹ Despite structural challenges like low online retail penetration and a continued reliance on cash payments (75% of transactions²), the sector expanded, driven by increasing smartphone adoption (80% of shoppers buy via mobile³) and greater consumer trust in digital shopping. This article explores the latest data on Pakistan’s e-commerce landscape, including market size, shopper behavior, payment trends, and leading product categories. The information is sourced from our Asia-Pacific Data Library, and is enriched with external references curated by the PCMI team.

You can explore this content as an infographic report, available for download below.

Current State of E-commerce in Pakistan

In Pakistan, over 60% of the population is now banked,⁴ paving the way for the widespread adoption of digital payments. However, 7 out of 10 online consumers still rely on cash on delivery, as we will explore later.

Profile of the Pakistani Online Shopper

Pakistan’s E-Commerce Payment Methods and Devices

Pakistan’s e-commerce market continues to be dominated by cash payments, with digital payment adoption growing at a slower pace. Consumers still prefer cash-on-delivery options due to concerns about online payment security and low credit card penetration. Meanwhile, mobile commerce plays a crucial role in the country’s online shopping habits.

According to the PCMI’s E-commerce Data Library, the primary payment methods for e-commerce in Pakistan, by share of volume, are:

1. Cash on delivery — 75%
2. Debit card — 9%
3. Credit card — 8%
4. Digital wallet — 4%
5. Bank transfers — 2%
6. Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) — 1%

As for devices used for purchasing online in 2024, PCMI observed that:

• 80% of e-commerce volume in Pakistan came from purchases on mobile devices
• 20% of e-commerce volume in Pakistan came from desktop

Top-Selling Categories and Leading Online Stores in Pakistan

Based on e-commerce revenue in 2023, the following product categories ranked as the most popular among Pakistani online shoppers:⁹

1. Electronics & media
2. Furniture & appliances
3. Fashion
4. Food & personal care
5. Toys, hobby & DIY

As for the top online stores in Pakistan, based on traffic data from June to August 2024, the ranking is as follows:¹⁰

1. Daraz
2. Amazon
3. OLX
4. Alibaba
5. Amazon UK

Key Data on the Pakistani E-Commerce Market

Lastly, here are some key insights about e-commerce in Pakistan:

Challenges in the Market:

Next Step:

The PCMI E-Commerce Data Library

While the data shared here can be helpful, both payments companies and ecommerce companies may benefit from a deeper dive into Pakistani e-commerce data, which they can obtain by acquiring the PCMI E-commerce Data Library for Asia Pacific.

The Library covers not only Pakistan but also 12 other countries in Asia Pacific, featuring e-commerce market data such as:

• Historical volume of Pakistani e-commerce market

• Projected e-commerce market volume in Pakistan for 2024-2027

• Breakdowns by merchant vertical for e-commerce in Pakistan: retail, travel, ride-hailing, digital goods and services like streaming

• Data on both cross-border and domestic e-commerce purchases in Pakistan for 2024 and projections for 2025 and beyond

• Breakdown and projections of payment methods in Pakistan’s e-commerce, including international and domestic credit cards, Buy Now Pay Later, digital wallets, etc.

And much more.

Other key advantages make the PCMI E-commerce Data Library for Asia Pacific 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 12+ 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 Asia Pacific, so you can share it freely with your organization

Sources:

1. PCMI E-commerce Data Library ↩︎
2. PCMI E-Commerce Data Library ↩︎
3. PCMI E-commerce Data Library ↩︎
4. Keynote speech by Mr Jameel Ahmad, Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, at the Pakistan Financial Literacy Week 2024, Karachi, 8 March 2024 ↩︎
5. CEICDATA.com. Average Order Value (AOV) as of 18 Sep 2024 ↩︎
6. TGM Global E-commerce Survey 2022 – Pakistan ↩︎
7. TGM Global E-commerce Survey 2022 – Pakistan ↩︎
8. TGM Global E-commerce Survey 2022 – Pakistan ↩︎
9. EcommerceDB, as cited in “State of B2C E-commerce in Pakistan | Report,” Data Darbar, 2023 ↩︎
10. SimilarWeb. Traffic to e-commerce and shopping websites from June 2024 to August 2024 ↩︎
11. Pakistan eCommerce Landscape.” Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program 17th to 19th April 2024- Astana, Kazakhstan ↩︎
12. Pakistan eCommerce Landscape.” Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program 17th to 19th April 2024- Astana, Kazakhstan ↩︎
13. Hasan, Madiha (2024) “Challenges and Opportunities for E-Commerce in Pakistan.” Qlantic Journal of Social Sciences (QJSS) | Volume 5, No. 3 (Summer 2024) ↩︎
14. OOSGA, 2023. “E-Commerce in Pakistan: Outlook & Retail Trends in 2023.” ↩︎
15. Hasan, Madiha (2024) “Challenges and Opportunities for E-Commerce in Pakistan.” Qlantic Journal of Social Sciences (QJSS) | Volume 5, No. 3 (Summer 2024) ↩︎