Ecommerce Benchmarks
Cross-Border Tech Stacks: US vs UK vs AU Shopify Plus (Real 2026 Data)
Storeleads indexes Shopify Plus stores across 3 major Anglo-DTC markets. Here's what the tech stack actually looks like in the US, UK, and Australia in 2026.
Plus market sizes
| Country | Shopify Plus stores indexed |
|---|---|
| United States | 28,236 (with $100K+/mo) / 74,777 global |
| United Kingdom | 6,252 |
| Australia | 3,627 |
Klaviyo adoption by country
| Country | Klaviyo stores | Adoption % |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2,347 | 64.7% |
| United Kingdom | 3,507 | 56.1% |
| United States (overall Plus) | ~37,000 | ~50% |
Klaviyo over-indexes in smaller markets. AU Plus concentrates around it at 64.7 percent. The smaller market has fewer long-tail alternatives. The larger US market has more diversity, though Klaviyo still wins at roughly 50 percent.
BNPL: where each provider dominates
| Country | Klarna | Afterpay |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 40.5% (2,529) | 12.3% (766) |
| United States ($100K+/mo Plus) | ~14-19% | 15.2% (4,299) |
| Australia | Lower share | Higher share (Afterpay's home market) |
Klarna owns the UK. 40.5% UK Plus adoption is 2x its global Plus adoption of 19%. Klarna's European roots show. The UK is also the largest market outside of US/AU for Afterpay-style competition.
Afterpay over-indexes in AU. Afterpay was founded in Australia (now owned by Block/Square) and retains strong home-market share.
What this means for cross-border DTC
- Entering the UK: add Klarna to your checkout. Skipping it means leaving ~40% of BNPL-interested UK customers without their preferred provider.
- Entering AU: add Afterpay. Home-market loyalty is real.
- Entering the US: run both Klarna and Afterpay, or pick based on customer demographic (Klarna skews older and higher AOV, Afterpay younger and more fashion-driven).
- Email/SMS: Klaviyo works in all three markets. No need to swap.
Notable country-specific brand examples
- UK Plus on Klaviyo: Nothing (the phone brand)
- AU Plus on Klaviyo: Threadheads
- UK Plus on Klarna: Nothing and many UK apparel brands
- UK Plus on Afterpay: Lucy & Yak
What stays the same across markets
- Klaviyo dominance in email/SMS (all three markets)
- Shop Pay + PayPal as checkout standard
- Gorgias for support (US-headquartered but adopted globally)
- Triple Whale for attribution (US-headquartered)
Methodology
Pulled May 2026 from Storeleads. Country filter: store's primary country code. Adoption = Plus stores in that country running the platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
how does klaviyo adoption vary by country on shopify plus?
AU 64.7 percent, UK 56.1 percent, US roughly 50 percent. Smaller markets concentrate around the dominant tool faster.
where does klarna actually dominate vs afterpay?
Klarna in UK (40.5 percent), Afterpay in AU (its founding market). US is the contested middle.
should i adjust my stack based on which market i'm scaling to?
BNPL yes, match the market leader. Email, support, reviews: similar across markets.
Related
- Top 10 most-adopted apps on Plus
- Afterpay vs Klarna vs Affirm
- Klaviyo vs Attentive vs Mailchimp
- Apparel DTC stack
Expanding cross-border and need a CFO to plan the stack changes? Talk to a CFO.