Back when the internet was still in its infancy, only a few brave companies ventured into the world of online selling. Fast forward to today, and ecommerce has completely transformed the way we shop, making it a cornerstone of our daily lives.
Whether it’s the ease of shopping on our phones or the way social media influences what we buy, ecommerce is constantly evolving.
To get a clearer picture of where it’s headed, we’ve gathered some key statistics and trends that show just how much ecommerce has grown and what’s coming next.
Let’s take a closer look at the story these numbers tell.
Top E-commerce Statistics (Editor’s Pick)
- Global retail e-commerce sales are expected to exceed $6.3 trillion in 2024.
- As of 2024, there are 2.71 billion digital buyers worldwide.
- 81% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
- 20.1% of retail purchases are expected to take place online in 2024.
- China is the biggest eCommerce market in the world, with the U.S. ranking second.
- By 2028, mobile ecommerce will nearly double, making up 63% of global retail e-commerce.
- There are over 26.5 million eCommerce sites globally as of 2024.
- In 2023, U.S. retail m-commerce sales exceeded $491 billion.
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General E-commerce Trends and Facts
E-commerce is growing faster than ever, with more people shopping online each year.
These stats give us a glimpse into just how much the digital marketplace has expanded and what’s trending right now.
- In 2023, global retail eCommerce sales reached approximately $5.8 trillion
- As of 2024, there are 2.71 billion digital buyers worldwide
This represents 33% of the global population, marking a 2.7% increase from the year 2023.
- The United States recorded $290 billion in retail eCommerce sales in the first quarter of 2024
- There are over 26.5 million eCommerce sites globally in 2024
In 2023, Amazon’s global platform amazon.com was the world’s most popular e-commerce and shopping website.
- 81% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
- 78% of consumers shop online for convenience
20.1% of retail purchases are expected to take place online in 2024.
- China is the biggest eCommerce market in the world
The U.S. ranks as the second-largest eCommerce market globally.
- In 2022, e-commerce websites using user-generated content (UGC) technology achieved a 3.2% conversion rate
Visitors who encountered UGC during their browsing were 3.8% more likely to convert on average.
- With over one-third of the world's population shopping online, eCommerce has grown into a $6 trillion industry, expected to reach $8 trillion by 2027
- Global retail e-commerce sales are expected to exceed $6.3 trillion in 2024, with further growth anticipated
Online marketplaces dominate the e-commerce landscape, with some of the largest platforms like Amazon leading the way.
The following data sheds light on how these marketplaces are capturing an increasing share of global online purchases.
Amazon tops the list of online retail websites in terms of traffic worldwide.
- Amazon saw 6.1 billion direct visits to its .com website in December 2023
It led all eCommerce sites worldwide, capturing 14.06% of total visits.
- Amazon ranks third in global gross merchandise value (GMV), behind Chinese rivals Taobao and Tmall, both operated by Alibaba Group
- Amazon led the U.S. eCommerce market in 2023 with $135.3 billion in revenue, far ahead of Walmart's $64.9 billion
Apple, Home Depot, and Target followed with $25.9 billion, $19.4 billion, and $19.4 billion, respectively.
- The U.S. eCommerce market grew from $745.65 billion in 2020 to $981.22 billion by 2023
Despite early 2024 challenges, the market is projected to reach $1.41 trillion by 2028.
How Do Shoppers Behave Online?
Ever wondered how people shop online?
Whether it’s choosing between mobile and desktop or leaving items in their cart, these stats reveal the habits and preferences of today’s digital shoppers.
- Desktops consistently show the lowest cart abandonment rates across all product categories
- Mobile phones have the highest global add-to-cart rate but the lowest conversion rate among all devices
- In Q4 2023, about 77% of mobile orders in the UK were not completed
During the same period, over 70% of carts created on tablets were abandoned.
- E-commerce has surged across industries, accelerating faster than expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Since the onset of the virus in March 2020, a significant number of first-time online shoppers have emerged, with many planning to continue their new habits.
- Globally, shoppers identified faster delivery (13%), free returns (8%), and more convenient shipping conditions (6%) as the top improvements for a better digital shopping experience in 2023
- By the end of 2023, the average online shopping order value was $159 on desktops, compared to $103 on mobile phones
- In 2022, online marketplaces were rated as the top e-commerce channel for customer experience
DIY and Furniture & Homeware each held 10.8%, while Care Products and Grocery combined for 15.4%.
- Visa (96.1%) and Mastercard (95.9%) dominate card payments in U.S. eCommerce, with PayPal leading eWallets at 77%
UPS and USPS are the top shipping providers, each used by 58% of stores.
- In 2023, online shopping dominated U.S. holiday spending, capturing 63%, while in-store shopping saw a slight rebound to 37%
What Are the Key Trends in Mobile Ecommerce?
Mobile commerce has become a dominant force in the e-commerce world, with a significant portion of online sales now coming from mobile devices.
The following trends highlight the growing influence of m-commerce and its impact on global retail.
- In 2023, about 30% of global internet users who made weekly purchases did so via mobile phone
- In 2022, the United Kingdom led Europe in mobile e-commerce, with over 50% of all online retail sales made via mobile devices
- Mobile commerce has become a habitual practice for shoppers worldwide, from the United States to China
- As of early 2024, smartphones accounted for nearly 80% of all retail website visits worldwide
Smartphones also generated the majority of online orders, surpassing desktops and tablets.
- M-commerce dominates in Asia, with over 70% of total online sales in countries like China and South Korea generated via mobile devices
Mobile commerce sales in South Korea are projected to account for 77% of all e-commerce sales by 2026.
