In the nearly $4.0 trillion global e-commerce market, East and West is largely divided by the presence of Alibaba and Amazon – with the former dominating the Asia/Pacific region due to its stronghold in China and the latter leading in more affluent areas such as the US and the EU. Currently, geographic overlap between the two is minimal. In fact, Amazon recently announced it is closing its online store in China to focus on other markets, although the company will continue to sell cross-border into China for orders placed through its stores based in other countries.

Demand for membranes in the water treatment market is forecast to advance 5.8% per year to $8.3 billion in 2023. Growth will be driven in part by the implementation of more stringent quality regulations for water streams in both developed and developing markets.

Pressure sensitive tape demand in India totaled 2.0 billion square meters in 2018, making the country the third largest tape market in the Asia/Pacific region and the fourth largest globally. Due to the country’s vast population, its lack of adequate infrastructure, and the relatively underdeveloped state of many local industries, India’s tape consumption relative to GDP and manufacturing output is among the lowest in the world.

Demand for biodegradable plastic film is expected to climb 5.4% yearly to $122 million in 2023. Food packaging will remain the dominant market for biodegradable films and is expected to account for 62% of demand in 2023.

Global demand for cordless electric tools is forecast to rise 7.9% per year to $10.1 billion in 2022. Cordless tools have already overtaken plug-in electric tools in the US, and similar achievements are expected imminently in high-income markets worldwide.

US demand for decorative tile in flooring applications is forecast to climb 2.3% per year to 3.5 billion square feet in 2023. The residential market will support demand for decorative tile’s use in flooring, as rising personal incomes will allow more homeowners to undertake such projects as the renovations of kitchens and bathrooms and the addition of new bathrooms.

Demand for material handling containers is forecast to grow 2.3% annually through 2023 to $1.2 billion. In unit terms, demand is expected to reach 20.2 million.

Global demand for off-road equipment is forecast to reach $471 billion in 2019, rising 6.5% from 2018 levels. Countries in the Asia/Pacific region will account for nearly half of sales gains – despite only modest advances in the massive Chinese market, where demand for mining equipment is expected to fall slightly after two years of rapid recovery.

Bituminous products (including asphalt shingles and corrugated panels, as well as low-slope products) were the most popular roofing material in 2017, accounting for 34% of global roofing sales in area terms.

Demand for retail-ready corrugated displays is projected to increase 3.2% annually to $1.8 billion in 2023. Gains will be restrained by the limited amount of floor space that can be occupied by displays, especially because most stores already use displays in the areas to which they are suited, such as end-caps and in large walkways between aisles.