E-Commerce Stats: Key Figures & Trends (2024)

Learn everything about e-commerce, including essential stats, trends, and facts. Understand the dynamics of online business in today's global market.
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The future of e-commerce looks very promising, according to statistics collected from 2019 to 2021. It is obvious that more and more people are buying products and services online. That's why many businesses, corporations, and small businesses are now putting extra effort into their e-commerce businesses.

The current pandemic situation Pushing businesses to go completely digital faster than ever. It is estimated that businesses will completely switch to online stores in the next 20 years. Don't just take our word for it! Take a look at the stats below and see what we mean. E-commerce is the future.

Interesting e-commerce statistics

  • By 2040, it is estimated that 95% of all purchases will be made through e-commerce.
  • The e-commerce sector is growing by 23% year over year, but 46% of American small businesses still don't have a website.
  • 93.5% of Internet users worldwide have already purchased products online.
  • Segmented campaigns for email subscribers lead to a 760% increase in revenue.
  • Online stores that are active on social media have an average of 32% more sales than those that are not.
  • 74% of consumers rely on social media to make buying decisions.
  • 40% of all online purchases made during the holiday season are made on smartphones.

Statistics on e-commerce platforms and websites

If you combine the revenues of all e-commerce platforms and most popular online shopping sites, we can see that the figures amount to a few billion dollars per year. Amazon has the largest market share, followed by other e-commerce sites like ebay, Walmart, and Craigslist.

Here are some interesting statistics on the current state of the e-commerce market.

1. The most popular e-commerce sites in the United States in 2020 (based on traffic volumes)

Nobody is surprised by the fact thatamazon has the highest number of monthly visitors since it is one of the largest companies in the world. It has more visitors than the following three sites combined.

  • Amazon - Traffic estimated at 2.5 billion monthly visitors;
  • eBay - Traffic estimated at 940 million monthly visitors;
  • Walmart - Traffic estimated at 450 million monthly visitors;
  • Craigslist - Traffic estimated at 420 million monthly visitors; and
  • Etsy - Traffic estimated at 352 million monthly visitors.

(Source: Similarweb)

2. 26% of online stores on the Internet use WooCommerce e-commerce technology solutions.

According to statistics, WooComerce is the most reliable online shopping platform, holding 26% of the entire market. Shopify Is second with 17%, while Wix Stores holds 13% of the market share.

(Source: Builtwith statistics)

General e-commerce statistics

The term “e-commerce” includes all purchases of products and services that take place online. As more and more businesses turn to digital platforms, online sales continue to grow every year. The e-commerce market is expected to generate over 4.5 trillion dollars in 2021, and these numbers will continue to increase in the future. Check out these stats and see for yourself:

3. The number one reason people shop online is because they can shop at any time of the day.

Shopping online is much more convenient, as shoppers don't have to leave the comfort of their own homes. Even better, they can buy what they want, no matter what time of day it is.

(Source: KPMG)

4. 93.5% of Internet users worldwide have purchased products online.

Around 60% of people in the world have access to the Internet, and at least 9 out of 10 people have already shopped online. Musk's Starlink project will certainly increase these numbers substantially when it goes live.

(Source: OptinMonster)

5. 61% of online consumers in the United States have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

THEImportance of blogging is increasingly obvious, as businesses that have them see their sales increase. Blogging is an ideal way to inform customers about products and services, making it easier for them to buy from you.

(Source: Content Marketing Institute)

6. 59% of Millennials first go to Amazon when shopping online, making the online retail giant one of your top competitors.

The rules of online shopping change with each generation. Most people born between 1981 and 1996 first go to Amazon to get more information about a product before making a purchase.

(Source: Inviqa)

7. By 2040, it is estimated that 95% of all purchases will be made through e-commerce.

According to Nasdaq, the way we buy products today will be a thing of the past by 2040. According to their forecasts, almost all purchases will be made online in 20 years.

(Source: Nasdaq)

8. 46% of American small businesses still don't have a website.

The need for e-commerce is growing rapidly among the general population, but nearly half of American businesses do not have one webshop. That will have to change soon.

(Source: BigCommerce)

9. Global e-commerce retail sales statistics show that more than a third of users buy a product or service within five days of a Google search.

