During the first quarter of 2025, *** percent of visits to e-commerce websites in the UK converted to purchases. In Switzerland, online shopper conversion rates stood at *** percent. Mobile takes over e-shopping Online shopping has long since established itself as an everyday activity of online life – this holds for both desktop and mobile. As of the fourth quarter of 2024, more than three-quarters of retail site visits worldwide came from smartphones and generated about two-thirds of online shopping orders. Based on mobile retail performance growth, it is only a matter of time before mobile overtakes desktop in revenue generation.

In 2024, global retail e-commerce sales reached an estimated ************ U.S. dollars. Projections indicate a ** percent growth in this figure over the coming years, with expectations to come close to ************** dollars by 2028. World players Among the key players on the world stage, the American marketplace giant Amazon holds the title of the largest e-commerce player globally, with a gross merchandise value of nearly *********** U.S. dollars in 2024. Amazon was also the most valuable retail brand globally, followed by mostly American competitors such as Walmart and the Home Depot. Leading e-tailing regions E-commerce is a dormant channel globally, but nowhere has it been as successful as in Asia. In 2024, the e-commerce revenue in that continent alone was measured at nearly ************ U.S. dollars, outperforming the Americas and Europe. That year, the up-and-coming e-commerce markets also 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 ** percent.

A comprehensive dataset providing key insights into the eCommerce industry, including global retail online sales projections, number of eCommerce stores, digital buyer statistics, revenue growth in the United States, sector-wise revenue details with a focus on consumer electronics, average conversion rates, and mobile commerce sales forecasts.

In Hungary, the share of online shoppers grew significantly between 2010 and 2024. 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 ** percent by 2024. In comparison, less than ** 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 2024, e-commerce sales accounted for ** percent of enterprises’ revenue, compared to ** 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 ** percent. By 2024, the e-commerce share in retail trade decreased to **** 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 ** 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.

Online Shopping Market Outlook

The global online shopping market size was valued at approximately $4.9 trillion in 2023 and is projected to reach around $9.9 trillion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2% during the forecast period. One of the primary growth factors driving this market is the increasing penetration of internet connectivity and smartphones, which has made online shopping more accessible to a wider audience worldwide.

Several factors contribute to the growth of the online shopping market. Firstly, convenience plays a significant role. Consumers can shop from the comfort of their homes, avoiding long lines and crowds typically found in physical stores. This convenience is particularly appealing to busy professionals, parents, and those who live in remote areas with limited access to brick-and-mortar stores. Additionally, the availability of 24/7 shopping options and the ability to easily compare prices across different platforms further enhances the appeal of online shopping.

Another critical driver of market growth is the extensive range of products available online. From everyday essentials to luxury items, online platforms offer a diverse array of products, often at competitive prices. The integration of advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning has also enhanced the online shopping experience by providing personalized recommendations based on past purchases and browsing behavior. This level of customization not only improves customer satisfaction but also boosts sales for retailers.

The rise of e-commerce platforms and the digital transformation of traditional retail businesses have also fueled market growth. Companies are increasingly adopting omnichannel strategies that integrate their online and offline operations to provide a seamless shopping experience. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards online shopping, as consumers turned to e-commerce platforms for their shopping needs due to lockdowns and social distancing measures. This shift is expected to have a lasting impact, with many consumers likely to continue preferring online shopping even post-pandemic.

Regionally, North America and Europe have traditionally dominated the online shopping market due to high internet penetration and a well-established e-commerce infrastructure. However, Asia Pacific is emerging as a significant growth region, driven by rapid urbanization, rising disposable incomes, and an expanding middle-class population. Countries like China and India are witnessing exponential growth in e-commerce activities, supported by government initiatives to promote digital transactions and the proliferation of affordable smartphones.

Product Category Analysis

In the online shopping market, the product category segment is diverse, encompassing various types of goods that consumers can purchase online. Among these, electronics remain one of the most popular categories, driven by the continuous innovation in consumer electronics and the increasing demand for gadgets like smartphones, laptops, and smart home devices. The convenience of comparing features and prices and reading user reviews online has made electronics a staple in the online shopping realm.

The fashion category also commands a significant share of the online shopping market. With the rise of fast fashion and the influence of social media, consumers are increasingly turning to online platforms for clothing, footwear, and accessories. The availability of trendy and affordable fashion options, along with the ease of returns and exchanges, has made online fashion shopping extremely popular. Additionally, personalized recommendations and virtual try-on features are enhancing the shopping experience, driving further growth in this segment.

Home and kitchen products are another vital segment in the online shopping market. From furniture and home decor to kitchen appliances and utensils, consumers find a wide range of options online. The ability to read detailed product descriptions, view images, and compare prices has made online shopping a preferred choice for home and kitchen items. Seasonal sales and discounts offered by e-commerce platforms also attract a large number of buyers in this segment.

