As of December 2023, the add-to-cart rate (ATC) of global online shoppers was highest for smartphones, at approximately 12.2 percent. Desktops recorded the lowest AOT rate compared to mobile devices, at roughly 9.6 percent. The average ATC for e-commerce was about 11.4 percent.

Cart abandonment rates have been climbing steadily since 2014, after reaching an all-time high in 2013. In 2023, the share of online shopping carts that is being abandoned reached 70 percent for the first time since 2013. This is an increase of more than 10 percentage points compared to the start of the time period considered here. Mobiles vs. desktops When global consumers shop online, they spend considerably more when doing so on desktop computers. In December 2023, the average value of e-commerce purchases made through desktops was approximately 159 U.S. dollars. Purchases completed on mobiles and tablets were of comparable values, ranging between 100 and 105 U.S. dollars. Even though consumers spent more when conducting their shopping on computers, they were more inclined to add products to their shopping carts when using mobile devices. Ultimately, mobile devices provide a convenient and more accessible way to shop, but desktop computers remain the preferred choice for more expensive purchases. Where do consumers shop online? Across the globe, digital marketplaces are shoppers’ number-one online shopping destination. As of April 2024, some 29 percent of consumers voted marketplaces as their favorite e-commerce channel, followed by physical stores and retailer sites. Looking at which retailers’ global shoppers prefer to shop at, amazon.com emerged as the world's most popular online marketplace, based on share of visits. The U.S. portal accounted for around one-fifth of the global online marketplace's traffic in December 2023. Amazon's German and Japanese portal sites ranked third and fifth among the leading online marketplaces, further demonstrating Amazon's dominance over the market.

In 2023, global retail e-commerce sales reached an estimated 5.8 trillion U.S. dollars. Projections indicate a 39 percent growth in this figure over the coming years, with expectations to surpass eight trillion dollars by 2027.

World players Among the key players on the world stage, the Chinese retail giant Alibaba holds the title of the largest e-commerce retailer globally, accounting for a 23 percent market share. Nevertheless, forecasts suggest that by 2027, Seattle-based e-commerce powerhouse Amazon will surpass Alibaba in estimated sales, reaching a staggering 1.2 trillion U.S. dollars in online sales.

Leading e-tailing countries The Chinese e-commerce market was the biggest worldwide in 2023, as internet sales constituted almost half of the country's retail transactions. Indonesia ranked second with the highest share of retail sales online (32 percent), closely trailed by the United Kingdom and South Korea, exceeding the 30 percent mark. That year, the up-and-coming e-commerce markets centered around Asia. The Philippines and India stood out as the swiftest-growing e-commerce markets based on online sales, anticipating a growth rate surpassing 20 percent.

In 2020, a total of over 80 percent of consumers across the globe shopped online: reaching nearly 90 percent each, the leading regions that year were South America and Asia. North America had the lowest share with just over three in four consumers buying items on the internet. The online store that was used most frequently by shoppers worldwide was Amazon.com.

Favorite online stores in the U.S. As of November 2020, an estimated 60 percent of U.S. consumers stated that their online shop of choice was Amazon, making it by far the favorite e-commerce shop among online shoppers. With less than 15 percent, Walmart’s web shop ranked second. Both male and female consumers in the country had a clear preference for Amazon, however, certain online stores were more popular among specific genders. For instance, more men liked visiting eBay, while a higher percentage of women had a preference for Target.

Why do consumers like Amazon? There were various reasons why U.S. shoppers used Amazon to buy products in 2020, the leading reason being the fast and free shipping services provided. Other key factors consumers mentioned, included Amazon’s broad selection, the easy return process, and the platform having some of the lowest prices.

