Gitnux/Report 2026

Trade Service Industry Statistics

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Trade Service Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Gitnux editors write the brief first: the topic, the inclusion rules, and the frame for what belongs.

02Source Research

Agents search the published record and log every extracted figure back to the passage it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The trade service industry at a glance

Global commercial-services trade reached $9.56 trillion in 2025, making services a larger and faster-growing component of international trade as digital delivery, travel and business services expand.

$9.56T[2]
Commercial-services trade, 2025
8%[2]
Services-trade growth, 2025
27.5%[2]
Share of global trade, 2025
19.7M[24]
U.S. wholesale-retail employment, Sep. 2026
Market size
World commercial-services trade reached $9.56 trillion in 2025, up 8% from 2024. UNCTAD estimates that world services exports reached $9.7 trillion in 2025 and are on track to exceed $10 trillion in 2026.[2][81]
Forecast & CAGR
The WTO projects commercial-services trade volume growth of 3.3% in 2026 and 6.4% in 2027. Using these two annual forecasts, the implied 2026–2027 compound growth rate is approximately 4.8%.[2]
Market share & regions
Services represented 27.5% of global goods-and-services trade in 2025. In the WTO’s 2026 baseline, commercial-services exports were projected to grow 6.5% in the Middle East, 5.5% in Europe and 4.9% in Asia, with Asia accelerating to 6.4% in 2027.[2]
Segmentation
The WTO tracks commercial services across sectors including transport, travel and other commercial services; digitally delivered services are a major subsegment. Digitally deliverable services accounted for 56% of global services exports in 2025, while travel expenditure reached $1.89 trillion.[2][72]
Key players & concentration
The global industry is geographically concentrated among major economies, but the available sources do not provide a sufficiently comparable current concentration ratio for commercial-services firms. UNCTAD reports that least developed countries held only 0.6% of global services exports in 2025.[72]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Digitalization and artificial intelligence are supporting growth in computer, financial and other digitally delivered services, while travel and transport remain exposed to geopolitical disruption. UNCTAD reports that digitally deliverable services grew 7.1% annually over the past decade, but connectivity, payment and skills gaps continue to constrain developing economies.[72][2]
Consumer behavior & competition
Demand is shifting toward digitally delivered services and cross-border online provision: these services represented 56% of global services exports in 2025. In the United States, wholesale and retail trade employed 19.7 million people in September 2026, indicating a large domestic distribution and consumer-facing competitive base.[72][24]
Regulation
Services trade is increasingly shaped by behind-the-border rules covering privacy, cybersecurity, competition and artificial-intelligence governance. UNCTAD reports that 55% of preferential trade agreements signed between 2000 and 2025 included e-commerce or digital-trade provisions, contributing to a more fragmented regulatory environment.[82][72]
Latest news
The WTO’s October 2026 outlook revised commercial-services trade-volume growth down to 3.3% for 2026 from 4.8% previously, citing weaker travel and transport prospects linked to the Middle East conflict; growth is forecast to rebound to 6.4% in 2027.[2]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Trade Service Industry

The leading companies in the trade service industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

Quanta Services leads Gitnux's 2026 trade service ranking with an Overall score of 9.7, with 20.32% revenue growth and 5.66% operating margin signals. EMCOR Group is the highest-ranked construction services at 9.0, with 16.6% revenue growth and 10.1% operating margin signals.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in energy & communications infrastructure

    Quanta Services

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.7 · Energy & communications infrastructure

    Why we picked it: Its energy and communications infrastructure work aligns with trade demand for capital spending repairs and upgrades.

    See in ranking ↓Visit quantaservices.com ↗

  2. Leader in mechanical & electrical construction

    EMCOR Group

    US

    Ranked #2 · 9.0 · Mechanical & electrical construction

    Why we picked it: Mechanical and electrical construction services translate into recurring infrastructure and building maintenance workloads.

    See in ranking ↓Visit emcorgroup.com ↗

  3. Leader in disaster recovery & restoration

    BELFOR

    US

    Ranked #3 · 9.0 · Disaster recovery & restoration

    Why we picked it: Property restoration scale supports cross-border incident response in disaster recovery services.

    See in ranking ↓Visit belfor.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the trade service industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Quanta Services

Energy & communications infrastructure · US

9.7
2

EMCOR Group

Mechanical & electrical construction · US

9.0
3

BELFOR

Disaster recovery & restoration · US

9.0
4

Rollins

Pest control services · US

8.9
5

Primoris Services

Utility, energy & renewable infrastructure · US

8.7
6

MasTec

Energy & communications infrastructure · US

8.3
7

FirstService

Property improvement & restoration · CA

8.3
8

HomeServe USA

Property improvement & restoration · US

8.1
9

MYR Group

Utility, energy & renewable infrastructure · US

8.0
10

Installed Building Products

Property improvement & restoration · US

7.7

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Top 10 companies in the trade service industry. In Trade Service Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/trade-service-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Revenue of the largest trade service companies

Quanta Services leads with $28.5B in annual revenue (group level, converted to USD).