Health and beauty products have seen a surge in online sales, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when physical stores faced restrictions. Consumers are increasingly purchasing skincare, cosmetics, personal care products, and health supplements online due to

Online shopping has become a way of life. Once considered a novelty, much like the internet itself, the online shopping phenomenon has surpassed business and consumer expectations. It has evolved and expanded rapidly, with escalating internet and broadband uptake and changing consumer attitudes helping online shopping become a mainstream retail avenue. Greater investment in online platforms to advance website navigation, enhance security and improve delivery is fuelling a shift in consumer buying habits towards online shopping. The pandemic brought retail trading in Australia to a standstill, with lockdown periods and restrictions leading to a surge in online shopping sales. As consumers jumped online at breakneck speed, the online market was flooded with new entrants and businesses ramped up their digital sales capabilities to keep up with demand. Despite the hype and surge in sales, challenging trading conditions in the post-pandemic environment have eroded some of the earlier gains. Strong inflation and rising interest rates have combined to create a cost-of-living crisis, with consumers reassessing their online spending habits in the face of tightening purse strings. Nonetheless, revenue is anticipated to have grown at an annualised 7.4% over the five years through 2024-25 and is expected to total $58.0 billion in the current year, when revenue is set to climb by an estimated 5.2%. Going forwards, online shopping revenue is forecast to climb at an annualised 6.5% through the end of 2029-30 to total a projected $79.4 billion, aided by continued consumer demand. Greater digital connectivity will allow consumers to shop anywhere and anytime, with advances in augmented reality opening new doors for online retailers. Strong revenue prospects will entice more bricks-and-mortar retailers to launch online stores to complement their physical store network, while many online retailers will open shopfronts and flagship stores, blurring the lines between the two. Escalating competition, particularly from international low-cost retailers like Temu and Shein, will limit growth in profitability.

Internet sales have played an increasingly significant role in retailing. In 2024, e-commerce accounted for over ** percent of retail sales worldwide. Forecasts indicate that by 2029, the online segment will make up close to over ** 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 ************** U.S. dollars, a figure expected to exceed **** 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 ** percent having made a weekly mobile purchase. South Korea, Taiwan, and the Philippines completed the top of the ranking.

The Online Shopping industry in China is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.8% over the past five years through 2025. This trend includes anticipated growth of 15.4% in the current year. The industry's rapid growth can be attributed to the rising popularity of ecommerce in China and online businesses continuously developing their services. Additionally, the number of mobile internet users has greatly increased over the past five years, as mobile internet services have continued to develop, boosting the industry's performance.Most products are sold at lower prices in online shops than in brick-and-mortar stores. As a result, more individuals have turned to online shopping to meet many of their everyday needs. The convenience of online shopping, which includes no location limitations, instantaneous services and improving logistics, has also led many consumers to forgo shopping in traditional bricks-and-mortar stores. Furthermore, constantly improving living standards and increasing disposable incomes have increased internet access across the population.The industry is forecast to continue expanding and will account for a greater proportion of total retail sales over the next five years. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China had over 1.1 billion internet users as of December 2024, representing approximately 78.7% of the population. As industry services improve and more individuals connect to the internet, the industry is projected to record stable growth over the next five years. Overall, industry revenue is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 12.9% over the next five years through 2030.

This dataset provides insights into eCommerce shopping preferences and trends among UK adults in 2024. The findings are derived from data collected from a sample of 2,017 UK adults regarding their shopping habits and influencing factors.Furthermore, hundreds of thousands online searches were analysed to collate the most up-to-date statistics.

These are the top reasons why people choose to shop online today. If you aren’t offering free shipping on your ecommerce store, it might be time to think about adding it.

This statistic shows the penetration rate of online shopping in China from 2014 to 2024. As of 2024, around **** percent of internet users in China had shopped online, up from around **** percent a year ago.

Spain was the country with the highest return rate of online retail purchases in 2023 according to aggregate data of the Mastercard Economic Institute. In 2023, Spaniards returned a quarter of e-commerce retail purchases, while Germans returned over 20 percent, more than doubling their return rate from 2019.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As of the second quarter of 2022, the e-commerce site conversion rate decreased as the screen size got smaller. In all regions studied, online shopper conversion was highest on desktop devices, followed by tablets, and finally mobile phones.

According to a survey in 2024, all respondents between 20 and 29 years in had purchased goods and services (including making reservations) over the internet within the last year in South Korea. Gmarket lost to domestic competitorsIn January 2025, Coupang was found to be one of the online shopping website with the highest reach in PC, overtaking the former long-standing market leader Gmarket. Gmarket was founded in 2000 by Interpark and became a subsidiary of eBay in 2009. Goods on the website are sold to both national and international customers. The website functions as an online marketplace, as Gmarket does not handle goods nor payment. Since then, Coupang and Naver have become the leading e-commerce platforms.Mobile shoppingOne of the main reasons why South Korean consumers prefer online shopping is the convenience it offers. With the high usage rate of smartphones throughout the country, it is unsurprising that mobile shopping has established among South Korean users. According to a survey, around 37 percent of mobile shoppers have installed around 4 to 6 mobile shopping apps on their smartphones.

As of December 31, 2024, the add-to-cart rate (ATC) of global online shoppers was highest for smartphones, at approximately 14.1 percent. Desktops recorded the lowest AOT rate compared to mobile devices, at roughly nine percent. The average ATC for e-commerce was about 12.6 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.