The number of users in the e-commerce market in the United States was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 60 million users (+21.94 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the indicator is estimated to reach 333.5 million users and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the number of users of the e-commerce market was continuously increasing over the past years.Find other key market indicators concerning the average revenue per user (ARPU) and revenue. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

Internet sales have played an increasingly significant role in retailing. In 2024, e-commerce accounted for over 17 percent of retail sales worldwide. Forecasts indicate that by 2029, the online segment will make up close to over 21 percent of total global retail sales. Retail e-commerce Online shopping has grown steadily in popularity in recent years. In 2024, global e-commerce sales amounted to over seven trillion U.S. dollars, a figure expected to exceed 10.4 trillion U.S. dollars by 2028. Digital development in Latin America boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic, generating unprecedented e-commerce growth in various economies across the region. So much so that Brazil and Argentina appear to lead the world's fastest-growing online retail markets. This trend correlates strongly with the constantly improving online access, especially in "mobile-first" online communities, which have long struggled with traditioe-comernal fixed broadband connections due to financial or infrastructure constraints but enjoy the advantages of cheap mobile broadband connections. M-commerce on the rise The average order value of online shopping via smartphones and tablets still lags traditional e-commerce via desktop computers. However, e-retailers around the world have caught up in mobile e-commerce sales. Online shopping via smartphones is particularly prominent in Asia. By the end of 2021, Malaysia was the top digital market based on the percentage of the population that had purchased something by phone, with nearly 45 percent having made a weekly mobile purchase. South Korea, Taiwan, and the Philippines completed the top of the ranking.

In Hungary, the share of online shoppers grew significantly between 2010 and 2023. The number of e-commerce users in the country shot up in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the share of online shoppers in the total population reached over 79 percent by 2023. In comparison, less than 55 percent of Hungarians were online shoppers in 2019. How important are online sales for enterprises? Enterprises operating in Hungary source a considerable share of their revenue from online sales, however, this figure has declined over the past couple of years. In 2022, e-commerce sales accounted for 20 percent of enterprises’ revenue, compared to 24 percent recorded in 2019. When it comes to online sales channels’ share in Hungary’s total retail trade revenue, figures peaked in 2021 at over 10 percent. By 2022, the e-commerce share in retail trade decreased to 9.6 percent. Leading online marketplaces in Hungary In 2022, eMag was the leading online marketplace in Hungary based on the number of webshops using the platform. It was followed by Facebook Marketplace and Árukereső, with over 40 percent of Hungarian online retailers using them. In the past decade, the Romanian-founded marketplace, eMag has grown into a key player in the region, establishing a strong presence in Bulgaria and Poland as well.

Approximately 40 percent of e-commerce users surveyed in Mexico in 2019 said they had abandoned an online shopping cart because the shipping cost was too high. Likewise, 36 percent of respondents stated that they had discontinued a purchase via internet because the shipping would have taken too long or the delivery time was not specified.

As of June 2022, Amazon accounted for 37.8 percent of the U.S. e-commerce market, making it the country’s leading online retailer by a considerable margin. Second place was occupied by the e-commerce site of the retail chain Walmart, with a 6.3 percent market share, followed in third place by Apple, with 3.9 percent.

Amazon’s continued success

Amazon has long dominated the e-commerce market as the world’s favorite online marketplace. In 2022, company hit over half a trillion U.S. dollars in net sales. The United States is by far Amazon’s most profitable market, as the U.S. branch generated over 356 billion U.S. dollars in sales in 2022. Germany ranked second, with 33 billion dollars, followed closely by the United Kingdom with 30 billion dollars.

Online shopping on the rise

Online shopping has grown significantly over the past decade, with more people turning to the internet for their shopping needs. The proof is in the numbers: the U.S. e-commerce industry was worth almost a trillion dollars in 2023. By 2027, forecasts show that the online market will grow to more than 50 percent. U.S. online shoppers purchase fashion and food and beverages the most via the internet.

