Ecommerce Statistics to Understand Its Dominance in 2023
Ever since its inception, ecommerce has expanded business opportunities for entrepreneurs and made shopping substantially easier for consumers. Besides being consistently developed on its own, ecommerce also continues changing to cater to the ever-changing needs of consumers, especially the pandemic-induced ones. The ecommerce statistics below reveal the current state of the industry as shaped by the latest consumer behavior changes, as well as the ways in which businesses try to keep up.
Ecommerce Statistics – 2023 Highlights
Retail ecommerce sales in the United States are expected to reach $1.06 trillion in 2022.
Worldwide retail ecommerce sales are expected to reach $6.169 trillion in 2023.
China has the biggest retail ecommerce market.
B2B ecommerce site sales in the United States reached nearly $1.583 trillion in 2021.
51 of the top 100 marketplaces are located in North America.
Marketplaces in the United States sold a total of $919 billion in 2021.
Amazon tops the list of marketplaces with the highest third-party gross merchandise value in the United States.
75% of businesses plan to increase their social commerce spending.
Ecommerce adoption worldwide is lower among male internet users.
63% of retail businesses strongly agree that the pandemic-induced shift to ecommerce is permanent.
General Ecommerce Stats
Retail ecommerce sales in the United States are expected to reach $1.06 trillion in 2022.
This figure represents a 16.1% growth when compared to 2021. Prior to the pandemic, exceeding this benchmark wasn’t forecasted until 2024.
(Insider Intelligence)
Worldwide retail ecommerce sales are expected to reach $6.169 trillion in 2023.
The above figure indicates a 22.3% share of the total retail sales and a 20% increase from the total retail ecommerce sales worldwide recorded in 2021, which stood at $4.921 trillion.
(eMarketer)
Accounting for 52.1% of the total sales worldwide, China has the biggest retail ecommerce market.
Ecommerce sales data reveals that the United States ranks second with 19%, followed by the United Kingdom with 4.8%. Japan and South Korea round the list of the top five countries based on their share of the total retail ecommerce sales worldwide, accounting for 3% and 2.5% of them, respectively. The list goes on with Germany, France, India, Canada, and Brazil, with respective 2.1%, 1.6%, 1.4%, 1.3%, and 0.8% of the total retail ecommerce sales worldwide.
(eMarketer)
B2B ecommerce site sales in the United States reached nearly $1.583 trillion in 2021.
B2B ecommerce stats reveal that by the end of 2022, this figure is expected to increase by 12% to $1.773 trillion. Between 2023 and 2025, forecasts estimate B2B ecommerce site sales to grow to $1.982 trillion, $2.12 trillion, and $2.444 trillion, respectively.
(Insider Intelligence)
Data on Ecommerce Marketplaces
$3.23 trillion is spent in the top 100 online marketplaces worldwide.
Marketplace sales account for 67% of global retail ecommerce sales. The top 100 of them account for more than 90% of the total marketplace sales worldwide, 40 of which were launched in the last decade.
(Digital Commerce 360)
30 of the top 100 marketplaces fall within the $1 billion – $10 billion gross merchandise value range.
Ecommerce trends reveal that 25 marketplaces have a gross merchandise value between $250 million and $1 billion, while respective 18 and 16 are in the $40 million – $250 million and the $10 billion – $50 billion range. Seven of the top 100 marketplaces have a gross merchandise value from $50 billion to $100 billion or more, while four are in the $1 million – $4 million range.
(Digital Commerce 360)
The gross merchandise value of the top 100 marketplaces noted an 18% year-over-year growth between 2020 and 2021.
48 of them recorded year-over-year growth in the 15%-30% range. Year-over-year increases in the 0%-15% and 30.1%-50% ranges were noted by 22 and 17 of the top 100 marketplaces worldwide, respectively. Ecommerce growth rate data further reveals that eight recorded year-over-year growth in gross merchandise value between 50.1% and 100%, two noted an increase of over 100%, while three of the top 100 marketplaces worldwide faced a decrease in gross merchandise value between 2020 and 2021.
