According to a survey published in January 2021, more than 40 percent of online shoppers in the United States purchased online once or twice a week. In addition, nearly a quarter of respondents in the North American country reported shopping once every two weeks.

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.

According to a survey conducted in India between 2020 and 2021, ** percent of the online retail spending was from urban regions of the South Asian country in 2021. However, ** percent of online shoppers were estimated to be from rural areas by 2030.

In 2021, an estimated ** percent of shoppers in the United States had visited both physical outlets and online stores in the past 12 months. In other words, U.S. consumers were shopping equal amounts offline and online that year. Leading the list was the baby boomer generation: in the past year, approximately ** percent of boomers had shopped for products on the web.

During a 2021 survey, a total of ****** consumers from ** global markets were asked why they choose to shop online. The most frequently stated reason was the ease of shopping at any time of day, mentioned by ** percent of respondents. On the other hand, around half of the global consumers surveyed said they chose to shop over the internet because it is more convenient than going to a physical store.

In September 2020, a survey found that ** percent of respondents in the United States had been buying household supplies online before the coronavirus pandemic. After COVID-19, there was an expected ** percentage point increase in consumers buying these home items online. The same survey was conducted in February 2021 and it revealed that spending intentions decreased across many categories. Fitness and wellness, groceries, personal care products, and household supplies were among the few segments where post-COVID-19 growth was still expected. The change is real The coronavirus pandemic has upended lives worldwide, from how we work to shop and socialize, in general. In a survey published in March 2021, U.S consumers were asked about the important attributes of shopping online, among which the most chosen answers were faster delivery and in-stock availability. However, the share of consumers that shopped online for the first time is relatively minimal. For instance, only ****percent of German and Japanese respondents had never purchased online before 2020. Shopping online more than ever The e-commerce purchase frequency has also changed. In the U.S., over ** percent of respondents mentioned that their household goods online purchasing cycle had increased compared to one month previously. In terms of traffic and reach, food and groceries, home and garden, and sports and outdoors were the fastest-growing e-commerce categories worldwide.

Over the past pandemic year, a significant number of consumers in the United Kingdom (UK) have reported changes in their online shopping behavior. Specifically, in March 2020, about ** percent of UK shoppers said they had been shopping more online, compared to before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. By February 2021, however, this percentage had grown to approximately ** percent. By the same token, offline shopping has decreased over the analyzed period.

The United Kingdom is the leading market in Europe when it comes to online shopping. In 2021, the revenue of e-commerce in the United Kingdom reached a total of 129 billion British pounds. This figure is almost 15 percent up from the 112.7 billion British pounds in 2020, and over triple the revenue of UK e-commerce in 2015.

Leading e-commerce sectors According to the most recent e-commerce activity reports issued by the Office for National Statistics, non-store retailing done online, followed by textile, clothing, and footwear sales were the two sectors with the highest shares of retail e-commerce sales. Internet sales in Great Britain accounted for 92.6 percent of non-store retail, and over 26 percent of textile, clothing and footwear sales.

Sales value trends

Following the spike in e-commerce growth in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, internet retail sales were up 10.8 percent in 2021 compared to 2020, which had seen a much higher increase, at 47 percent. By the month, internet retail sales dropped by 20 percent as of January 2022. This decrease is likely due to UK shoppers re-adopting in-store shopping.

In 2020, a noticeable spike in online shopping habits had been recorded across Europe, with many consumers from different countries stating that they had started e-shopping more due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In 2021, most of the same countries saw an increase in the number of people who said they bought on the web more due to the crisis. In Spain, for example, more than half of surveyed consumers said they shopped online more often in 2021, an increase of about ***** percent compared to the previous year.

Since 2021, the number of online shoppers in Uruguay has increased. In 2021, 40 percent of Uruguayans did not buy online, and in 2024 this figure decreased to 32 percent. According to the source, over ten percent of Uruguayans purchased products online more than 12 times a year in 2024. In the same year, the most common shopping frequency in the South American country was between two and eleven times a year.

The displayed data on increased online shopping due to covid-19 by category shows results of the Global Consumer Survey conducted in the United States in 2021. Some ** percent of respondents answered the question "You indicated you ordered more online during the COVID-19/Corona pandemic than before. In which of the following categories did you order more online than before? (multi-pick)" with "Clothing".

In 2021, individuals in the Netherlands with a high formal education bought fashion items online the most (74 percent). By comparison, 67 percent of consumers with medium formal education levels purchased clothes, shoes, and accessories online. Nearly 50 percent of individuals with no or low formal education had the same purchase behavior.

According to a 2021 survey, ** percent of global online shoppers bought from overseas and local retailers. Among the countries analyzed, Mexico had the highest share of digital buyers who order from both types of merchants, at ** percent. In turn, online shoppers from the United States and the United Kingdom mainly purchased on local websites, with ** percent of respondents reporting this, respectively.

