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21 Online Shopping Statistics You Need to Read in 2024

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Since the first online purchase in 1994, online shopping has boomed into a multi-trillion dollar industry, as the latest online shopping statistics make perfectly clear.

After all:

There’s nothing more convenient than buying items online and having them delivered to your doorstep. 

Unsurprisingly, the online shopping statistics we’ll look into today show some very impressive numbers, signifying a promising and bright future ahead.

For an insight into the world of online shopping like you’ve never seen before, keep reading!

Mind-blowing Online Shopping Statistics (Editor’s Choice)

  • $6.5 trillion is the predicted worldwide ecommerce revenue by 2023.
  • $2.05 billion is the estimated number of online shoppers in 2020.
  • 51% of customers prefer shopping online, shopping online vs in-store statistics confirm.
  • 75% of online shoppers will purchase something at least once a month.
  • 95% of online shoppers are between 18 and 74 years old.
  • 63% of consumers’ purchase journey begins online.
  • 47% of online shopping is done via mobile devices.

General Ecommerce Statistics

As more people jump on the online shopping bandwagon, the industry is constantly evolving to make the whole process more seamless for customers with innovations such as one-click purchases and next day deliveries. 

What’s more:

Online shopping has also enabled us to break international barriers, as you can order almost everything under the sun from almost every corner of the earth. 

1. By 2023, ecommerce is predicted to hit an annual revenue of $6.5 trillion, according to consumer spending online statistics.

(Statista)

Online shopping stats in 2014 showed that the industry had an annual revenue of around $1.36 trillion. Fast forward five years to 2019, the industry grew to an impressive $3.53 trillion

Based on the significant annual growth in recent years, ecommerce is predicted to reach an annual revenue of $6.5 trillion by 2023. More and more people are realizing the benefits and convenience of online shopping, contributing to the immense growth of the industry.

2. The estimated number of online shoppers worldwide in 2020 is expected to grow to 2.05 billion.

(Oberlo)

Statistics on online shopping show that, as of 2020, the number of people who shop online is expected to make up an impressive 26.28% of the global population. What this means is that every one out of every four people you meet is an online shopper. 

Now:

These numbers make sense, especially if you consider the significant growth in revenue over the years. In fact, predictions for 2021 reveal that the industry will not be slowing down anytime soon, as we’re likely to see the number grow to 2.14 billion shoppers worldwide.

3. In the US, the number of online shoppers is expected to grow to 230.5 million by 2021.

(Statista)

The US is one of the leading ecommerce markets in terms of online shopper penetration. 2016 in the US alone saw 209.6 million digital shoppers who had browsed, compared prices, or bought a product online at least once. With these growing figures, experts predict that by 2021, there will be 230.5 million online shoppers in the US.

4. At least once a month, 75% of people will buy something online. 

(Statista)

While the number of people shopping online is significant, the frequency of their online shopping activities are also quite high. As it turns out, at least 20% of consumers shop once a week, 24% shop every two weeks, and the remaining 31% shop at least once a month. 

What these online purchasing habits tell us is: 

Online shopping is becoming the new normal, changing the way consumers shop worldwide.

5. Online shopping statistics from 2018 for the USA reveal the country was the world’s leading ecommerce market at the time with $504.58 billion.

(World Retail Congress)

Ecommerce is big in the US due to several reasons, including the high demand for cross border retailers, the simplicity of doing business, and the impressive logistics infrastructure. 

Americans also love online shopping: 

In 2017, an impressive 79% of the population (258.5 million) people bought something online. The US also records the largest movement of cross-border online shoppers globally with 82.72 million.

6. Every online shopper in the US spends an average of $1,804.

(Optinmonster)

Online shopping is most prevalent in the US, with an average ecommerce contribution of $1,804 per shopper. The following countries come next:

  • UK $1,629
  • Sweden $1,446
  • France $1,228
  • Germany $1,064
  • Japan $968
  • Spain $849
  • China $626
  • Russia $396
  • Brazil $350

7. 95% of online shoppers are between 18 and 74 years old.

