E-commerce Statistics

Let me ask you a question, can you imagine your life the way it is without the comfort of having your favorite goods and services be delivered to your doorstep? I am sure you can’t. There would not have been any gifts delivered directly at your relative’s house in some other city, nor there would have been any late-night food orders delivered to your place when you were hanging out with your friends or family.

E-Commerce has completely changed the way we shop, and it would not be too radical to say that it has revolutionized the course of doing business. The e-commerce statistics that we have accumulated for you will help you see this.

On this page, you’ll find:


Key e-Commerce Statistics

Here are the top stats from the plethora of figures we have collected for you:


  • Retail E-commerce sales amounted to 4,206 billion USD in 2020. (Statista)
  • It is estimated that by the year 2040, 95% of all purchases will be through eCommerce. (Nasdaq)
  • In the U.S. alone, online shopping accounts for 10% of retail sales and is expected to grow at a year-on-year rate of 15%. (Shopify)
  • In 2019, an estimated 1.92 billion people purchased goods or services online. (Statista)
  • In June 2020, global retail e-commerce traffic amounted to 22 billion monthly visits. (Statista)
  • One-third of the surveyed consumers purchase products online once a week or more frequently. (Global Consumer Survey)
  • 43% of e-commerce traffic comes from organic Google search (Wolfgang Digital)
  • Slow-loading sites increase the abandonment rate by 75%. (Baymard Institute)
  • In 2020, Amazon was the most popular online retail website in the world with an average of 3,676 million monthly visitors. (Statista)
  • 74% of consumers rely on their social networks to make purchasing decisions. (Kinsta)

E-commerce Sales Stats

The picture of e-commerce has changed drastically over the decade. With the advent of new developments in technology, e-commerce has become a very reliable, easy, and productive way of doing business. Don’t take my word for it, have a look at the data below and see for yourself how companies have grown leaps and bounds by inheriting this process of taking their business online and opening themselves to a wide range of potential customers.


  • By the year 2040, it’s estimated that 95% of all purchases will be through eCommerce. (Nasdaq)
  • 93.5% of global internet users have purchased products online. (OptinMonster)
  • The eCommerce industry is growing 23% year-over-year, yet 46% of American small businesses still don’t have a website. (BigCommerce)
  • Globally, 57% of online shoppers buy from retailers who are overseas. (Nielsen)
  • Online sales accounted for 101% of all gains in retail in 2020. This means sales through all other channels—stores, catalogs, and call centers—declined.(DigitalCommerce360)
  • Retail E-commerce sales amounted to 4,206 billion USD in 2020. (Statista)
  • Retail E-commerce sales are expected to reach 6,542 billion USD by 2023. (Statista)
  • In the U.S. alone, online shopping already accounts for 10% of retail sales and is expected to grow at a year-on-year rate of 15%. (Shopify)
  • The U.S.A is the second-largest eCommerce market in the world with $586.9 billion. (eMarketer)
  • Online’s share of total retail sales has steadily been on the rise—with eCommerce penetration hitting 21.3% in 2020, Digital Commerce 360 estimates. That’s up from 15.8% in 2019 and 14.3% in 2018. (DigitalCommerce360)

E-commerce Buyer Stats

Every business says “Customer is the king” and rightfully so because customer engagement and satisfaction is the most critical factor in making or breaking any business. Therefore, it is quite natural to assume that the idea of e-commerce would never have flourished the way it has had it not been accepted by customers. Though people have welcomed this business system with open arms, some still are a bit skeptical of shopping online. Here are the top e-commerce buyer stats for your reference:


  • 76% of people prefer to go to a physical store for holiday shopping. (GeoMarketing)
  • In 2019, an estimated 1.92 billion people purchased goods or services online. (Statista)
  • In May 2020, around 62 percent of surveyed U.S. adults reported going to the shops less, while another 52 percent reported shopping more online. (Statista)
  • In June 2020, global retail e-commerce traffic stood at a record 22 billion monthly visits. (Statista)
  • One-third of the surveyed consumers purchase products online once a week or more frequently. (Global Consumer Survey)
  • Globally, 57% of online shoppers buy from retailers who are overseas. (Nielsen)
  • Among 1,888 interviewed U.S online consumers, around 40% said that the reason why they didn’t make a purchase was that it wouldn’t arrive on time and around 20% of them reported that they didn’t order a product because the delivery date was not precise. (DigitalCommerce360)
  • 68% of interviewed participants said that they check whether a product is available in a local shop. (DigitalCommerce360)
  • 82% of Internet users in the United States have used a mobile device to shop online. (Statista)
  • 43% of e-commerce traffic comes from organic Google search. (Wolfgang Digital)

E-commerce Companies Stats

E-Commerce companies are some of the biggest earners in the market, holding a significant share of capital. They handle huge internet traffic and thus require a large workforce to keep them functional. They adopt various strategies to bring in users and potential customers, the most rewarding of these is social media marketing. The stats below will give you insights into the company earnings and efforts put in to draw users:


