18 Amazing Online Shopping Statistics 2024

Due to the quick access to services and products it offers to its customers, online shopping is the new craze the world over. In fact, it has already become a multi-billion dollar industry.

So, if you are the owner of an online store, or feel like starting your own online business, here is a selection of online shopping statistics to give you the necessary information for your marketing approach. These stats provide an important clue to understanding the far-reaching effect of online shopping as well as the habits of your potential customers.

To get started, let us take a look at the online shopping stats you must know in 2021:

Online Shopping Facts at a Glance

• The market size of online shopping is estimated to touch 4 trillion this year.
• The world has nearly 1.92 billion online buyers (as of 2019).
• The US alone has as many as 69% of online shoppers.
• The world has as many as 12-24 million online or ecommerce stores today.
• An average ecommerce site earns nearly $330,000 in monthly revenue by the end of 12 months in business.
• 61% of online shoppers go for fashion products.
• 72% of women shop online as compared to 68% of men.
• In 2019, retail ecommerce sales throughout the world amounted to $3.53 trillion.
• By 2040, over 95% of all purchases will be made online.

2021’s Online Sales Statistics You Need to Know

Let us begin by highlighting some of the remarkable statistics on online shopping, which show that online shopping is emerging as the preferred choice for a majority of shoppers the world over.

1. The market size of online shopping is estimated to approach 4 trillion this year.

(OptinMonster)

Can you believe this?

The latest stats on online shopping reveal that online shopping has claimed a large chunk of the total market. It also reveals the growing interest of people in shopping online due to the numerous benefits it offers.

2. Globally, retail e-commerce sales are said to be around $3.53 trillion and revenues for e-retail are estimated to go up to $6.54 trillion.

(Statista)

You guessed it right. These figures are a clear indication of the changing dynamics of online shopping growth statistics. It means more and more people are moving away from in-store shopping and moving towards online shopping.

No wonder people prefer shopping from the comfort of their homes by using their mobile phones to get whatever they want, without having to go anywhere. Incredible, isn’t it? No wonder that the whole world seems to be head-over-heels in love with online shopping.

Online shopping makes our life easier, but it comes with certain risks like ecommerce shopping frauds.
According to the statistics, in 2017 online shopping frauds grew at a rate of 30%.

3. California makes an amazing 13.3% of total online spending in the US by state.

(Business Insider)

Looking at the online spending habits of people living in different US states, we get a clear view of the online shopping statistics by state.

Jirafe, an analytics firm, conducted research on 97 million Americans between August 2011 and August 2012 who engaged in online shopping. The gathered online shopping statistics showed that thinly populated states like Hawaii, Alaska, and Wyoming registered higher online purchasing.

This is probably due to the increased distance between larger stores and residential areas making people opt for online shopping.

4. A significant surge in e-retail sales is expected for the year 2021.

(Oberlo)

Even now, looking at the online shopping statistics by year, we can clearly see that online shopping is in for an impressive increase.

For instance, the projected figures for e-retail sales globally for the year 2021 point out the growth of up to $4.8 trillion as opposed to the global e-retail sales of $2.8 trillion in the year 2018.

Love shopping online? Then that’s good news!

Global Online Shopping Statistics

We talked about online shopping stats and their growth in the last few years. Now let us focus on some particular facts with regard to online shoppers, online stores in different parts of the world, and the interest in online shopping as well as online shopping habits of people worldwide and in the US.

5. The world has nearly 1.92 billion online buyers (as of 2019).

(OptinMonster)

With online shopping growing at an amazingly fast rate, it comes as no surprise that there are nearly 1.92 billion online buyers, as the figures for the year 2019 reveal.

6. The US alone has as many as 69% of online shoppers and out of these, around 25% love to shop online not less than once every month.

(OptinMonster)

So, what is the percentage of online shoppers in the US?

According to estimates, nearly 69% of Americans reportedly indulged in online shopping. Who doesn’t love to get things delivered to one’s doorstep with a simple click?

Don’t you?

7. The US is the world’s biggest online-spending nation if you keep in mind the average amount spent by every online shopper ($1,804 in 2015).

(World Atlas)

Do you know which country buys online most? Well, as per the figures for the year 2015, the average online shopper in the US spent nearly $1,804, making the US the country that buys most online in terms of money spent.

Moreover, Americans also spend a large percentage of their time (nearly 5 hours every week) on online shopping.

We can all agree that online shopping has now become an integral part of Americans’ lives.

8. The US had around 209.6 million online shoppers in the year 2016.

(Statista)

Living in a world dominated by the internet, online shopping is a hit among people.

So, how many online shoppers are there in the United States? The answer is—a whopping 209.6 million Americans. Yes, that’s right. It seems that Americans simply love shopping online. At least, that’s what the figures suggest.

The data for the year 2016 reveals that the above-stated number of people in the US searched for products and purchased merchandise online at least once.