(Verto Analytics)

When it comes to understanding the demographics of online shoppers, Verto Analytics data reveals that the overwhelming majority of people who shop online are under the age of 75

For a more specific breakdown of the age groups, members of the Gen X group account for 34%, followed by Boomers with 31%, and, lastly, Millennials with 30%.

Statistics on Online Shopping vs In-store Shopping

Online shopping is changing the way consumers shop. Nevertheless, the transition from physical stores to online stores is a slow and steady one, as consumers are still comfortable with in-store shopping. However, the gradual decrease in traditional retail numbers does signify promising growth in online shopping for the next few years to come.

8. According to online vs brick-and-mortar shopping statistics, ecommerce is growing at a three times faster rate than physical stores.

(Freight Pros)

Online shopping vs traditional shopping statistics show the industry is growing significantly faster than physical stores – at 15%, compared to the 5% growth of brick-and-mortar stores.

9. Statistics on online shopping vs in-store shopping show 51% of customers prefer online shopping.

(Freight Pros)

There’s only a negligible difference between the number of customers who enjoy online shopping versus shopping in-store, with 51% and 49%, respectively. 

That being said: 

Traditional retail is gradually experiencing a downfall. For instance, 2017 was a bad year for traditional retail, as the industry lost around 6,985 physical stores. As online shopping statistics begin to climb, we’ll see an inversely proportional effect on traditional retail statistics. 

Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic will drastically inflate online shopping numbers since most retail locations had to close for months.

10. Online shopping facts show that at least 63% of a customer’s purchase journey starts with an online search.

(Think with Google)

Whether customers are planning to purchase an item online or in-store, nearly two-thirds of them will begin their search online to gather more information. So, digital marketing and a strong online brand presence are crucial for businesses to stay ahead, based on the large percentage of people going to a website prior to coming into store

It’s not rocket science:

The more information you provide customers online, the higher the chances of them buying from your brand, whether it’s online or in-store.

online shopping statistics

11. More women (72%) enjoy online shopping than men (68%).

(Belvg)

Women enjoy shopping more than men, but the difference is rather small. Additionally, around 30% of both men and women still prefer to visit physical stores for various reasons, including being able to physically see and feel the item, going shopping as a fun activity with friends and family, untrustworthiness of online shops, and long shipping times.

12. Online shopping trends statistics show that 47% of all ecommerce sales are done on mobile.

(Ibotta)

The growth of online shopping is further catapulted by the introduction of mobile shopping, m-commerce statistics confirm. Today, everyone owns at least one mobile device, which they use to do everything from browsing through their social media feeds to shopping (often at the same time). 

The thing is:

Buying things online has never been easier. The customer demographic for mobile shopping reveals that Baby Boomers are the only generation that still prefers to shop in-store, with a majority of 68%.

In fact, the popularity of mobile shopping seems to increase as we move along the age group from Gen X, to Millennials, to Gen Z with 52%, 54%, and 61%, respectively.

13. By 2021, 53.9% of ecommerce sales will be done through mobile shopping.

(Sleeknote)

In 2017, only 34.5% of ecommerce sales were made via mobile. This percentage has increased by 15% over the last few years. Based on this growth, researchers predict that by 2020, almost half of online shopping will be made through mobile. And by 2021, it’s expected that 53.9% of online purchases will be done via mobile.

14. Online shopping statistics show that every month, 75% of online shoppers’ search queries online are brand new.

(Sales Force)

One of the reasons why online shopping is so successful is due to the increasingly high demand. Shopping statistics show that each month, around three-quarters of customer queries online are brand new. This means that online shoppers are constantly seeking out new products to buy online. 

In fact, 69% of online shoppers agree that they want to see new merchandise each time they visit an online store. So, to keep customers loyal and happy and stay ahead of the competition, retailers must offer a wide variety.

15. 36% of online shoppers use eWallet to pay for their online purchases.

(Oberlo)

eWallet is another innovative step in creating a simple and seamless purchasing journey for customers online. The percentage of online shoppers who favour using eWallet is 36%, followed by credit cards and debit cards in second and third place, respectively. An eWallet enables customers to make electronic transactions both online and in-store. Some commonly used eWallets are such as PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and AliPay.