Many users turn to Google to find out more about a product or service. One in three users chooses to make a purchase within five days.

(Source: Wordstream)

E-commerce statistics by email

Compared to other marketing campaigns, email marketing has the best return on investment. It is an essential tool for developing your online activity. Email campaigns generate leads and allow you to create stronger relationships with customers. These campaigns play an important role in generating sales. Here are a few statistics that provide more details.

10. 61% of consumers prefer to be contacted by brands by email.

Nowadays, everyone has an email.

Email is a digital version of standard mail services, and it's the ideal way to promote new products and services. By informing your customers by email, you will see a significant increase in your revenue.

(Source: Statista)

11. Email marketing brings in $44 for every dollar spent, representing a 4400% return on investment.

Email campaigns are generally more affordable than other marketing campaigns.

A good campaign byemail marketing can allow you to quickly return on your investment and increase the return on investment of your website more quickly than any other method.

(Source: Campaign Monitor)

12. 58% of the top 1,000 US online retailers send welcome emails.

Welcome emails play a critical role in creating a healthy relationship with your customers. Something as simple as a welcome email strengthens the bond with customers, and most successful online retailers use this method to improve sales.

(Source: digitalcommerce360.com)

13. 60% of consumers say they purchased as a result of an email marketing message they received.

Les good email marketing campaigns are designed to get people interested in a product or service. If everything is done right, people will want to know more about a product or service, which will lead to increased sales.

(Source: OptinMonster)

14. Segmented campaigns for email subscribers lead to a 760% increase in profits.

Segmentation is a critical factor in online success because it allows businesses to group customers together based on information such as purchase history, browsing activity, etc. This allows businesses to tailor each email to specific groups, resulting in a better return on investment.

(Source: Campaign Monitor)

15. Transactional emails get 8 times more opens and clicks than any other email campaign and earn 6 times more money.

When you send personalized emails to your customers, they get the impression that you really care about them and that you genuinely want to improve their quality of life. This approach is the most successful when it comes to engaging customers.

(Source: Experian)

16. Email marketing contributes to 20% of traffic generating e-commerce sales.

One in five e-commerce sales is the result of well-placed email marketing campaigns. Personalized emails with the right information can bring more visitors to your website, resulting in increased sales and revenue.

(Source: Wolfgang Digital)

E-commerce statistics on social networks

Successful online businesses use everything they can to increase sales, and the use of campaigns from social media marketing is one of the best ways to do that. Social media is a unique place where you can gain the social credibility you need to grow your business. The statistics below prove this in practice.

17. Online stores that are active on social media make an average of 32% more sales than those that are not.

Online stores that invest in social media pages and establish a strong presence on the most popular platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and youtube can increase sales by up to 32% compared to sites that don't invest in social media marketing.

(Source: BigCommerce)

18. The average e-commerce site posts 4.55 messages per week on its Facebook page.

E-commerce sites that use social media marketing campaigns on facebook publish between 4 and 5 messages per week. Consistency is critical if you want to build a strong relationship with your customers and improve sales.

(Source: BigCommerce)

19. 74% of consumers rely on social media to make buying decisions.

Social media is a great place for people to find out more about a product or service. Reading other people's experiences and reviews can help customers make the right decision and eventually make a purchase.

(Source: ODM Group)

20. 85% of orders placed on social media sites come from Facebook.

Shopify is the second most successful e-commerce platform, and most of its social media orders come from facebook. This social network is by far the most influential when it comes to driving sales.

(Source: Shopify)

21. 75% of Instagram users took action, such as visiting a website, after watching an Instagram ad.

Instagram is primarily a visual social network that focuses on publishing images and photos. Over the years, it has evolved into a handy tool for businesses that want to increase traffic and boost sales. It does a great job of redirecting users to business websites.

(Source: Locowise)

22. The average order value for customers referred from Instagram is $65, followed by Facebook ($55), Twitter ($46), and YouTube ($38).

While Facebook does wonders when it comes to getting orders, Instagram has a higher order value. The average order is $10 higher on Instagram than it is on Facebook and other social networks.