Quanta Services$28.5B
EMCOR Group$17.0B
Primoris Services$7.6B
FirstService$5.5B
MYR Group$3.7B
Installed Building Products$3.0B
source-verifiedinvestors.quantaservices.com · emcorgroup.com · ir.prim.com · firstservice.com · investor.myrgroup.com · investors.installedbuildingproducts.com2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI use for sales-order automation and customs appears widespread, and warehouse- and store-automation plans are high in 2025. Adoption levels also vary by region and use case.

AI in the trade service industry

  • 21.8% of surveyed U.S. distributors used AI or automation for sales-order automation in 2023.[1]
  • 27% of firms in low- and lower-middle-income economies reported adopting AI for trade-related activities in 2025.[2]
  • More than 30% of wholesale businesses in Denmark and Sweden reported using AI in 2024.[3]
  • 12% of retail businesses in the EU used AI in 2024, up from about 7% in 2020.[3]
  • 75% of surveyed firms used AI for at least one customs-related application in 2025.[2]
  • 15% of wholesale businesses in the EU used AI in 2024, up from about 6% in 2020.[3]

Automation in the trade service industry

  • 60.0% of U.S. home retailers planned store-automation investment for 2025.[4]
  • 68.8% of U.S. grocery retailers planned store-automation investment for 2025.[4]
  • 82.6% of other U.S. retailers planned warehouse-automation investment for 2025.[4]
  • 86.7% of U.S. drug and beauty retailers planned warehouse-automation investment for 2025.[4]
  • 85.7% of U.S. mass merchants planned warehouse-automation investment for 2025.[4]
  • 46.7% of U.S. drug and beauty retailers planned store-automation investment for 2025.[4]

Digital Transformation in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 51% of U.S. technology executives reported no increase in performance or profitability from digital-transformation investments during the previous two years.[5]
  • 35.51% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to business-administration or management processes in 2025.[6]
  • 55% of business-services CEOs identified keeping pace with technology and AI transformation as their greatest concern in PwC’s 2025 global CEO survey.[7]
  • 40.4% of EU enterprises in professional, scientific and technical activities used at least one AI technology in 2025.[6]

Technology Adoption in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 22.32% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to research and development or innovation activities in 2025.[6]
  • 30.87% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to accounting, controlling or finance management in 2025.[6]
  • 27.33% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to production processes in 2025.[6]
  • 18.55% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to ICT security in 2025.[6]

Cloud Computing in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 80.4% of Danish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[3]
  • 91.2% of Finnish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[3]
  • 90.7% of Australian professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2022.[3]
  • 77.7% of Dutch professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[3]

Big Data in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 57.5% of Dutch professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[3]
  • 47.5% of German professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[3]
  • 45.4% of Finnish professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[3]
  • 46.8% of Swedish professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[3]

Blockchain in the trade service industry

  • 27.5% of surveyed businesses planned to implement blockchain technology in supply-chain management in 2024.[8]
  • 90% of blockchain-based supply-chain initiatives were expected to experience blockchain fatigue by 2023.[9]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Business intelligence and analytics penetration differs by maturity, with North American adoption in 2026 at 38.3% for business intelligence and 11% for analytics in low-maturity distributors.

Business intelligence in the trade service industry

  • 43% of retail and wholesale respondents currently used embedded business intelligence in 2024.[10]
  • 7% of low-maturity North American distributors reported business-intelligence adoption in 2026.[11]
  • 40% was the projected 36-month penetration of business-intelligence solutions among retail and wholesale respondents in 2024.[10]
  • 51 percentage points separated high- and low-maturity distributors in business-intelligence adoption in 2026.[11]
  • 43% of retail and wholesale respondents planned to adopt embedded business intelligence within 12 months in 2024.[10]
  • 38.3% of North American distributors reported business-intelligence adoption in 2026.[11]

Data analytics in the trade service industry

  • 11% of low-maturity North American distributors reported analytics adoption in 2026.[11]
  • RMB 3.0 billion was retail and wholesale big-data and analytics spending in China in 2020.[12]
  • RMB 6.4 billion was retail and wholesale big-data and analytics spending in China in 2024.[12]
  • 26.1% was the forecast compound annual growth rate for China retail and wholesale big-data and analytics spending from 2021 to 2025.[12]
  • 57 percentage points separated high- and low-maturity distributors in analytics adoption in 2026.[11]
  • RMB 5.3 billion was retail and wholesale big-data and analytics spending in China in 2023.[12]

