What do eCommerce statistics tell us about online shopping trends?
Far from peaking, eCommerce sales continue to grow year over year. If you’re already selling online or want to start, you need data to help grow your business.
That’s why we’ve pulled together the latest eCommerce statistics in this article so you can have all the information you need right at your fingertips.
There’s a lot of stats to go through, so here’s a table of contents to help you find what you’re looking for:
- Global eCommerce Statistics
- eCommerce Marketing Statistics
- Email Marketing eCommerce Statistics
- eCommerce Conversion Rate Statistics
- SEO eCommerce Statistics
- B2B eCommerce Statistics
- B2C eCommerce Statistics
- Social Media eCommerce Statistics
- M-commerce Statistics
- What to Do With All These eCommerce Statistics
Global eCommerce Statistics
First, let’s take a look at international ecommerce trends. According to Insider Intelligence:
- Global eCommerce sales are expected to total $6.31 trillion this year.
- Ecommerce growth continues but has declined after a pandemic-fueled surge, with sales projected to grow by just 9.7% this year. This is the slowest growth rate since 2011.
- Ecommerce sales account for 20.8% of retail sales globally, with eCommerce growth projected to continue year over year, though at a slower pace than in recent years.
As far as retailers go, China’s Alibaba remains the biggest online retailer worldwide. However, Amazon is expected to overtake Alibaba’s market share by 2027 or earlier. (Statista)
Globally, shoppers still prefer using credit cards over other payment methods. 53% of transactions are paid for with credit cards. Digital payments (43%) and debit cards (38%) aren’t far behind, though. (Kinsta)
To build a successful eCommerce brand, read our guide on How to Build an Unforgettable and Profitable eCommerce Brand.
eCommerce Marketing Statistics
Next, we’ll go over some eCommerce stats on how different eCommerce marketing strategies are performing.
- Content marketing generates about 3 times as many leads as traditional marketing. (Demand Metric)
- Google organic search and CPC (cost-per-click) contribute a whopping 66% of online retail revenue. (Wolfgang Digital)
- Ecommerce stores with social media accounts make about 32% more sales than those without a social media presence. (BigCommerce)
- 59% of marketers prefer video content over other formats. (Hubspot)
- Omnichannel marketing across brick and mortar stores, websites, social media, marketplaces, and more can yield up to 3 times as much sales. (Pure 360)
In the following sections, we’ll go more in depth into the most effective eCommerce marketing strategies.
Email Marketing eCommerce Statistics
Email marketing is one of the most powerful drivers of traffic, conversions, and eCommerce revenue. Check out these eye-popping statistics for U.S. eCommerce email marketing from a study of 1,000 companies done by Klaviyo:
- Email marketing attributed $230 million in purchases in a single quarter.
- Companies with more than $10 million revenue had an average of 133.97 list segments, 10 times the number of companies with revenue under $100,000.
- Abandoned cart emails and other automations brought in over $50 million in one quarter.
Here are some other interesting eCommerce stats we found about email:
- Abandoned cart emails are opened on average 45% of the time. (Moosend)
- 68% of millennials report that promotional emails impacted their purchasing decisions. (Fluent)
- 38% of marketers are using email to reduce shopping cart abandonment. (Litmus)
eCommerce Conversion Rate Statistics
Boosting your conversion rate can have a huge impact on your retail eCommerce sales even if your traffic stays the same. Here are some statistics for eCommerce that you need to know:
- Mobile apps convert 3 times more than mobile websites due to better customer experience. (MarTech)
- Multi-step forms can generate 300% more conversions because potential customers who fill out longer forms are usually more prepared to buy. (Venture Harbour)
- Ecommerce websites can increase conversions by 35% through checkout process optimization. (Baymard Institute)
- Exit-intent popups can recover up to 53% of abandoning visitors. (OptinMonster)
- The cart abandonment rate across all industries is just under 70%. (Baymard Institute)
SEO eCommerce Statistics
Since search engines such a big source of traffic, we pulled some eCommerce statistics on SEO (search engine optimization):
- More than 43% of all traffic to eCommerce sites comes from Google organic search. (Statista)
- 26% of companies surveyed said that SEO was their top marketing channel. (Hubspot)
- Moving from the #11 search result to the #10 search result can cause up to 143% increase in organic traffic. (Poll the People)
B2B eCommerce Statistics
B2B, or business to business, eCommerce has its own unique challenges and possibilities. Here’s what the eCommerce stats have to say about B2B:
- B2B online sales increased 17.8% in 2021. (Digital Commerce 360)
- Roughly two-thirds of B2B buyers make use of remote interactions or digital eCommerce, chat bots, mobile apps, and other self-service options. (McKinsey)
- 67% of B2B buyers make their purchases online. (Sana Commerce)
B2C eCommerce Statistics
B2C, or business to consumer, has similarities and differences to B2B and other business models. Accordingly, the B2C eCommerce industry trends are worth looking at separately:
- Clothing and footwear accounts for 24.71% of B2C total retail sales, the largest share of revenue. (Grandview Research)
- The B2C eCommerce market is worth about $5.53 trillion. (GlobalData)
- B2C marketplaces are projected to reach $3.5 trillion this year. (Digital Commerce 360)
Social Media eCommerce Statistics
We can’t discuss eCommerce without mentioning the huge impact of social media platforms on global retail sales online. From viral marketing campaigns to the rise of social commerce, it’s clear that social media marketing is here to stay:
- 74% of online shoppers consult their social networks when making purchasing decisions. (Kinsta)
- At least 30% of consumers say they would make online purchases through Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat. (Forbes)
- Facebook posts with photos get 53% more Likes, 104% more comments, and 84% more clicks than text and link posts. (Neil Patel)
M-commerce Statistics
Mobile eCommerce, or m-commerce, is a growing trend that is already eclipsing online retail sales from desktop sites. These mobile eCommerce statistics give us insight into why:
- 67% of online shopping orders are placed from mobile devices. (Reboot)
- 41% of website traffic comes from mobile users. (Hubspot)
- 40% of digital buyers will abandon a site after a bad mobile shopping experience. (Outerbox)
- More than two-thirds of shoppers will use a smartphone for online research and price comparisons while at a physical store. (KPMG)
- Retail eCommerce sales on mobile devices is expected to reach $710 billion by 2025. (Shopify)
- 55% of U.S. merchants plan to start accepting mobile wallet payments such as PayPal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay. (JP Morgan)
What to Do With All These eCommerce Statistics
Are you motivated by how successful eCommerce businesses have been? Now it’s time to level up your own online store.
If you’re just getting started, check out our step-by-step guide on how to start an eCommerce business.
If you’ve been in business for a while, we have a list of ideas for how to increase eCommerce sales.
Don’t forget to check out the latest eCommerce Trends You Should Know to stay relevant in the industry and boost your eCommerce sales.
Need more stats? Read 21 Affiliate Marketing Statistics: Proven Data to Boost Earnings.
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