(Digital Commerce 360)
51 of the top 100 marketplaces are located in North America.
Europe ranks second with 22 of them, followed by Asia and Latin America which tie in third place with seven marketplaces each. The Africa/Middle East region hosts three of the top 100 marketplaces.
(Digital Commerce 360)
At $711 billion, Taobao is the marketplace with the highest third-party gross merchandise value.
Data on the most popular online retailers reveal that the second place is also taken by a Chinese marketplace, Tmall, which boasts a third-party gross merchandise value of $672 billion. USA’s Amazon ranks third with $390 billion, followed by another Chinese marketplace, JD.com, with $244 billion. The list of the top five is rounded by eBay, a US marketplace with a third-party gross merchandise value of $87 billion.
(Digital Commerce 360)
At $390 billion, Amazon tops the list of marketplaces with the highest third-party gross merchandise value in the United States.
Ebay, with a third-party gross merchandise value of $87 billion, ranks second in the United States, followed by OfferUp with $32 billion. Data on the biggest online retailers in the US reveals that the list of the top five marketplaces with the highest third-party gross merchandise value is rounded by Walmart and Wish, with $30 billion and $16 billion in third-party gross merchandise value, respectively.
(Digital Commerce 360)
Marketplaces in the United States sold a total of $919 billion in 2021.
The top 49 of them noted a 17% growth in gross merchandise value in the same year. Without, Amazon, however, that figure averages 8%. Chairish, a vintage home furnishings marketplace, was the fastest-growing one in the United States in 2021, recording a 55% increase in gross merchandise value.
(Digital Commerce 360)
75% of businesses plan to increase their social commerce spending.
The above figure is only expected, as ecommerce trends reveal that about 30% of consumers are shopping on social media. Of those, 18.3% have made a purchase on Facebook and 11.1% have done so on Instagram. Respective 2.9%, 1.4%, and 1% have made a purchase on Pinterest, TikTok, and Snapchat, while 2.5% of consumers have shopped on other social media platforms.
(BizCommunity, eMarketer)
Facebook’s marketplace can potentially reach an audience of 562.1 million through ads.
In terms of gender demographics, 55.1% of this audience is male. The above figure is 26.6% of Facebook’s total advertising reach or 9.1% of the total population over 13 years of age.
(DataReportal)
Ecommerce Demographics and Online Shopping Habits
Ecommerce adoption worldwide is lower among male internet users.
The average ecommerce adoption rate among female internet users aged 16-64 stands at 78.5%, which compares to 74.7% among men.
At 79.9%, ecommerce adoption is highest among 25-44-year-old women, closely followed by those in the 45-54 age group (79.5%).
35-44-year-old men rank third with an adoption rate of 77.9%, followed by 16-24-year-old women (77.7%).
Men aged 25-34 have an ecommerce adoption rate of 76.6%, followed by 56-64-year-old women (75.6%) and 45-54-year-old men (74.6%).
The demographics with the lowest ecommerce adoption rate include men in the 16-24 and 55-64 age groups (72.6% and 71.9%, respectively).
(DataReportal)
Mobile ecommerce adoption rates are much higher among women.
When observing the demographics of online shoppers, the average mobile ecommerce adoption rate among female internet users aged 16-64 stands at 54.9%, which compares to 50.4% among men.
At 63%, mobile ecommerce adoption is highest among 16-26-year-old women, followed by those in the 25-34 and 35-44 age groups (61.8% and 60.5%, respectively).
25-34-year-old men rank third with an adoption rate of 58.1%, followed by those in the 16-24 and 35-44 age groups (55.8% and 55.4%, respectively).
The demographics with the lowest mobile ecommerce adoption rates include men and women in the 45-54 age group (51% and 46.9%, respectively) as well as male and female users in the 55-64 age group (38% and 35.8%, respectively), as per mobile ecommerce statistics.