Online Shopping Giants

When it comes to popular online shopping platforms, Amazon seems to always take the lead. At some point in Amazon’s rapid expansion, it felt like the ecommerce giant was taking over the world.

However, several other strong contenders have also emerged to give Amazon a run for its money and challenge it for the title of the biggest online shop.

Let’s take a look at some interesting global online shopping statistics for some of our favorite online shopping giants.

16. Amazon recorded $75.5 billion in sales in Q1 2020.

(Amazon)

Amazon’s latest 2020 numbers are impressive, as it’s recorded a whopping $75.5 billion in sales revenue, exceeding experts’ initial forecast of $73.61 billion. Overall, there was a 26% year over year increase when compared to Q1 2019.

17. Amazon has over 2.5 million active sellers.

(Marketplace Pulse)

Amazon is widely known as the pioneer of ecommerce worldwide. As of 2019, Amazon marketplace recorded 2.5 million active sellers, online shopping data reveals. 

What’s more:

With each year, Amazon receives over a million new sellers. 25,000 sellers on Amazon contribute roughly around $1 million in sales, whereas around 200,000 sellers contribute around $100,000

18. 89% of buyers prefer buying from Amazon than from other ecommerce platforms, online shopping statistics by year confirm.

(Feed Visor)

A recent study on Amazon customers in the US shows that these customers have a high level of trust. 98% of Amazon’s regular customers buy something daily, and 99% buy something a few times a week.

19. 23% of Amazon’s visitors are only there for inspiration, online shopping statistics confirm.

(Episerver)

Nearly one-quarter of Amazon’s visitors are on the site with no purchase in mind, only to find inspiration. This is a good thing for retailers to strategically plan and influence these buyers into buying something that they didn’t know they needed.

20. Alibaba has over 552 million shoppers and 634 million active mobile users every month.

(Ready Cloud)

Alibaba is China’s leading ecommerce platform, and it has grown rapidly over the last few years. It’s an immense success, which is why most people often refer to it as the “Chinese Amazon.” 

Each month, there are 552 million active shoppers on the platform and around 634 million users shopping on mobile. So, it should come as no surprise that Alibaba dominates the Chinese ecommerce market with an impressive 60% share. Since Alibaba’s expansion, it has been giving Amazon a tough time.

21. According to online shopping growth statistics, Alibaba’s Singles’ Day 2019 sales reached $38.4 billion.

(Statista)

Alibaba’s annual Singles’ Day sales are impressive, as the numbers surpass big shopping holidays in the US such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Singles’ Day is held on November 11, and sales have skyrocketed in recent years.

FAQ

Q: What percentage of purchases are online?

To find out how many people shop online, Marist College and NPR did a poll in 2019. Their study found that 76% of adults in the US shop online.

Q: Who online shops the most?

Unsurprisingly, the majority of online shoppers are below 75 years old. To be more specific, 95% of people who shop online are between the age of 18 and 74. Gen X-ers account for a slightly higher percentage of 34% than the Boomers at 31% and Millennials at 30%.

Q: Is online shopping more popular?

Online shopping is becoming increasingly popular, as evident from online shopping vs in-store shopping statistics. 51% of customers prefer online shopping, compared to 49% who still favor shopping in-store. 

While this is only a slight difference, this phenomenon can be clearly seen with traditional brick-and-mortar stores going out of business. For instance, traditional retail in 2017 lost almost 7,000 stores, and this number is expected to rise with each year.

Q: Which is the best online shopping website in the world?

Amazon is at the forefront of ecommerce, as it is the largest ecommerce platform internationally. It’s strong competition even for local vendors worldwide. Amazon has over 2.5 million active sellers and each year, and this number is constantly growing. Many users trust Amazon, and shopper statistics show customers are more inclined to purchase something from Amazon than other sites.

Wrap up

The online shopping industry is constantly evolving to meet customer demand. This has brought about monumental changes in consumer behavior. 

What’s more:

As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the planet in the early months of 2020, online shopping became the order of the day. And according to the latest online shopping statistics, there’s no stopping this multi-trillion dollar industry. 

Bottom line:

For businesses to survive and stay ahead of the game, they must adapt to this new way of consumerism. 

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