  • Amazon was the most popular online retail website in the world with an average of 3.68 billion monthly visitors. (Statista)
  • Amazon maintains its spot as the No. 1 online retailer in North America by a huge margin. The online retailer’s 2020 revenue crossed $296 billion, up 38.6% from 2019. (DigitalCommerce360)
  • The top 100 retailers (minus Amazon) had a striking 74.1% share of e-commerce growth in 2020, up significantly from a 49.4% share in 2019. (DigitalCommerce360)
  • 18% of eCommerce websites are exclusive B2B sales (3dcart)
  • 9% of eCommerce sites are offering a rewards loyalty program to customers (3dcart)
  • The average order value of B2C online order is $52 (3dcart)
  • 1 in 4 companies is selling items via Facebook. (eMarketer)
  • Online stores with a social media presence have an average of 32% more sales than those that don’t. (BigCommerce)
  • 74% of consumers rely on their social networks to make purchasing decisions. (Kinsta)
  • In the last year, businesses have lost $756 billion because of poor eCommerce personalization. (OptinMonster)   

E-commerce Cart Abandonment Stats

A large number of platform visits does not necessarily mean a large number of sales. A vast number of people who visit a website or open an app to look at a product don’t end up buying it. The conversion percentage of visits to purchases is meager. But, why do potential customers select products they want to buy but do not finish the transaction and leave the process incomplete? Our stats below reveal the details:


  • Only 2.86% of eCommerce website visits convert into a purchase. (Invesp)
  • The average cart abandonment rate across all commodities is 69.57 percent. (Baymard Institute)
  • If you require account creation during the checkout process, 23% of people will abandon carts immediately. (Baymard Institute)
  • Conversion rates from mobile apps are 3x higher than mobile websites. (Marketing Land)
  • Mobile has the worst cart abandonment rate of all devices at 78%, followed by tablets (70%), and desktops/laptops (67%). (OptinMonster)
  • Slow-loading sites increase the abandonment rate by 75%. (Baymard Institute)
  • At the average abandonment rate of nearly 70%, eCommerce sites could be losing a total of $3 billion a year. (Disruptive Advertising)
  • The product with the highest abandonment rate is clothing (40%), followed by tech (18%), and home products (16%). (OptinMonster)
  • In 2006, 59.8% of shoppers abandoned their cart. By 2017 that number has risen to 69.23%, a 15.79% increase. (Barilliance)
  • Around 21% of online shoppers decided to abandon their shopping cart because the process was too complicated. (Baymard Institute)

E-commerce Customer Interaction Stats

Good customer interaction is one of the most important things to consider to run a successful business venture. Companies observe customers’ likes and dislike, and form business plans and policies accordingly to please their existing customers and bring in new ones. All leading platforms spend millions of dollars every month to get the latest and most reliable customer interaction data. The stats below tell what general e-commerce customers prefer while shopping online, what drives them away, and what makes them buy products.


  • Globally, credit cards are the preferred method of payment, being used in 53% of transactions, followed by digital payment systems (43%), and debit cards (38%). (Kinsta)
  • People who have a negative experience in your mobile store are 62% less likely to purchase from you in the future. (Think It With Google)
  • 46.5% of small to mid-sized businesses say that offering free shipping increases their profits. (MCM)
  • An inconvenient return policy deters 80% of shoppers. (ReadyCloud)
  • 38% of people will leave a website if they find the layout unattractive. ( Adobe)
  • 88% of customers think detailed product pages are crucial for making a purchase decision. (Forbes)
  • 54% of buyers will buy retargeted products if offered at a discount. (VWO)
  • eCommerce sites can gain a 35% increase in conversion rates with an optimized checkout design. (Baymard Institute)
  • 23% of shoppers added more items to their order at checkout to qualify for free shipping (3dcart)
  • Exit-Intent popups have helped recover 53% of abandoning visitors. (OptinMonster)

Frequently Asked Questions

In the 3rd quarter of 2020, e-commerce contributed to 14.1% of the total sales.

Retail sales through e-commerce amounted to 4,206 billion USD in 2020.

Amazon is the biggest e-commerce company in the world followed by Jingdong, Alibaba, and eBay.

Amazon handles more than 49% of eCommerce in the US retail market.

Fashion products are the most sold items online followed by Tech products.

Conclusion

The e-Commerce sector has become one of the fore-runners in today’s economic development by holding a big chunk of capital and providing employment to millions of people. We hope that the stats helped you get a look into the depths of this industry. Perhaps now, when you order a product or service online, you’ll remember how many people like you are benefitted from this and are essential members of this ecosystem.

Author: Shubham Calmblay

Shubham Calmblay, founder of appsthatdeliver.com, has a decade of experience with various Google products. He has authored 1,000+ guides for ATD, published on prestigious tech blogs. His work has garnered recognition from Protocol.com, Leadsbridge.com, MadMobile.com, and numerous other leading publications and corporations.