Data Quality in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 87% of enterprise data leaders said traditional rules-based approaches to data quality did not scale to current needs in 2024.[13]
  • 49% of supply management organizations reported that their data quality was good or excellent in 2024, based on a survey of more than 121 respondents.[14]
  • 67% of supply management organizations said their data quality was better or significantly better than two years earlier in 2024.[14]
  • 23% of supply management firms spent at least 21% of their time cleaning data in 2024.[14]
  • 95% of enterprise companies with at least $1 billion in revenue had experienced a data-quality issue directly affecting business outcomes in 2024.[13]
  • 50% of organizations identified data-quality issues as the biggest challenge affecting their data-integration projects in 2024.[15]

Data Governance in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 81% of supply management organizations found their data-governance program useful in 2024.[14]
  • 71% of global organizations reported having a data-governance program in 2024, up from 60% in 2023.[15]
  • 33% of North American organizations had a formal data-governance organization in place in 2024.[16]
  • 32% of organizations in the 2024 governance study had a formal governance organization in place, while 68% had none.[16]
  • 18.3% of organizations used a data-governance or catalog solution as part of their governance program in 2024.[16]
  • 61% of organizations had a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, according to a survey of more than 121 supply management professionals.[14]

KPIs in the trade service industry

  • Approximately 13% of retail and wholesale respondents used operational efficiency as a key performance indicator in 2021.[12]
  • Approximately 6% of retail and wholesale respondents used customer satisfaction as a key performance indicator in 2021.[12]
  • Approximately 17% of retail and wholesale respondents used productivity as a key performance indicator in 2021.[12]
  • Approximately 6% of retail and wholesale respondents used staff satisfaction as a key performance indicator in 2021.[12]
  • Approximately 9% of retail and wholesale respondents used profit as a key performance indicator in 2021.[12]
  • Approximately 6% of retail and wholesale respondents used cost saving as a key performance indicator in 2021.[12]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Growth plans lean on existing customers plus digital channels and data/analytics: 56% of distributors planned more digital focus in 2024, and 78% planned to use data and analytics.

Growth in the trade service industry

  • 81% of industrial distributors said growing sales among existing customers was their primary growth strategy in 2024 in the United States.[17]
  • 56% of distributors planned to increase their focus on digital channels to engage prospects and customers over the following 12–18 months in 2024.[11]
  • 48% of distributors planned to adopt a more consultative selling approach over the following 12–18 months in 2024.[11]
  • 78% of distributors planned to use data and analytics to inform sales strategies and decisions over the following 12–18 months in 2024.[11]
  • 31% of industrial distributors cited taking market share from specific competitors as a 2024 growth objective in the United States.[17]
  • 20% of industrial distributors planned to train existing salespeople as part of their 2024 growth strategy in the United States.[17]

Differentiation in the trade service industry

  • 31% of distributors using artificial intelligence reported realizing expected revenue gains in 2025.[18]
  • 75% of distribution sales professionals ranked strong product and usage knowledge among the top attributes of an effective sales representative.[19]
  • 55% of distribution sales professionals identified field or outside sales as their most effective channel, compared with 5% for e-commerce.[19]
  • 22.2% of wholesale distributors reported being extremely or very satisfied with their e-commerce investments in 2024–2025.[11]
  • 49% of distribution customers ranked value-added services among their top three buying criteria in 2025, up 1.7 times from five years earlier.[18]
  • 59.8% of wholesale-distribution respondents ranked customer experience as their highest operational priority in 2024–2025.[11]

Mergers and acquisitions in the trade service industry

  • $310 million was the average distribution M&A deal value through October 2025, up about 260% from $85 million in 2024.[18]
  • 36% of industrial distributors said they would be agreeable to a buyout in 2024 in the United States.[17]
  • 87 distribution M&A transactions were announced in North America in the first quarter of 2026.[20]
  • 26% of industrial distributors reported pursuing a merger or acquisition in 2024 in the United States.[17]
  • One-third of industrial distributors said they were actively looking for other businesses to acquire in 2024 in the United States.[17]
  • $85 million was the average distribution M&A deal value in 2024 in McKinsey’s tracked dataset.[18]

Strategic partnerships in the trade service industry

  • 2% of retail brands ranked relationship and partnership goals as their top partnership priority in 2025.[21]
  • 43% of brands prioritized supplier partnerships over nearshoring as a supply-chain risk-mitigation strategy in 2025.[21]
  • 28% of retail brands ranked reliability and quality as their top partnership priority in 2025.[21]
  • 35% of retail brands ranked brand alignment with company strategy as their top partnership priority in 2025.[21]
  • 18% of retail brands ranked product differentiation as their top partnership priority in 2025.[21]
  • 8% of brands explored nearshoring as a supply-chain strategy in 2025, compared with 43% prioritizing supplier partnerships.[21]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Skilled-trades capacity remains constrained, with 11% fewer U.S. skilled-trades job postings recorded in Jan–Sep 2026 versus the prior year period.

