$356.5B
Worldwide licensed merchandise and services sales in 2023.
Licensing International, 2024 Global Licensing Industry Study ↗CAPE & COTTON REFERENCE
LICENSED
MERCH
BY THE
NUMBERS.
A clear, sourced snapshot of the licensed merchandise market and the U.S. online retail landscape.
Last updated September 15, 2026
VIEW SOURCES ↓THE QUICK READ
THE BIG PICTURE.
Licensed merchandise is a global business built around the stories, characters, teams, and brands fans care about. The figures below keep the scope clear: the licensing study reports full-year 2023 worldwide sales, while the U.S. retail figures report the second quarter of 2026. Each number links to the publication that reported it.
LICENSING MARKET
THE STORIES
TRAVEL.
Worldwide licensed merchandise and services, reported for 2023.
4.59%
Year-over-year increase in worldwide licensed merchandise and services sales in 2023.
Licensing International, 2024 Global Licensing Industry Study ↗$147.6B
Entertainment and characters licensing sales in 2023, the largest property type measured.
Licensing International, 2024 Global Licensing Industry Study ↗41.4%
Share of worldwide licensed-goods consumption attributed to entertainment and characters in 2023.
Licensing International, 2024 Global Licensing Industry Study ↗$210.3B
Licensed goods and services sales in the United States and Canada in 2023.
Licensing International, 2024 Global Licensing Industry Study ↗59%
Share of worldwide licensed-goods consumption reported for the United States and Canada in 2023.
Licensing International, 2024 Global Licensing Industry Study ↗U.S. RETAIL CONTEXT
FANS SHOP
ONLINE.
Seasonally adjusted U.S. retail e-commerce figures, reported for the second quarter of 2026.
$340.2B
Seasonally adjusted U.S. retail e-commerce sales in the second quarter of 2026.
U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales ↗12.2%
Year-over-year growth in seasonally adjusted U.S. retail e-commerce sales in the second quarter of 2026.
U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales ↗17.1%
Share of total U.S. retail sales attributed to e-commerce in the second quarter of 2026.
U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales ↗SOURCES & METHOD
REAL NUMBERS.
CLEAR RECEIPTS.
Licensing International
The 2024 Global Licensing Industry Study reports 2023 worldwide sales of licensed merchandise and services, including property-type and regional breakdowns.
Read the 2024 study summary ↗U.S. Census Bureau
The Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales report provides seasonally adjusted U.S. retail e-commerce estimates. This page uses its second-quarter 2026 release.
Read the Q2 2026 release ↗How to cite this page
Cape & Cotton, “Licensed Merchandise Statistics: 2026 Reference Guide,” updated September 15, 2026. For any individual number, cite the linked original publication as well.
These figures describe the markets named by their original publishers. They are not Cape & Cotton sales figures, and they should not be treated as a forecast.