(DataReportal)
Online shopping on desktops and/or laptops is more common in older age groups and among men.
Across all age groups, 35.4% of women do their online shopping on desktops and/or laptops, compared to 37.6% of men.
Desktop/laptop shopping is most common in the 55-64 age group, with 47.7% of men and 47.4% of women within it opting for these devices to make their online purchases.
45-54-year-olds rank second, with 41.2% of men and 40.9% of women in this age group shopping on desktops/laptops.
Trends in online shopping reveal that desktop/laptop shopping popularity decreseas in direct proportion with younger generations. Among 35-44-year-olds, 36.8% of male and 32.7% of female users choose these devices to make their online purchases, followed by 33% of men and 30% of women in the 25-34 age group.
Shopping on desktops/laptops is least common in the 16-24 age group, where 29.3% of men and 26.1% of women opt for these devices to make their online purchases.
(DataReportal)
28.3% of 16-64-year-old internet users worldwide buy their weekly groceries online.
Ecommerce statistics worldwide reveal that Thailand again tops the list (45.8%). South Korea ranks second (43.1%), followed by Mexico (39.4%), Turkey (38.9%), and Indonesia (36%) in the top five.
Countries with the lowest percentage of 16-64-year-old internet users that buy their weekly groceries online include Morocco (10.6%), Portugal (11.2%), Ghana (11.8%), and Italy (11.9%).
(DataReportal)
58.4% of 16-64-year-old internet users worldwide buy something online on a weekly basis.
When observing data by country, this percentage is highest in Thailand (68.3%). Malaysia ranks second (66.6%), followed by South Korea (64.9%), Mexico (64.5%), and China (64.4%) in the top five.
Some of the countries with the lowest percentage of weekly online shoppers among 16-64-year-old internet users include Ghana (28.2%), Morocco (29%), and Austria (39.3%).
(DataReportal)
Ecommerce revenue across all consumer goods categories reached $3.78 trillion in 2021.
At $960.96 billion after a 12% increase since 2020, electronics was the ecommerce consumer goods category with the highest revenue worldwide. Of those, $730 billion were generated by consumer electronics sales.
Among ecommerce consumer goods categories by revenue, fashion ranked second with $890.89 billion after a 16.9% increase since the previous year, $510 billion of which were generated by apparel sales.
According to ecommerce facts, the list of the rest of consumer goods categories ranked by revenue along with the increase since 2020 and their most dominant subcategory is as follows:
Toys, hobby, and DIY products – $520.52 billion in revenue, $226.3 billion from hobby and stationery sales, 15.9% increase since 2020;
Furniture – $442 billion in revenue, $112.7 billion from living and dining room furniture sales, 11.9% increase since 2020;
Beauty, health, personal, and household care – $374.7 billion in revenue, $217.6 billion from personal care products sales, 20.7% increase since 2020;
Food – $228.4 billion in revenue, $43.26 billion from bread and cereal products sales, 36.2% increase since 2020;
Beverages – $206.93 billion in revenue, $92.89 billion from alcoholic drinks sales, 34.3% increase since 2020;
Media – $155 billion in revenue from books, movies, music, and games sales, 10.6% increase since 2020.
(Statista)
The average revenue per user across all ecommerce consumer goods categories stood at $999.40 in 2021.
Online shopping statistics reveal that, in the same year, there were a total of 3.78 billion users purchasing consumer goods across different categories online, indicating a penetration rate of 50.1%.
At $419.50, electronics was the consumer goods category generating the highest revenue per user. As expected, this was also the category with the highest number of users (2.28 billion) and penetration rate (30.3%).
Furniture ranked second with a revenue per user of $412.80. However, this category’s one billion users and penetration rate of 14.2% don’t place it second in the corresponding rankings, mainly because of the high cost of products within it.
