How to Buy
REST OF WORLD, 2022
![How to Buy](/content/images/size/w960/2022/12/Screenshot-2022-12-12-at-17.48.47.png)
How people buy, and how tech intervenes, around the globe
The spread of social media, livestreaming, messaging, and payment systems has sparked a global wave of e-commerce innovation, led by startups, merchants — and their customers.
![](https://149346090.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/cropped-h2b-social-series.jpg)
E-commerce isn’t the same everywhere. The spread of social media and livestreaming platforms, messaging services and payment systems has sparked a global wave of innovation in buying and selling, led by startups, merchants — and their customers.
This project for Rest of World aimed to understand and illuminate the divergent and convergent evolution of e-commerce as it spread around the world, using a simple structure: How to buy X in Y. I commissioned 12 journalists across Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia to capture unique e-commerce supply chains, from secondhand clothes in Brazil to baby formula in Vietnam, to high-end electrical goods in Kenya.
How e-commerce is bringing the sari back in Pakistan
Online marketplaces have revived interest in a garment more commonly associated with India.
![](https://149346090.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/cropped-h2b-social-Sari.jpg)
How halal e-commerce became a $160 million business in Indonesia
From food to fashion to cosmetics, shariah-compliant retail is booming online.
![](https://149346090.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/cropped-h2b-social-hijab.jpg)
How fish comes fresh from Colombia’s Pacific coast, via WhatsApp
Messaging apps and social media are feeding a boom among small e-commerce entrepreneurs.
![](https://149346090.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/cropped-h2b-social-tuna.png)
How Instagram became the shop front for live crabs in Sri Lanka
“When I gave crabs to my friends, they loved it, so I decided to sell them on social media.”
![](https://149346090.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/cropped-h2b-social-crab.jpg)
How meat delivery startups are challenging India’s dietary taboos
Startups like Licious are streamlining the buying experience for Indian carnivores, getting chicken to customers’ doors within 90 minutes.
![](https://149346090.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/cropped-h2b-social-IndiaChicken.jpg)
How TikTok influencers and YouTubers are transforming the used car market
Content is king for Southeast Asia’s billion-dollar used car platforms, where influencers are more trusted than used car dealers.
![](https://149346090.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/cropped-h2b-social-kia.jpg)
How Somali traders and a tiny airstrip are serving Kenya’s online shopping needs
A small airport in central Kenya has become a hub for high-end electronics imports.
![](https://149346090.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/cropped-cropped-h2b-social-kenya.jpg)
How to buy U.S. dollars in Beirut
In Lebanon’s capital, you can order black market hard currency online, to be delivered by bike.
![](https://149346090.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/cropped-h2b-social-lebanon.jpg)
How to buy baby formula in Quang Binh
Many Vietnamese mothers don’t trust local suppliers of baby formula, so they turn to Facebook’s “carry on” stores, which import from abroad.
![](https://149346090.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/cropped-h2b-social-milk.jpg)
How to buy a chicken sandwich in Shenzhen
Livestream e-commerce is a $100 billion industry in China, with influencers selling everything from cosmetics to fast food.
![](https://149346090.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/cropped-h2b-social-chicken.jpg)
How to buy a crop top in Florianópolis
Facing high inflation and falling earnings, many Brazilians have turned to online thrift stores to buy and sell clothing.
![](https://149346090.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/cropped-h2b-social-croptop.jpg)