Kudos to online shopping!

9. The world has as many as 12-24 million online stores today.

(Quora)

Have you ever asked yourself, how many online stores are there in the world?

Well, as per the sources, there are nearly 12-24 million online stores involved in selling products in the world.

That’s a lot!

And social media is the perfect place for your online business, as there are 3.5 billion active users on social media today.

10. An average ecommerce site earns nearly $330,000 in monthly revenue by the end of 12 months in business.

(RJMetrics blog)

Are you interested in having your own ecommerce site but wondering, how much does the average ecommerce site make?

As per the data for the year 2015, at three months, an ecommerce site generates roughly around $150,000 revenue on average in a month.

But don’t despair. By the end of 12 months, an average ecommerce website averages around $330,000 monthly in terms of revenue. Now that’s something wonderful!

11. As many as 61% of people shopped for fashion-related products while shopping online.

(Nielsen)

Alright, so what do people buy online?

Interestingly, the top-selling product in the world of online shopping is, as you undoubtedly guessed, fashion items.

Fashion is the king of online sales. That’s the reason why 61% of online shoppers go for fashion products.

Online Shopping Deals

We shall begin with some amazing general online shopping statistics, that reveal the shopping habits of women and millennials. You’ll get to know about the role of incentives like coupons in making online shopping a definite favorite among people!

12. Millennial online shopping figures are likely to account for 30% of total retail sales this year.

(Business 2 Community)

Believe it or not, but millennial online shopping trends continue to impact the US economy and the world in a significant manner.

Millennials’ online shopping statistics for the year 2020 show that millennials are expected to account for around 30% of total retail sales. This equals $1.4 trillion in terms of sales.

Wow!

13. The percentage of female online shoppers is estimated to be 72% (in 2018).

(OptinMonster)

When it comes to online shopping, women are slightly ahead of men.

In spite of the stereotype that women love shopping and that they love to shop till they drop, men are not far behind.

Looking at the figures showing the latest female online shopping statistics (for the year 2018) you can see that 72% of women shop online as compared to 68% of men.

Not such a huge difference, actually.

14. Nearly 30% of millennials love using coupons for shopping.

(Valassis)

Are coupons still used as a way to lure potential customers?

Is couponing slowing or still growing? Any ideas?

The latest online coupon statistics will give us a clear picture.

As per the 2019 Coupon Intelligence Report by Valassis, around 30% of millennials make use of coupons. Moreover, around 50% of shoppers preferred getting coupons in their mail.

15. More than 90% of all consumers are reported to have used coupons in the year 2019.

(Valassis)

Well, shoppers are still fond of receiving special offers and coupons for shopping. And it really does not matter whether they get them by mail or receive digital /mobile coupons.

So, can you tell how many people use coupons to shop online? In the year 2019, at least 90% of all consumers have made use of coupons in one way or another. In that same year, shoppers redeemed around 31 billion digital coupons globally.

Online Shopping vs In-Store Shopping: Stats & Facts

To wrap it up, let’s look at the raw numbers on how online shopping compares to in-store shopping in 2021. What’s the current state of ecommerce sales? How many of us prefer going to the store or ordering online? Let’s find out.

16. The number of ecommerce sales globally was $3.53 trillion in 2019.

(Statista)

Retail is among the most popular activities conducted online globally. Now that brings us to some curious facts from online retail statistics.

Well, here we go. Retail ecommerce sales throughout the world amounted to $3.53 trillion in the year 2019.

That’s not all. In the year 2022, it is projected to reach $6.54 trillion.

17. When considering online shopping versus in-store shopping, nearly 51% opt for online shopping while the remaining 49% prefer going to the store for shopping.

(FreightPros)

There is no denying the fact that online shopping has put the whole world under its spell – just on Black Friday, people spend entire billions via online shopping.

Nonetheless, the latest shopping online vs in-store statistics reveal that while nearly 51% of Americans choose online shopping, 49% show a preference for in-store shopping.

18. In spite of the rising online shopping statistics, people still leave around 64% of their shopping money in stores.

(FreightPros)

No doubt, online shopping is growing. Still, looking at the online shopping vs in-store shopping statistics, you can see that 64% of people’s shopping money is spent by them in stores as compared to 36% on online shopping.

Both online shopping and in-store shopping are used by shoppers the world over and perhaps it is not a matter of who wins. It’s a matter of preference and convenience, and most of us end up shopping both in-store and online.

Wrap Up

Whether you’re behind the counter or in front of it, whether you prefer a walk to the store or order from your couch, online shopping statistics in 2021 are clear – online consumers are here to stay. Ecommerce trends are staggering when it comes to projected sales in the years to come. If you currently run or plan to open an online store, now is a great time to do so. Between customer demand and the availability of talented freelancers able to help you build and market your store, there is no excuse to not get started.

We hope we managed to paint the online sales picture in 2021 as clear as day for you.

Happy shopping!