Hiring in the trade service industry

  • 11% fewer U.S. skilled-trades job postings were recorded in January–September 2026 than in the same period of 2025.[22]
  • 2.21 million U.S. skilled-trades job postings were recorded in 2024, the market’s recent peak.[22]
  • 48% of U.S. defense-industry respondents cited a lack of qualified candidates as a vacancy-filling barrier.[23]
  • 59% of U.S. defense-industry respondents said skilled-trade workers were somewhat or very hard to find.[23]
  • 3.1 million U.S. skilled-trades job openings were projected over the 2022–2032 period across the occupations analyzed.[18]

Employee retention in the trade service industry

  • 4.759 million voluntary quits occurred in U.S. retail trade during 2025.[24]
  • 1.3% was the U.S. wholesale-trade quits rate in June 2025.[24]
  • 1.032 million voluntary quits occurred in U.S. wholesale trade during 2025.[24]
  • 2.5% was the U.S. retail-trade quits rate in November 2025.[24]
  • 3.0% was the U.S. retail-trade quits rate in June 2025.[24]

Remote Work in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • About 45% of U.S. professional and business-services workers worked remotely during October 2023–September 2024, including hybrid and fully remote work.[25]
  • 62.8% of U.S. professional and business-services employees who could work at home did so during 2024–2025, while 66.0% could work at home.[24]
  • 37.21% was the average share of paid workdays performed from home by U.S. professional and business-services employees in January 2025.[26]
  • 54% of U.S. professional-services firms reported having at least one paid work-from-home employee in November 2024–January 2025.[27]

Hybrid Work in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 61% of U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs preferred hybrid work in November 2025, compared with 33% preferring fully remote work.[28]
  • Across U.S. professional and business services, 38% of full-time employees worked hybrid schedules during January–April 2025.[29]
  • Across U.S. professional and business services, 22% of full-time employees worked fully from home during January–April 2025.[29]
  • 27% of U.S. full-time employees worked in a hybrid arrangement in 2025, compared with 12% fully remote and 61% fully on-site.[30]
  • Across U.S. professional and business services, 39% of full-time employees worked fully onsite during January–April 2025.[29]

Upskilling in the trade service industry

  • 700,000 Canadian tradespeople are expected to retire by 2028, creating a large replacement-training requirement.[31]
  • 3.8 trillion dollars was the estimated U.S. GDP contribution of skilled-trades workers in 2025, increasing the economic value of reskilling pathways.[32]
  • More than 25% of surveyed engineering firms had declined opportunities described as good and profitable because of talent shortages.[33]
  • 48% of related U.S. postsecondary program entrants complete their program and 34% work in a skilled trade.[32]
  • More than 18 million U.S. workers are employed in skilled-trades occupations requiring ongoing technical development.[32]

Employee Engagement in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 34% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2022, while 16% were actively disengaged.[28]
  • 32% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2025, while 17% were actively disengaged.[28]
  • 32% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2024, while 17% were actively disengaged.[28]
  • 33% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2023, while 16% were actively disengaged.[28]

DEI in the trade service industry

  • 48% of surveyed employers plan targeted recruitment, retention and progression initiatives to broaden workforce access.[34]
  • 42% of surveyed employers plan diversity, equity and inclusion goals, targets or quotas over the next five years.[34]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Service demand concentrates on responsiveness and fast inquiry handling, with 41% of U.S. consumers expecting replies within minutes in 2026 and 34% of building-trade companies targeting seconds.

Customer experience in the trade service industry

  • 18% of U.S. homeowners cannot remember the last time a service provider impressed them in 2025.[35]
  • 83% of U.S. consumers choose the home-services business that responds first to an inquiry in 2026.[36]
  • 72% of U.S. homeowners would pay 10% more for a home-service professional with a better customer-service reputation in 2025.[35]
  • 39% of U.S. consumers say 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. call support best meets their needs when contacting a home-services business in 2026.[36]
  • One in three U.S. homeowners list late arrival as a top frustration with home-service providers in 2025.[35]

Customer retention in the trade service industry

  • 30% of U.S. homeowners value a personalized thank-you note from a home-service business in 2025.[35]
  • 50.4% of reactivated wholesale accounts had been inactive for at least 12 months and returned through distributor websites among best-in-class wholesalers in 2026.[1]
  • 31% of U.S. homeowners say loyalty rewards or membership perks increase their appreciation of a home-service business in 2025.[35]
  • 38% of distributors close at least 80% of quotes submitted to existing customers in the latest distribution sales survey.[19]
  • 37% of distributors report stable average order values during the previous 12 months in the latest survey.[19]