In 2023, over 53 percent of households with two or more people in Japan purchased goods or services online, remaining at a similar level as the previous year. The number of households using e-commerce services increased steadily in recent years, with fashion and electronics representing a recurring category purchased online. B2C online retail Business-to-consumer (B2C) online retail is the main consumer-oriented e-commerce market, with marketplaces, direct-to-consumer (D2C) stores, and digital general merchandisers being common websites accessed in Japan. In particular, marketplaces, taking on the form of a virtual shopping mall, are considered popular one-stop solutions for consumers’ needs. Consequently, Amazon, Rakuten Ichiba, and Yahoo! Shopping are the most successful e-retailers in Japan, gathering millions of visitor numbers regularly. Apart from the business-to-many (B2M) platforms, the companies also offer consumer-to-consumer (C2C) services. Japanese C2C platforms C2C e-commerce in Japan is made up of the reuse market encompassing online auctions and flea markets, and the smaller sharing economy segment. The auction business is dominated by Yahoo’s C2C platform Yahoo! Auctions, whereas the successful mobile application operated by Mercari has been shaking up flea market platforms in the country. The main user base of second-hand platforms are adults between the age of 20 to 49, as it is considered a popular mean to save money or shop sustainable.

The graph shows the cumulative number of online shoppers in China from 2013 to 2024. As of 2024, about 974 million people in China had purchased goods online.E-commerce in ChinaThe past decade has seen rapid growth in the demand for online shopping opportunities in China. The number of online shoppers in China has been increasing exponentially from below 34 million in 2006 to over 466 million users a decade later, enabling this enormous spurt of China’s e-commerce sector. By 2022, digital buyer penetration rate in China has edged close to 59 percent. China has been the world’s second-largest e-tailing market after the U.S. in recent years. As of 2023, the gross merchandise volume of online shopping in China had amounted to around 15.43 trillion yuan. By 2025, the volume of B2C e-commerce sales in China was expected to surpass 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars. The largest B2C e-commerce retailer in China with regard to gross merchandise volume (GMV) had been Tmall. The B2C online retail platform operated by Alibaba Group had generated a transaction volume of about 6.6 trillion yuan in 2020. The GMV of the leading C2C online retail platform taobao.com, also operated by Alibaba group, had reached almost 3.4 trillion yuan that year.

In 2023, e-commerce comprised over 15.6 percent of total retail sales in the United States. Forecasts suggest that this proportion will continue to rise steadily in the coming years, reaching approximately 20.6 percent by 2027.

Fashion fever

The digital revolution has significantly changed how retail is done, impacting a wide range of product categories. Out of all e-commerce product categories, apparel and accessories are the most purchased online in the United States. As of February 2023, roughly 18 percent of all fashion retail sales took place online. Furniture and home furnishing, as well as computer and consumer electronics, ranked second, with over 15 percent of each product category purchased via the internet. The product categories that are least purchased online are office equipment and supplies (1.4 percent) and books, music, and video (5.1 percent).

Shopping hotspots

Amazon dominates the e-commerce industry in the United States, though other competitors still have significant market share. In December 2023, amazon.com was the most-visited e-commerce and shopping site in the United States. That month, around 45 percent of all visits to e-commerce sites were made to Amazon. Other popular shopping sites include ebay.com, walmart.com, etsy.com, and target.com. The staggering proportion of online retail sales in the country attributed to Amazon is quite remarkable. In 2023, Amazon's website accounted for almost half of all online computer and consumer electronics sales. Similarly, nearly one-third of online fashion purchases in the country were made on Amazon.

As of early 2023, approximately 43 percent of consumers in the United States said they would prefer to shop mostly online rather than in-store, making it the country with highest online shopping preference. In contrast, more shoppers preferred visiting physical stores in countries such as Austria, Finland, and New Zealand.

According to a survey about internet usage in Saudi Arabia, around 52.1 percent of the respondents purchased a product or service online as of the third quarter of 2023. 30.3 percent of surveyed internet users purchased groceries from an online retailer.