- In Q3 2023, 29.9% of internet users globally made weekly online purchases via mobile phone, with South Korea leading at 44.4%
- In Africa and Latin America, mobile's role in online shopping is increasingly significant due to its impact on internet accessibility
- In 2023, mobile e-commerce sales generated an estimated $1.7 trillion, making up over half of all retail e-commerce sales
- In 2023, U.S. retail m-commerce sales exceeded $491 billion
By 2027, U.S m-commerce sales are projected to nearly double, reaching around $856 billion.
- Mobile commerce revenue is expected to reach approximately $2 trillion by 2024
- By 2028, m-commerce will nearly double, accounting for 63% of total retail e-commerce worldwide
How Does Social Media Drive Ecommerce?
Social media has become a powerful tool for influencing online shopping, driving significant traffic to e-commerce platforms.
The stats below reveal how platforms like YouTube and Facebook are leading the charge, directing millions of potential buyers to sites like Amazon, and shaping the way we shop online.
Facebook ranked second with just over 10%, followed by Twitter/X at around 9.76%.
What Are the Latest Trends in E-commerce Advertising and Marketing?
Advertising online has become a huge part of e-commerce, with more businesses than ever investing in digital marketing.
Check out these trends to see how companies are getting our attention – and our clicks.
- E-commerce advertising spending in the U.S. reached $12.5 billion in 2019 and is projected to surpass $38 billion by the end of 2024
- Over 80% of online retailers advertised their products or services through search engines
Social media advertising was utilized by 57% of online retailers, while just over 11% used affiliate marketing.
- Global digital retail media advertising spending reached $114.4 billion in 2022
By 2028, digital retail media ad spending worldwide is projected to surpass $176 billion.
- In 2023, digital retail media advertising spending in the U.S. was estimated at $46.4 billion
U.S. digital retail media ad spending is projected to exceed $109 billion by 2027.
- Between 2021 and 2022, $3.7 billion was spent on Android eCommerce app installs worldwide
During the same period, iOS eCommerce app installs saw $2.4 billion in advertising spending, totaling $6.1 billion across both platforms.
- Alibaba Group's advertising and promotional expenses reached approximately $12.1 billion (¥88.22 billion) in fiscal year 2024
This marks a significant increase in Alibaba’s investment in advertising and promotions over the past decade.
- In 2022, Amazon's ad spend totaled $20.3 billion, reflecting a slight decrease from the previous year's $20.6 billion
- In 2023, eBay invested $1.2 billion in advertising activities
eBay’s ad spending has remained stable, fluctuating between $1 billion and $1.3 billion over recent years.
- In 2023, Etsy invested approximately $624 million in advertising and marketing activities
This represents a nearly 4% increase from the previous year’s $581 million expenditure.
- In 2022, open rates for e-commerce email marketing campaigns surged to 22.94%, up from 10.16% two years earlier
Despite the increase in open rates, click rates slightly declined from 1.37% in 2021 to 1.23% in 2022, with conversion rates also dropping from 0.10% to 0.08%.
- In 2022, automated welcome emails sent by e-commerce players achieved a 3% conversion rate
Automated cart abandonment emails had a slightly lower conversion rate of 2.39% during the same year.
- In 2022, e-commerce brands increased their SMS campaigns by 62.3% compared to the previous year
This surge in SMS activity led to a 23.8% growth in orders, with a 10.66% click rate and a 0.19% conversion rate.
How Common Is Ecommerce Fraud?
As online shopping grows, so do the opportunities for fraud.
These stats shed light on how common e-commerce fraud has become and what it means for both shoppers and sellers.
- The COVID-19 pandemic's surge in online sales created new opportunities for fraudsters
In 2020, online shopping scams made up 38% of all reported scams worldwide, up from 24% pre-pandemic.
- Online payment fraud had cost the industry over $40 billion by 2022
The e-commerce fraud detection and prevention market is projected to more than double by 2027, surpassing $100 billion.
- In 2023, the number of people reporting a monetary loss due to online purchase scams rose to 82.6%
This marks an increase from 74% in the previous year.
- In 2024, nearly half of online merchants worldwide identified refund/policy abuse as the most common type of fraud
First-party misuse, or “friendly fraud,” impacted another 45% of merchants globally.
- Returns fraud became a significant challenge in U.S. eCommerce in 2023, with 14% of all retail returns deemed fraudulent
These fraudulent returns amounted to a staggering $101 billion in losses.
Key Statistics for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the most significant events in the e-commerce calendar.
The statistics below offer insights into consumer behavior and sales trends during these critical shopping periods.
- On Cyber Monday 2023, U.S. shoppers had the highest average order values at Shein and Walmart, both at $49
Target followed with an AOV of $44, while Amazon and Temu saw AOVs of $36 and $30, respectively.
- In 2023, 41% of Black Friday shoppers in the U.S. planned to spend their money on Amazon
Meanwhile, 25% of shoppers expected to make their purchases at Walmart on Black Friday.
- In 2023, one-third of Amazon brands identified Black Friday as their top sales driver and the most influential shopping event
Amazon Prime Day followed, with 17% of brands reporting increased sales during this event.
- As of 2023, 59% of shoppers in the United Kingdom reported going straight to Amazon to find the best Black Friday deals
The Numbers Tell the Story
The statistics and trends we’ve shared don’t just highlight the growth of ecommerce – they show how it’s becoming an integral part of our lives.
For business owners, marketers, or even everyday shoppers, these insights offer a glimpse into how ecommerce is shaping our world.
As technology keeps pushing boundaries and our shopping habits continue to change, staying on top of these trends will be crucial for anyone looking to thrive in this fast-paced environment.
Want to dive deeper into the world of ecommerce? Check out our Amazon Statistics article for more insights on how the largest online retailer is shaping the industry.