Customer acquisition in the trade service industry

  • 41% of U.S. consumers expect responses to construction and building-trade inquiries within minutes in 2026.[36]
  • 27% of distributors that measure new-business quote performance close at least half of their new-business quotes in the latest survey.[19]
  • 34% of U.S. construction and building-trade companies say inquiry responses should arrive within seconds in 2026.[36]
  • 62.45% of new buyer accounts came through online self-registration among best-in-class wholesalers in 2026.[1]
  • 29% of residential-service contractors planned to invest in technology to increase revenue, customer retention and customer acquisition in 2023.[37]

Customer loyalty in the trade service industry

  • 40% of U.S. homeowners say they are likely to leave a review after home-service work in 2025.[35]
  • 39% of contractors reported increased order volume from sponsoring distributors after joining a loyalty program in 2025.[38]
  • 70% of U.S. homeowners say a useful tip or recommendation from the technician makes them feel appreciated in 2025.[35]
  • 37% of contractors preferred discounts as a loyalty-program reward in 2025.[38]
  • 73% of U.S. homeowners would refer a home-service professional after excellent service in 2025.[35]

Lead generation in the trade service industry

  • 34% of digitally captured orders came through websites at wholesalers with annual revenue below $5 million in 2026.[1]
  • 30% of wholesale brands were actively exploring artificial intelligence for sales support in 2026.[1]
  • 40.7% of digitally captured orders came through websites at wholesalers with annual revenue of $5 million to $15 million in 2026.[1]
  • Nearly 70% of construction subcontractors generated less than one-third of their leads through digital channels in the 2025–2026 survey.[39]
  • 47% of U.S. homeowners said routine maintenance most often prompts them to contact a home-service professional in 2026.[35]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Marketing measurement is common, but in-house capability is limited: 84% of home-service businesses tracked cost per lead at least occasionally in 2026.

Marketing in the trade service industry

  • 13% of U.S. home-service businesses had a dedicated in-house marketer or marketing team in 2026.[40]
  • 61% of U.S. home-service businesses allocated at least 4% of annual revenue to marketing in 2026.[40]
  • 84% of U.S. home-service businesses tracked their cost per lead at least occasionally in 2026.[40]
  • 18% of U.S. home-service owners identified converting leads into booked jobs as their biggest marketing challenge in 2026.[40]
  • 46% of U.S. home-service businesses allocated at least 8% of annual revenue to marketing in 2026.[40]

Digital marketing in the trade service industry

  • 43% of home-service businesses did not clearly list their service areas on their websites in 2026.[41]
  • 83% of U.S. home-service businesses offered SMS communication in some form in 2026.[40]
  • 22% of U.S. home-service businesses captured inquiries through a website texting widget in 2026.[40]
  • 86% of U.S. homeowners started searching online when actively looking for a home-services company in 2024.[42]
  • 40% of U.S. home-service businesses had an automated reply for after-hours inquiries in 2026.[40]

Branding in the trade service industry

  • 12% of U.S. homeowners who left public feedback about a home-services provider cited only negative reasons in 2025.[42]
  • 44% of U.S. homeowners who left public feedback about a home-services provider cited only positive reasons in 2025.[42]
  • 22% of U.S. HVAC customers preferred a subscription plan for recurring services in 2025.[42]
  • 6% of U.S. homeowners always sought a new provider for a previously completed home-service job in 2024.[42]
  • 44% of U.S. housecleaning customers preferred a subscription plan for recurring services in 2025.[42]

Social media in the trade service industry

  • 19% of U.S. Gen Z and millennial homeowners said they did not discover home-services providers on social media in 2024.[42]
  • 29% of U.S. homeowners first saw or heard about a home-services company through social media in 2024.[42]
  • 32% of home-service businesses identified Facebook as a top lead source in 2026.[41]
  • 39% of U.S. consumers learned about their home-services provider through social media in 2024.[43]
  • 40% of U.S. consumers learned about their home-services provider through social media in 2023.[43]

Influencer Marketing in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 86% of B2B influencer-marketing practitioners and creators prefer co-creating content with brands rather than amplifying finished brand content, based on Q1 2026 research.[44]
  • 44% of B2B influencer-marketing practitioners say finding the right talent is their single biggest collaboration obstacle, based on Q1 2026 research.[44]
  • 78% of B2B influencer-marketing practitioners identify brand awareness and lead generation as their joint top challenges, based on Q1 2026 research.[44]
  • 74% of B2B influencers use artificial-intelligence tools to enhance content creation, based on Q1 2026 research.[44]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational digitization relies on security and e-sales infrastructure, with 79% of EU businesses using backups to separate location or cloud in 2024.