(Source: Cmswire)

Mobile e-commerce statistics

Mobile optimization is one of the most critical factors for any e-commerce site. Everyone has a smartphone these days, so it's good to invest in optimizing mobile websites because that's where you'll find the most customers. Here are a few statistics that prove it.

23. 82% of Internet users in the United States have used a mobile device to make online purchases.

Naturally, as everyone has a smartphone, the number of mobile purchases keeps increasing every year. In the United States, 4 out of 5 people who use the Internet have made at least one online purchase using their smartphone.

(Source: Statista)

24. 40% of all online purchases made during the holiday season are made on smartphones.

Most of us used to shop in person during the holiday season, but things have changed in recent years. Over 40% of all Christmas shopping is now done on mobile devices because it's much more convenient.

(Source: OuterBox)

25. 53% of smartphone and tablet owners will shop on applications specific to their business.

The largest and most successful businesses, like Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and more, offer a free smartphone app designed to simplify the online shopping experience.

(Source: Smart Insights)

26. E-commerce sales on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2018 surpassed $2 billion, breaking the record set the previous year.

Sales generated by online mobile shopping during Black Friday continue to increase every year. This trend is likely to continue, and it will soon surpass ordinary sales.

(Source: Practical eCommerce)

27. 44% of retail minutes on the Internet were spent on a mobile, 11% on a tablet, and 45% on a desktop computer.

The time spent in online stores is currently divided equally between mobile users and desktop users. These two categories represent 45% of the total time spent in online stores, while tablet users represent only 11%.

(Source: Readycloud)

E-commerce shopping cart statistics

The online shopping cart plays an important role in online sales. It's the very last step that customers go through before making a purchase. This makes it an essential step in the sales funnel. With the right setup, you can minimize cart abandonment, which is one of the biggest challenges for online sellers.

28. 46.5 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises say that free shipping increases their profits.

Shipping costs are an element that can be found in all online stores. It's not surprising that customers prefer to shop at stores that offer free delivery. Today, nearly 50% of businesses offer free delivery of their products worldwide.

(Source: MCM)

29. If you require an account to be created, 28% of people will immediately abandon their shopping cart.

Cart abandonment is a real problem, and complicated checkout processes are usually the cause. You can reduce this percentage by making the payment process as quick and easy as possible.

(Source: Baymard)

30. E-commerce sites can achieve a 35% increase in conversion rates thanks to an optimized checkout design.

By optimizing the checkout process with things like free shipping and simple shopping, e-commerce sites can increase the conversion rate up to 35%. Every detail can make a huge difference.

(Source: Baymard)

31. With an average cart abandonment rate of nearly 70%, e-commerce sites could lose a total of $3 billion per year.

Two out of three e-commerce sites lose money due to cart abandonment. These losses are estimated at around 3 billion dollars per year worldwide, which shows the importance of optimizing the payment process.

(Source: Disruptive advertising)

32. Mobile has the worst cart abandonment rate of any device at 86%, followed by tablets (81%) and desktops/laptops (73%).

Mobile users abandon the most carts, but tablet and PC users are not far behind. With better optimization and simpler payment processes, these figures should be reduced in the future.

(Source: Barilliance)

33. The top 10 countries that spend money online (in billions):

  1. China - 672 billion dollars
  2. United States - 340 billion dollars
  3. United Kingdom - 99 billion dollars
  4. Japan - 79 billion dollars
  5. Germany - $73 billion
  6. France - 43 billion dollars
  7. South Korea - $37 billion
  8. Canada - $30 billion
  9. Russia - $20 billion
  10. Brazil - $19 billion

As you can see, some countries are making hundreds of billions of dollars in online revenue. China is the current leader with $672 billion, followed by the United States with $340 billion and the United Kingdom with $99 billion. All other countries spend less than $100 billion on online stores.

(Source: eCommerce-nation)

Conclusion

All of the statistics above agree on one point: the importance of e-commerce platforms. The world has reached a point where most healthy businesses have a strong online presence. It makes perfect sense that e-commerce platforms continue to grow year after year.

If you're always looking to boost sales and grow your business, investing in an online store is almost certainly the best investment you can make. Soon, there will be no physical stores or boutiques where you can buy products directly. The sooner you make the transition, the faster your business will grow.

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Stephen MESNILDREY
Digital & MarTech Innovator

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