According to a survey among Chinese consumers in March 2021, around ** percent of respondents said the ability to see an extended range of stock compared to physical stores was a significant feature of their online shopping experience. Consumers have mentioned two other important benefits of online shopping: the ability to quickly and conveniently navigate online, with ** percent of respondents approving and the good return policy, accounting for ** percent of respondents.

Online shopping sales across India amounted to around ** billion U.S. dollars in 2021. The e-commerce market is likely to grow to over *** billion U.S. dollars by 2025. The e-commerce market in India is the fastest-growing market in the world. Online retail segments In fiscal year 2017, the retail market was led by electronics with a penetration rate of about ** percent. However, in terms of groceries, local offline vendors or kiranas continued to be the preferred choice for daily groceries due the ease of bargaining and benefitting from the ‘old-customer’ designation with extra rations as a gesture from the vendor. Nevertheless, the number of online shoppers in the country was estimated to increase to over *** million in 2025, up from around ** million in 2017. Impact of COVID-19 on the marketThe coronavirus outbreak in March 2020 caused a surge in prices across e-commerce platforms. Panic purchasing resulted in the shortage of sanitary and food items online as well as in physical stores across the country. As the online consumption continued to increase, unscrupulous sellers jacked up the prices on certain items. Amazon and Flipkart, the two e-commerce market leaders in India urged sellers and even blocked certain products to exercise responsible pricing. Manufacturers increased production in order to keep up with the supply of fast-moving items. With the uncertainty surrounding the impact of COVID-19, manufacturers and retailers will presumably have to work in unison to keep track of an unprecedented demand and supply scenario.

In 2021, around ** percent of respondents who were students had shopped online in Thailand. The COVID-19 pandemic had led to students studying at home and thus require more learning equipment through online shopping.

A league table of the 120 cryptocurrencies with the highest market cap reveals how diverse each crypto is and potentially how much risk is involved when investing in one. Bitcoin (BTC), for instance, had a so-called "high cap" - a market cap worth more than 10 billion U.S. dollars - indicating this crypto project has a certain track record or, at the very least, is considered a major player in the cryptocurrency space. This is different in Decentralize Finance (DeFi), where Bitcoin is only a relatively new player. A concentrated market The number of existing cryptocurrencies is several thousands, even if most have a limited significance. Indeed, Bitcoin and Ethereum account for nearly 75 percent of the entire crypto market capitalization. As crypto is relatively easy to create, the range of projects varies significantly - from improving payments to solving real-world issues, but also meme coins and more speculative investments. Crypto is not considered a payment method While often talked about as an investment vehicle, cryptocurrencies have not yet established a clear use case in day-to-day life. Central bankers found that usefulness of crypto in domestic payments or remittances to be negligible. A forecast for the world's main online payment methods took a similar stance: It predicts that cryptocurrency would only take up 0.2 percent of total transaction value by 2027.

China’s Generation Z has become the primary driver of the country’s e-commerce growth in recent years. In November 2021, more than ** percent of China’s new e-commerce users were Generation Z.
China’s Gen-Z online population A generation born as digital natives, Gen Z in China showed a strong attachment to the internet from an early age. As of September 2021, the monthly active Gen-Z mobile internet users surpassed *** million. The internet has become a significant means for expressing themselves and making connections. In a 2020 survey, more than ** percent of Gen-Z respondents named online shopping and online gaming as their hobbies.

Gen-Z online shoppers When it comes to shopping, e-commerce had overtaken brick-and-mortar stores to be Gen-Z’s favorite in China. Nearly ** percent of China’s Gen-Z shopped primarily online, and another ** percent used hybrid channels. Mobile Taobao, JD.com, and Pinduoduo were the leading online shopping platforms for China’s Gen-Z consumers.

From April to June 2025, U.S. retail e-commerce sales amounted to roughly *** billion U.S. dollars, marking a small decrease compared to the previous quarter. Overall, retail e-commerce sales outdid the quarterly sales records registered in 2020. E-commerce in the post-pandemic era During the second quarter of 2020, as COVID-19 spread across the globe, the U.S.'s quarterly e-commerce revenue reached *** billion for the first time in history. In 2021, online retail sales account for**** percent of total retail in the United States. Clothing and accessories, including footwear, is one of the largest B2C e-commerce merchandise categories. Retail e-commerce sales in the United States are estimated from samples used for the Monthly Retail Trade Survey and exclude online travel services, ticket sales agencies, and financial brokers. Latest trend? Quick commerce Shoppers expect fast delivery of their purchases, especially when it comes to grocery products. This segment of the e-commerce industry goes under quick commerce and is expected to generate increasing revenue in the next years. Major quick commerce companies like Instacart or Uber Eat operate in the United States, where the quick commerce market is forecast to hit nearly ** billion U.S. dollars by 2027.

According to a survey conducted among Vietnamese households in 2021, e-commerce platforms were the most preferred online shopping channels, as suggested by ** percent of respondents. The same survey also revealed that social commerce via social media was also popular among respondents in the country.