Process optimization in the trade service industry

  • 79% of EU businesses used data backup to a separate location or cloud in 2024.[6]
  • 23% of EU wholesale and retail trade enterprises with e-sales used EDI-type sales in 2024.[6]
  • 19% of EU businesses’ turnover came from e-sales in 2024.[6]
  • 93% of EU businesses used at least one ICT security measure in 2024, supporting more resilient digital trade processes.[6]
  • 84% of EU businesses used strong password authentication in 2024.[6]

Operational efficiency in the trade service industry

  • 37% of surveyed trade organizations outsourced procurement or supply-chain management in 2024.[45]
  • 31% of surveyed trade organizations outsourced trade logistics or operations in 2024.[45]
  • 33% of global business leaders cited capacity to support business volume as a top outsourcing motivation in 2024.[46]
  • 68% of global business leaders cited reducing operating costs as a top motivation for business-process outsourcing in 2024.[46]
  • 15% was the average operating-cost saving reported by enterprises using business-process outsourcing in a 2024 ISG study.[46]

Quality management in the trade service industry

  • 10.02% was the U.S. in-store retail return rate excluding buy-online-return-in-store transactions in 2023.[47]
  • 17.6% of U.S. online retail sales were returned in 2023.[47]
  • $890 billion in U.S. retail merchandise was projected to be returned in 2024.[48]
  • 16.9% of U.S. retail sales were expected to be returned in 2024, according to retailers surveyed by NRF and Happy Returns.[48]
  • 14.5% was the total U.S. retail return rate in 2023.[47]

Supply chain in the trade service industry

  • 1.21 was the U.S. merchant-wholesaler inventories-to-sales ratio in September 2026.[49]
  • 98.4% of enterprises engaged in intra-EU imports were SMEs in 2024, although they accounted for 45.6% of import value.[6]
  • 7.6% was the year-over-year increase in U.S. merchant-wholesaler inventories in September 2026.[49]
  • $822.655 billion was the value of U.S. retail inventories in December 2024.[50]
  • $840.1 billion was the seasonally adjusted sales of U.S. merchant wholesalers in September 2026.[49]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 39% of EU enterprises sourcing abroad outsourced business functions to external providers during 2021–2023, while 72% used affiliated-group insourcing.[6]
  • 28.8% of EU enterprises sourcing abroad sourced information and communication technology services internationally during 2021–2023.[6]
  • 29% of U.S. CPA firms responding to the 2025 National MAP Survey utilized offshoring, rising to 74% among firms with at least $10 million in net client fees.[51]
  • 47.5% of EU enterprises sourcing abroad sourced administrative and management functions internationally during 2021–2023.[6]
  • 60% of EU business-services enterprises sourcing abroad were in the business-services sector, compared with 40% in industry and construction, during 2021–2023.[6]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Price actions are widespread in trades, including 74% of U.S. roofing businesses raising prices in 2025 and 55% of U.S. cleaning businesses doing the same.

Pricing strategy in the trade service industry

  • 74% of U.S. roofing businesses raised prices in 2025.[41]
  • 31% of surveyed U.S. home-service businesses used percentage-of-job-cost markups in 2023.[52]
  • 55% of U.S. cleaning businesses raised prices in 2025.[41]
  • 18% of U.S. home-service businesses cited competitor pricing as a reason for price increases in 2025.[41]
  • 54% of U.S. home-service businesses earning less than $100,000 raised prices in 2025.[41]

Cost reduction in the trade service industry

  • 21% of surveyed U.S. HVACR contractors planned to adopt press fittings within one year in 2025.[53]
  • 7.2% of U.S. specialty-trade contractors’ revenue went to base payroll and related expenses in 2024.[54]
  • $303,681 was the 2023 revenue per full-time-equivalent employee for U.S. specialty-trade contractors.[54]
  • 3.5% of U.S. specialty-trade contractors’ revenue went to indirect costs in 2024.[54]
  • 62% of surveyed U.S. HVACR contractors were expected to use press fittings by 2027.[53]

Profitability in the trade service industry

  • 22.4% was the 2024 gross-profit margin for U.S. specialty-trade contractors.[54]
  • 9% was the net profit reported by HVACR contractors allocating at least 12% of revenue to marketing in 2025.[53]
  • 33.1% was the 2024 return on equity for U.S. specialty-trade contractors.[54]
  • 14.2% was the pretax net-income margin for best-in-class U.S. specialty-trade contractors in 2024.[54]
  • 14.6% was the 2024 return on assets for U.S. specialty-trade contractors.[54]

Financial planning in the trade service industry

  • 11% was the increase in HVACR close rates when financing was offered in 2025.[53]
  • 52% of surveyed U.S. trades businesses did not consistently track lead conversions in 2025.[55]
  • 48% of surveyed U.S. trades businesses did not know their business value in 2025.[55]
  • 35% of HVACR sales were financed by contractors offering financing on every job in 2025.[53]
  • 54% of surveyed U.S. trades businesses had no succession or exit plan in 2025.[55]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Online sales channels remain uneven across EU trade, with 17.99% of EU enterprises using e-sales via only websites or apps in 2024.

