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.

In 2025, the number of annual online shoppers in India was estimated to be approximately *** million. This was a significant increase compared to the previous year. The number of shoppers is likely to increase to around *** by 2030.

In the first quarter 2025, the share of e-commerce in total U.S. retail sales stood at **** percent, up from the previous quarter. From January to March 2025, retail e-commerce sales in the United States hit over *** billion U.S. dollars, the highest quarterly revenue in history. How e-commerce measures up in total U.S. retail In 2024, the reported total value of retail e-commerce sales in the United States amounted to over ****trillion U.S. dollars—impressive, but the figure pales compared to the total annual retail trade value of ******trillion U.S. dollars. Rising e-commerce segments Online shopping is popular among all age groups, though digital purchases are most common among Millennial internet users. In 2022, around ** percent of Millennials purchased items via the internet. Mobile commerce is also growing in popularity, as consumers increasingly rely on their smartphones and mobile apps for shopping activities. In the fourth quarter of 2022, m-commerce spending made up ** percent of the overall online spending in the United States.

According to estimates, Amazon claimed the top spot among online retailers in the United States in 2023, capturing 37.6 percent of the market. Second place was occupied by the e-commerce site of the retail chain Walmart, with a 6.4 percent market share, followed in third place by Apple, with 3.6 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.

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.

According to a survey carried out in Canada, Mexico, and the United States in 2022, ** percent of shoppers considered brands' sustainable business practices an important aspect in their online shopping experience. In turn, only ** percent of respondents from North America considered sustainable products very or somewhat important. A similar gap in the perception of business practices versus products was observed in Europe. On the contrary, respondents from Middle Eastern countries were much more interested in the sustainability of products, when shopping online from a brand.

According to a survey, there is a correlation between consumer age and the prevalence of cross-border purchases. The data showed that the younger the consumer, the greater the likelihood of cross-border shopping. In 2022, six out of ten Gen Z shoppers (18 to 24 years old) had already made cross-border orders, followed by millennials at ** percent, Gen X at ** percent, and boomers at ** percent.

In a February 2022 survey, the ability to shop at any time was the most mentioned benefit of e-commerce among consumers worldwide. Almost half of respondents preferred this channel because of its flexibility. Better prices was the second main advantage of shopping online, with almost **** in *** of the answers.

According to a survey conducted across the Middle East and North Africa region, around ** percent of respondents in 2022 purchased products or services online. This indicated a growth from ** percent reported in 2018.

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 August 2022, consumers in the United States planned to spend the highest share on online shopping in the electronics category at ** percent, followed by the clothing and footwear category at ** percent. In contrast, the survey respondents would allocate only ** percent of their expenditure to online groceries.

A survey from 2022 indicated that European consumers were more concerned about the environmental footprint of e-commerce than U.S. shoppers. Over *** in *** German respondents believed online shopping to be a problem for the environment and ** percent of Spanish consumers had the same opinion, followed by Austrian and French shoppers at ** and ** percent, respectively.

According to a 2022 survey on e-commerce consumers in Malaysia, the largest distribution of e-commerce users in the country belonged to respondents below the age of 20 years old, with **** percent. In general, the majority of online shoppers in Malaysia were Gen Z and Millenials.

During the survey period spanning from July 2022 to December 2024, consumers spent the most on online purchases during the month of May 2024. That month, online shoppers spent an average of ***** U.S. dollars. In December 2024, the average order value decreased to ****** U.S. dollars.

This statistic presents the number of online shoppers in Saudi Arabia from 2016 to 2018, with estimates from 2019 to 2022. In 2018, the number of online shoppers amounted to **** million, compared to **** million in the previous year. It was estimated that the number of online shoppers would experience a vast increase by 2022, reaching **** million.

As of January 2022, mobile commerce accounted for nearly ********** (**** percent) of all global e-commerce retail sales. Asia Pacific exceeded this proportion, where mobile sales represented about ***** out of every ten digital sales. As can be seen in this graph, the use of mobile devices for online shopping was more prevalent in regions of the global south.

What is the market share of online shopping in Europe? Within the EU-27, ** percent of consumers aged 16 to 74 years used e-commerce at least once in 2022. The country with the highest e-commerce penetration was Norway, with around ** percent of its people purchasing goods or services online. Percentages were different among the European countries, though. In Germany, for example, ** percent of consumers used e-commerce, whereas these values reached ** percent in Hungary and ** percent in Albania. E-commerce revenue in Europe is expected to reach ***** billion U.S. dollars in 2027. Amazon seems to be one of the drivers behind e-commerce in Europe… Amazon has a presence in some of Europe’s larger countries, such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, with its online store and its membership Amazon Prime. Amazon’s Europe division is headquartered in Luxembourg. Amazon EU S.à r.l. reached a revenue of roughly **** billion euros in 2022. … as well as language. Language also seems to play a part in online shopping behavior. Consumers from Austria, Belgium, and France had the most cross-border e-ecommerce purchases of European countries in 2022. Belgian consumers, for example, tended to visit the French and English domains from Amazon. As the web shop is not present in the country, Belgians visit the foreign domains or web stores in their language. Countries like Germany and Poland, both with a strongly developed domestic e-commerce market and in their own language, saw less cross-border purchases.

In 2023, livestreaming commerce sales in the United States reached an estimated ** billion U.S. dollars. Referred to as live commerce, shopping via online streams on social networks is gaining popularity globally. Forecasts indicate that by 2026, sales from live online shopping will grow by ** percent, making up more than **** percent of all e-commerce sales in the North American country. The global landscape According to a survey, frequent users in the United States attended fewer live commerce shows compared to China, Latin America, and Europe in 2022. U.S. consumers may not participate in as many live commerce events as in other regions, but when they do, they bring their purchasing power with them. The average annual spending per frequent live commerce user in the U.S. surpassed that of Europe and matched that of Latin America, highlighting the potential of this emerging trend. China, known as the epicenter of live shopping, continues to lead both in attendance and spending. Why livestream shopping? The increasing popularity of live commerce can be attributed to various factors. According to consumers worldwide, the main benefits of live commerce include access to exclusive discounts, inspiration, and ideas, as well as the ability to make smarter, more informed purchase decisions. However, livestream shopping isn't just about scoring great deals; it's also about having fun. Entertainment plays a significant role in attracting consumers to participate in livestream shopping. That is especially true for younger age groups, who value real-time interaction and personalized experiences, which Gen Z consumers see as a major advantage.

According to a 2022 global survey, millennials were the generation that made the highest number of direct purchases on online marketplaces. Over the six months leading up to the study, around ** percent of millennials bought from marketplaces. Gen Z online shoppers secured the second position, with ** percent of them opting to order goods directly from this channel.

In 2022, the number of e-commerce users in Vietnam recorded around ** million, indicating a year-on-year growth since 2018. That year, Vietnam's e-commerce market value reached approximately **** billion U.S. dollars.