According to ecommerce sales statistics, the list of the rest of consumer goods categories ranked by revenue per user along with the number of users and penetration rate is as follows:
Fashion – $411.60 revenue per user, 1.4 billion users, 28.8% penetration rate;
Food – $290.80 revenue per user, 785 million users, 10.4% penetration rate;
Toys, hobby, and DIY – $285.30 revenue per user, 1.8 billion users, 24.2% penetration rate;
Beauty, health, personal, and household care – $257.10 revenue per user, 1.4 billion users, 19.3% penetration rate;
Beverages – $247.70 revenue per user, 835 million users, 11.1% penetration rate;
Media – $97.20 revenue per user, 1.5 billion users, 21.2% penetration rate.
(Statista)
The worldwide average annual revenue per user for online consumer goods purchases stands at $1,017.
According to online shopping stats, at $3,183, Hong Kong ranks first among countries with the highest annual revenue per ecommerce user. The United States and South Korea follow with $3,105 and $2,995, respectively.
On the other side of the spectrum, countries with the lowest annual revenue per user for online consumer goods purchases include Nigeria ($96), Morocco ($120), and India ($130).
(DataReportal)
61% of consumers will only share their personal information with a brand if required.
To put the above figure into perspective, another 57% agree they are increasingly concerned with how brands use their personal information. Online shopping data also reveals that 40% of consumers have refused to buy from a brand due to concerns associated with personal data use.
(Shopify)
54% of consumers worldwide agree that the ability to easily reach a brand’s customer service affects their purchasing decisions.
At 57%, this is most common in North America, followed by Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, each tied at 55%. On the other side of the spectrum, the ease of reaching a brand’s customer service seems to be less important in the Asia Pacific region, where 48% of consumers agree it would affect their purchasing decisions.
(Shopify)
Post-Pandemic Ecommerce Industry Trends
63% of retail businesses strongly agree that the pandemic-induced shift to ecommerce is permanent.
The same applies to 47% of food and drink businesses, 44% of those dealing with fast-moving consumer goods, and 40% of technology and electronics businesses.
Businesses in telecommunications and utilities and those offering financial services follow with respective 33% and 32% of them strongly agreeing that the ecommerce shift is permanent.
This attitude is least prevalent among those in the industrial sector, only 22% of which strongly agree that the ecommerce shift is permanent.
(WARC)
64% of businesses are working on improving online customer experience to address the pandemic-induced shift to ecommerce.
Retailer ecommerce trends reveal that another 47% are increasing the number of channels through which they sell online, while 40% are investing in ecommerce technology.
Among other ways in which businesses are addressing the pandemic-induced shift to ecommerce, 33% are developing their DTC offering, 32% are partnering with providers, and 31% are upgrading their supply chain, logistics, and product availability.
22% of businesses are developing live stream commerce and subscription or repeat purchase offering, while 18% are developing a click-and-collect strategy.
Only 5% of businesses aren’t doing anything to address the pandemic-induced shift to ecommerce.
(WARC)
54% of consumers say rising grocery prices have the greatest impact on their online shopping.
According to online shopping trends, 43% say the same for the inability to purchase products due to them being out of stock while 42% agree that a product taking longer to be delivered than what they were told at the time of purchase has the greatest impact on them when shopping online.
(PwC)
32% of consumers are using virtual reality technology when shopping online.
All of them ended up purchasing products as a result of testing or browsing stores. Of them, 31% purchased digital products/non-fungible tokens while 19% purchased luxury goods.
(PwC)
40% of consumers use more comparison sites to look for availability when their online shopping experience is disrupted.
According to statistics on online shopping, another 37% turn to shopping at multiple retailers to get what they need, while equal portions of consumers (29% each) either switch to in-store shopping or change the retailer they usually shop at.
(PwC)
Ecommerce FAQs
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Conclusion
Consumer behavior and demands were substantially changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ecommerce statistics reveal that the businesses who used this opportunity wisely are still reaping the benefits of the strategy adjustments they had to do to cater to them, considering that consumer expectations have remained high even post-pandemic. Either way, ecommerce and all its variations—mobile, social, and VR–are not only here to stay, but also growing at massive yearly rates.
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