The Ultimate List of eCommerce Statistics (2022)

General eCommerce Statistics

2020 was a big year for eCommerce. More and more people started shopping online as social distancing became the norm. This trend is likely to continue in the years to come, as people become more comfortable with making their purchases online.

If you’re not already familiar with the basics of eCommerce, it’s time to get up to speed. Here are some general eCommerce statistics that can help you understand the current landscape of the industry.

There are currently over 28 million eCommerce websites

More precisely, there are 28,252,993 eCommerce websites as of October 2022, with more and more emerging every day.

There were 2.14 billion digital buyers in 2021

The number of digital buyers active in the world grew by 900 million from 2020 to 2021, reaching a total of 2.14 billion as of 2021.

There are 266.7M online shoppers in the U.S. alone

The number of people who shop online has increased from 263 million in 2021 to 266 million in 2022

The eCommerce market is a $5.5 trillion industry

Retail eCommerce sales amounted to 5.5 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide in 2022 up from $4.9 trillion in 2021.

eCommerce accounts for 14.5% of all sales in the U.S.

eCommerce sales in the second quarter of 2022 accounted for 14.5% of total sales in the U.S. This is up from 14.3% in the previous quarter.

Top 10 eCommerce Markets Worldwide

With an estimated $2.78 trillion in annual sales, China tops the rankings as the world’s biggest eCommerce market, accounting for 52% of total worldwide eCommerce sales. The U.S. ranks second hitting $843 billion in annual sales, accounting for 19% of global eCommerce sales. Trailing behind the U.S., in the top five largest markets are the U.K., Japan and South Korea.

Amazon is the most visited eCommerce website

There has been a significant increase in online retail traffic as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic, as more people are staying at home and ordering items that they would usually purchase in-store. This surge in online shopping has benefited retailers who have a strong online presence, as they are able to meet the increased demand for their products and services.

According to recent stats, Amazon is far and above the most popular e-commerce site in the U.S. Amazon’s monthly visits tally a whopping 2.7 billion visits in 2022 with eBay in the second spot, boasting 855 million monthly visits. After eBay, Walmart comes in third, surpassing 468 million visitors and Craiglist with 342 million visitors.

Shopify is the most popular eCommerce platform

Shopify is used by around 26% of businesses for their eCommerce needs. Shopify provides a great service by being able to build and optimize your eCommerce site as well as manage all of the day-to-day tasks. Therefore, it’s no surprise that it’s the first choice for many eCommerce businesses.

The second most popular eCommerce platform is WooCommerce. It powers 23% of all eCommerce websites, becoming more and more popular with businesses looking for an easy-to-use platform.

The eCommerce industry is growing rapidly

The continuous increase of people shopping online points to one thing – eCommerce is on the rise and shows no signs of slowing down.

93% of people have purchased online

Worldwide, 93.5% of internet users have, at some point, purchased something online.

Source: Oberlo

95% of all shopping will shift online by 2040

Nasdaq reports that in the next 30 years, around 95% of all shopping will be done online.

Source: Nasdaq

Consumer electronics is the top eCommerce category in the U.S.

In 2022, the top-selling items are computer and consumer electronics, making it an attractive option for eCommerce owners.

Source: Optin Monster

eCommerce Customer Behavior Statistics

Since the pandemic began, people’s shopping habits have changed dramatically. This has left many brands struggling to figure out how to get consumers’ attention and turn them into buyers on their eCommerce sites.

What drives online shoppers?

With the introduction and rise of eCommerce, customer purchasing behavior and the point of awareness has also changed. Shoppers nowadays are becoming more cautious in their purchases and the brands they are purchasing from. They want fast delivery, easy returns and a streamlined experience.

Customers are more likely to buy from a store that offers free shipping

When it comes to online shopping, shipping options play a pivotal role in convincing consumers to make a purchase. For more than half of all online shoppers, free delivery is the most effective incentive. This means that if you’re running an online store, offering free shipping could be the key to boosting your sales and attracting more customers.

Other key motivators include the simiplicity to use coupons and discounts (41%), read other reviews (35%), and the ability to easily return their items (33 %).

Furthermore, the ease and convenience of online shopping as well as the ability to buy the product without having to physically visit the store are other common reasons people choose to shop online.

56%

Shopping any time of the day

50%

More convenient than visiting brick-and-mortar stores

Top reasons people shop online

Extra costs is the primary reason shoppers abandon at checkout

When shoppers were asked about the most frustrating aspects that lead them to abandon their shopping carts at check out, hidden or extra fees were the number one reason, cited by 48% of respondents. Obligatory account creation was second, cited by 24% of shoppers, while slow delivery was third, with 22% of consumers saying it was a problem.

As of July 2022, the average shopping cart abandonment rate was 74.36%, according to Dynamic Yield. But what’s even more shocking is that $18 billion is lost each year, specifically because of abandoned shopping carts! This just goes to show how important it is for online retailers to do everything they can to reduce cart abandonment and encourage customers to complete their purchases.

Shopping cart abandonment rate
by industry

There are many reasons customers abandon their carts as we’ve seen above, and it differs significantly depending on what industry you’re looking at as well as the type of product.

The types of websites that had the most people not completing their purchase in 2022 were ones offering cruise and ferry travel services. In fact, 98% of the people who started to order one of those types of services ended up not completing their purchase followed by mobile providers at 91% and airlines at 90%.

Mobile eCommerce Statistics

Mobile eCommerce is on the rise as shoppers are using their mobile devices more and more to make purchases. This trend is only going to continue as mobile technology advances and becomes even more accessible. With more than half of all internet traffic now coming from mobile devices, it is imperative for eCommerce owners to have their websites designed for mobile viewing.

The growth in mobile use

Mobile eCommerce is expected to grow significantly in the next few years, thanks to a number of technological advances that make it easier for users to shop on their phones. We’ve outlined the road ahead for mobile eCommerce growth and detailed a rundown of mobile shopping statistics below.

Mobile eCommerce sales worldwide

Customers using their mobile devices, phones, and tablets to buy goods and services is the primary driver of worldwide eCommerce growth. According to eMarketer , retail eCommerce sales reached $2.3 trillion in 2017, which is a 23.2 percent increase from 2016.

Mobile devices accounted for 58.9 percent of those sales, which equals $1.4 trillion. In 2021, mobile eCommerce sales reached $3.5 trillion and made up almost three quarters (72.9%) of eCommerce sales worldwide.

eCommerce online traffic by type of device

Internet users are growing at a rate of more than one million new users every day, and this trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. People are spending more and more time consuming digital media content, with the majority of that time being spent on mobile devices rather than desktop computers. This gap is only becoming more pronounced as each year goes by.

Mobile phones generate most of the digital commerce website. According to SaleCycle, as of 2021, smartphones drove 71 % of all online traffic compared to desktops at 29%, making it the browsing device of choice.

This doesn’t mean that desktop computing devices will be phased out anytime soon. While smartphones and tablets are usually more flexible and portable, desktop computers and laptops can still outperform them when it comes to more complicated tasks.

Conversion rates across devices

While the majority of users are on mobile devices, the majority of conversions still come from desktop devices. Conversion rates are almost twice as high on desktop devices, which suggests that users prefer to browse on their mobile devices and make purchases on their computers or laptops. This is likely because users feel more comfortable inputting their payment information on a larger screen.

How to optimize for mobile eCommerce

It’s important to optimize your eCommerce store for mobile and make it enjoyable for shoppers. Creating a smooth, seamless and comfortable user experience is key to keeping shoppers motivated to explore your store and come back again in the future.