In 2023, over 78 percent of 25- to 45-year-olds in Germany had ordered and purchased products online in the past three months. They were also the largest age group of online consumers. 65- to 75-year-olds were the group that online shopped the least. Where are people shopping online? Some of the most visited fashion websites in Germany included zalando.de, hm.com, and shein.com. Zalando is especially popular because it sells items from multiple different brands, allowing the consumer to find all different types of clothes, shoes, accessories, and more in one place. Another advantage of shopping online is that consumers are not just limited to shopping in the country in which they live. Products can be ordered from almost anywhere in the world (if, of course, consumers are willing to pay a little extra). If you find a better deal elsewhere or a product that is not available anywhere in the home country, then this can be a good reason to make a purchase on a foreign website. Challenges of online shopping Online shopping, however, is not without its challenges. According to consumers, something that prevents them from purchasing online is not trusting the payment and checkout process. This could be due to worries about credit card information being stolen or paying for an item that is never delivered. It is not only the purchasing process that can cause problems. Sometimes once the product arrives it is returned. Products that are most often returned, in Germany and, in fact, the whole of Europe, fall into the fashion category. This could be for several reasons: The item does not fit, it looks different than on the website, or even because it arrives too late. The problem with sending items back is that it has a negative impact on the environment. When asked, consumers did acknowledge that measures could be taken to reduce the number of returns such as more accurate and detailed product descriptions, more accurate information about sizing, and the opportunity to leave customer reviews.

In 2023, the number of annual online shoppers was estimated to be about 250 million across India. This was a significant increase as compared to the previous year. The annual number of shoppers are likely to increase to 425 million in 2027.

Inflation was the leading issue plaguing the online shopping experience of global consumers in 2023. Nearly sixty percent of consumers surveyed worldwide in February that year reported rising prices for household goods was the issue having the greatest impact on them while shopping online. In addition, nearly a quarter reported being unable to purchase a product due to it being out of stock.

E-commerce in times of stagflation

As the global economy still reeled from the macroeconomic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war dealt a further blow to worldwide trade. Along with record food inflation, an unprecedented wave of layoffs in tech companies brought the pandemic-induced e-commerce boom to a halt. While online retail sales growth reached a peak of 25.7 percent in 2020, this figure was forecast to slow to 9.7 percent in 2022.

Impact of inflation on consumer behavior

As of January 2023, the European Union hit a double-digit inflation rate and consumers have had to adjust their purchasing behavior accordingly. Discretionary sectors such as clothing and consumer electronics were the most affected, with almost 50 percent of global consumers reporting they have either stopped or reduced their purchases of clothing, shoes, and accessories in response to rising prices.

When shopping for goods online, it is common for consumers to pull out of a transaction, leaving the order incomplete: In the third quarter of 2024, around four in five baskets created in the United States did not result in a completed order. However, with a rate of 85 percent that quarter, cart abandonment was most common among shoppers using mobile devices.

Apparel and accessories was the e-commerce category with the highest share in total retail sales in the United States as of February 2023. 18.3 percent of all retail sales in the fashion segment were generated online. The category with the second-highest percentage of retail sales in the U.S. was furniture, at 15.7 percent. At the other end of the spectrum, office equipment and supplies had the lowest share of retail sales, below two percent.

The continuous rise of e-commerce

Online shopping is on the rise in the United States. The share of all retail sales in the U.S. stemming from online shopping has increased from 4.2 percent in the first quarter of 2010 to a record-breaking 15.6 percent in the third quarter of 2023. Consequently, the sales of retail e-commerce have surged from 39 million U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2010 to more than 280 billion U.S. dollars in the third quarter of 2023. This boom is forecast to continue over the next few years, with the estimated revenue from online sales, including digital services, reaching 1.72 trillion U.S. dollars by 2027.

The king of e-commerce

In the United States, the number of online shoppers continues to grow. In 2023, there were more than a quarter of a million online shoppers, and the number is forecast to reach over 300 million by 2028. The most popular online shopping destination in the U.S., Amazon, sees a surge of shoppers during certain shopping occasions, which feature appealing bargains that encourage extravagant spending. In 2023, the biggest increase in sales occurred on Black Friday, with an increase of nearly 35 percent. Amazon's deal event for Prime members, Prime Day, saw 17 percent more sales. As for Cyber Monday, sales went up by 13 percent.

In the United States, the average shopping cart value among consumers who bought from online shopping videos stood at 45 U.S. dollars in June 2022. Survey respondents who had not yet purchased from online videos or were unsure about having done so had an even higher average basket value, at 55 and 61 U.S. dollars, respectively.