Product development in the trade service industry

  • 17.99% of EU enterprises conducted e-sales using only websites or apps in 2024.[6]
  • 39% of Danish businesses sold online in 2024.[6]
  • 2.9% of EU enterprises conducted e-sales using only EDI-type sales in 2024.[6]
  • 2.7% of EU enterprises used both websites or apps and EDI-type sales in 2024.[6]
  • 18% of EU businesses sold goods or services through their own website or app in 2024.[6]

Product lifecycle in the trade service industry

  • 20.4% of turnover in EU accommodation and food-service enterprises came from web sales in 2024.[6]
  • 17.86% of manufacturing turnover in the EU came from EDI-type sales in 2024.[6]
  • 24.24% of large-enterprise turnover in the EU came from e-sales in 2024.[6]
  • 10.51% of turnover in EU wholesale and retail trade and motor-vehicle repair came from EDI-type sales in 2024.[6]
  • 15.56% of medium-enterprise turnover in the EU came from e-sales in 2024.[6]

After-sales in the trade service industry

  • $890 billion of U.S. retail merchandise was projected to be returned in 2024.[48]
  • 67% of U.S. consumers said a negative return experience would discourage them from shopping with a retailer again in 2024.[48]
  • 76% of U.S. consumers considered free returns an important factor in choosing where to shop in 2024.[48]
  • 93% of surveyed U.S. retailers considered retail fraud and exploitative behavior a significant business issue in 2024.[48]
  • More than two-thirds of surveyed U.S. retailers planned to upgrade returns capabilities within six months in 2024.[48]

Value proposition in the trade service industry

  • $1,576.0 billion was the value added by the EU distributive-trade sector in 2023.[6]
  • 29.8 million people were employed in the EU distributive-trade sector in 2023.[6]
  • €923.0 billion was the employee-benefits expense of EU distributive trade in 2023.[6]
  • €11.4 trillion was the net turnover of the EU distributive-trade sector in 2023.[6]
  • €653.2 billion was the gross operating surplus of EU distributive trade in 2023.[6]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Supplier ESG data collection is near-universal in the trade survey: 100% of respondents reported collecting ESG data from suppliers in 2024.

Sustainability in the trade service industry

  • 35 million tonnes of carbon dioxide were emitted by EU wholesale trade at the start of the OECD’s 15-year comparison, versus 31 million tonnes at the end.[3]
  • €1,576 billion was the value added generated by EU distributive trade businesses in 2023.[6]
  • 99% of the EU retail ecosystem’s 5.5 million companies were SMEs, according to the European Commission.[56]
  • 29.8 million people were employed in the EU distributive trade sector in 2023, covering wholesale, retail and motor-vehicle trade.[6]
  • 28 million tonnes of carbon dioxide were emitted by EU retail trade at the start of the OECD’s 15-year comparison, versus 18 million tonnes at the end.[3]

ESG in the trade service industry

  • 37% of Orbian suppliers considered ESG issues occasionally on a case-by-case basis in 2024.[57]
  • 51% of Orbian suppliers said they systematically considered ESG factors in business decisions in 2024.[57]
  • 28% of trade-business respondents cited investor pressure as a reason for pursuing ESG activity in 2024.[45]
  • 12% of Orbian suppliers said they did not consider ESG factors in business decisions in 2024.[57]
  • 100% of trade-survey respondents said their companies collected ESG data from suppliers in 2024.[45]

Circular economy in the trade service industry

  • 24% of brands and retailers surveyed by Textile Exchange used rental as a circular business model in 2023.[58]
  • 10,713,256 products were covered by reported resale activity among Textile Exchange respondents in 2023.[58]
  • 76% of brands and retailers surveyed by Textile Exchange used resale to extend the first life of products in 2023.[58]
  • 57% of brands and retailers surveyed by Textile Exchange used repair to extend product life in 2023.[58]
  • 17% of Textile Exchange respondents reported rental circular models as profitable in 2023.[58]

Carbon footprint in the trade service industry

  • 100% of trade-survey respondents reported that their companies collected ESG data from suppliers in 2024, including environmental data.[45]
  • 17% of US trade-survey respondents reported collecting supplier data more than once a year in 2024, including carbon and environmental information.[45]
  • Retail-sector greenhouse-gas emissions in the EU fell approximately 42.9%, from around 42 million tonnes in 2008 to roughly 24 million tonnes in 2023.[3]
  • Wholesale-sector greenhouse-gas emissions in the EU fell approximately 15.9%, from about 44 million tonnes in 2008 to about 37 million tonnes in 2023.[3]
  • A majority of trade-business respondents reported collecting supplier carbon-emissions data in 2024.[45]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Digital services expand within trade flows, with services exports at $9.7 trillion in 2025 and UNCTAD expecting them to exceed $10 trillion in 2026.

Globalization in the trade service industry

  • $34.89 trillion was the value of global trade in goods and commercial services in 2025, with services accounting for 27.5% of total trade worldwide.[2]
  • $5.26 trillion was the value of global exports of digitally delivered services in 2025, an annual increase of 10%.[2]
  • 57.0% of international services trade was supplied through foreign commercial presence, or mode 3, in 2022.[2]
  • Services exports grew by about 8% globally in 2024, making services the fastest-growing component of international trade that year.[72]
  • 10,500 stores and clubs operated across 19 countries for Walmart at the end of fiscal 2024.[73]

Cultural adaptation in the trade service industry

  • 59% of U.S. shoppers preferred retailers that understood their buying habits and consistently offered relevant deals in 2024.[74]
  • 80% of Carrefour's products offered in its 2026 India comeback were made in India, according to reporting on the retailer's local-market strategy.[75]
  • 88% of surveyed U.S. consumers had at least one shopping application on their phone in 2024.[76]
  • 56% of U.S. grocery shoppers wanted more advertising for products produced or grown close to their stores in 2024.[74]
  • Two-thirds of merchandise sold by Walmart U.S. was made, grown or assembled domestically at the end of fiscal 2024.[73]

Supplier management in the trade service industry

  • 312 suppliers with purchases in 2023 were located in the European Union for Inditex.[77]
  • 580,279 manufacturer workers were reported in China's Inditex supply chain in 2023.[77]
  • 8,123 factories were declared by Inditex suppliers in 2023 across the group's production regions.[77]
  • 1,733 suppliers with purchases worked with Inditex in 2023 across the European Union, Europe outside the EU, the Americas, Asia and Africa.[77]
  • 4,000 suppliers provided more than 400,000 private-brand stock-keeping units to Walmart through sourcing teams in 22 countries.[73]

Stakeholder management in the trade service industry

  • 18 international franchise partners received coordination and support from Carrefour for their corporate-responsibility strategies in 2024.[78]
  • 4,208 international franchise-partner stores were included in Carrefour's 2025 franchise network.[78]
  • More than 50 million workers were represented by nearly 600 unions affiliated with IndustriALL Global Union, an Inditex stakeholder with access to supplier information.[79]
  • 97% of Inditex production was represented by supplier clusters that provided regional forums for cooperation and dialogue in 2021.[77]
  • 600 suppliers were targeted by Carrefour's 2022 supplier-commitment initiative on food-transition issues.[78]

Distribution channels in the trade service industry

  • 8% of retailers planned to expand through resale channels in 2025, compared with 11% in 2024.[21]
  • 51% of supplier sales in the United States were made through direct-to-consumer channels in 2025, including phone, in-person and digital-platform sales.[18]
  • 41% of estimated global retail purchase volume was expected to occur in physical stores in 2026.[80]
  • 42% of retailers planned to expand through online marketplaces in 2025, compared with 40% in 2024.[21]
  • 24% of U.S. supplier sales were made through distributors in 2025, according to McKinsey's supplier survey.[18]

Key questions about the trade service industry

What is the market size for commercial-services trade in 2025?
Global commercial-services trade reached $9.56 trillion in 2025.
How fast is commercial-services trade forecast to grow in 2026?
The WTO projects commercial-services trade volume growth of 3.3% in 2026 and 6.4% in 2027.
Which companies lead the trade service industry?
Quanta Services leads Gitnux's 2026 trade service ranking with an Overall score of 9.7, with 20.32% revenue growth and 5.66% operating margin signals. EMCOR Group is the highest-ranked construction services at 9.0, with 16.6% revenue growth and 10.1% operating margin signals.
How are technology and automation shifting operations in trade services?
Digitally deliverable services accounted for 56% of global services exports in 2025, while 75% of surveyed firms used AI for at least one customs-related application in 2025.
What drives the competitive structure of the trade-services market?
Trade in services is shaped by behind-the-border rules on privacy, cybersecurity, competition, and artificial-intelligence governance, with 55% of preferential trade agreements (2000–2025) including e-commerce or digital-trade provisions.
What data and compliance expectations affect providers in 2026?
Risk and compliance rely on monitoring and governance: 71% of global organizations reported having a data-governance program in 2024, and 70% of regulated firms used automated sanctions screening in 2024–25.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Trade Service Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/trade-service-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Trade Service Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 10 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/trade-service-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Trade Service Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/trade-service-industry-statistics.

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