People have been talking about the migration toward online shopping for a while, but the past two years have really accelerated the number of purchases consumers make online.
There’s no doubt that today’s landscape is far different than it was a few years ago.
In this article, we’ll list important online shopping statistics for 2022, which reflect some of the greatest shifts in online behavior since the progression of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s a list of the most recent online shopping statistics.
Let’s break down some general online consumer shopping statistics.
(Source: Statista)
As more internet users are starting to rely on online shopping due to the pandemic, this figure is projected to grow to 291.2 million in 2025.
(Source: Statista)
E-retail, also known as electronic retailing, refers to the direct sale of products, services, and information over the internet. E-retail sales are projected to reach 21.8% of all retail sales in 2024.
(Source: Statista)
In 2021, China was set to account for more than 50% of the world’s total online retail sales. The United States ranked second with a 19% share of sales.
(Source: Statista)
This statistic shows that online clothing and accessory shopping is more popular among females than males in Great Britain. However, regarding purchasing electronic devices such as computers, 27% of men bought items in this category compared to 21% of women.
(Source: Statista)
Compared to men, more female consumers liked other online stores such as Etsy and Target, while more men gravitated towards eBay.
Like shopping on eBay? Here are some great 2022 eBay coupons for amazing deals.
(Source: Statista)
eCommerce sites in Argentina had the highest sales growth rate. Canada came in second with a 75% growth rate, and Singapore came in third with a 73.6% growth rate.
(Source: Statista)
Furthermore, nearly a quarter of North American online shoppers purchased items online once every two weeks.
(Source: Statista)
Revenue from online shopping in the United States was estimated at $768 billion in 2021. With the rising number of online shoppers, that number is predicted to grow by another $562 billion by 2025.
Now, let’s have a look at some mobile shopping statistics.
(Source: Statista)
Mobile Commerce, also known as m-Commerce, refers to purchasing items online through a mobile device, including mobile phones and tablets. This means that almost 3/4 of eCommerce sales were generated via mobile devices.
(Source: Statista)
This signifies a massive increase in m-Commerce sales over the past few years, with a $2.59 trillion increase from 2016 to 2021.
(Source: EpiServer)
This is a slight (8.7%) increase from the 23% of people who used their phones to research products online in 2019.
(Source: EpiServer)
It’s clear that smartphones are the preferred device amongst online shoppers, which is why it’s vital for businesses in the eCommerce market to optimize their sites for mobile traffic.
(Source: EpiServer)
Millennials are people who fall into the age group of 25 to 41. Additionally, 48% of Gen Z consumers use their smartphones to shop online, and only 18% of baby boomers do the same.
Next, let’s break down some online shopping technology and feature statistics.
(Source: Statista)
Hassle-free shopping, lower prices, round-the-clock availability, and more extensive product ranges are also seen as some of the main reasons people shop online.
(Source: Statista)
In contrast, only 17% of U.S. online shoppers and 25% of U.K. online shoppers prefer using payment services.
(Source: Statista)
In addition to debit and credit card purchases, 89% of these shops also offer American Express as a payment method. PayPal and Discover can also be found amongst the top five payment methods used in the U.S.
(Source: EpiServer)
Online shopping on social media platforms is known as Social Commerce. The number of people purchasing directly from social media increased by 10% from 2019 to 2020.
Learn more about social shopping.
(Source: Statista)
9% of respondents said that they already had AI chatbots implemented in their sites. One of the main benefits of AI chatbots is that it offers customers 24-hour service.
(Source: Statista)
As voice assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, are becoming more popular, it’s no surprise that the use of voice assistants saw an increase of close to 10% from 2018 to 2021.
(Source: Statista)
Additionally, 86% of Generation X consumers said the same. This statistic strongly suggests that U.S. consumers would be more likely to purchase from an online store if they were offered a coupon or discount.
(Source: Statista)
The shopping app generated 19 million downloads from Android users. Coming in second after Meesho Online Shopping was SHEIN with around 12 million downloads.
(Source: Statista)
Because of this, it’s become increasingly important for eCommerce businesses to include product reviews on their sites — both for old and new products. This way, digital marketing efforts will be much easier, as reviews will help to attract existing customers and first-time buyers alike.
Now, let’s break down some cart abandonment statistics.
(Source: Statista)
Abandoned shopping carts exist when consumers add certain items into their online carts, but they don’t go through with the purchase during the checkout process. As seen with this stat, most online shoppers abandon their carts.
(Source: Statista)
One of the main reasons for high cart abandonment rates in the automotive industry could be that consumers aren’t able to see the product physically, which could deter their purchase.
(Source: Baymard)
Furthermore, 24% of consumers abandon their carts because the online store wants them to create an account before checkout.
(Source: Baymard)
As such, it’s in eCommerce businesses’ and online retailers’ best interest to invest in quality website design to guarantee that the entire website offers a seamless user experience from start to finish.
(Source: Statista)
Additionally, roughly 25% of shoppers who abandoned their carts purchased the same item from a different online retailer.
Now, let’s break down some online shopping statistics related to COVID-19.
(Source: GWI Commerce Flagship Report)
Furthermore, 25% of these online shoppers delayed purchasing luxury items, and 30% delayed the purchase of flights.
(Source: Statista)
In March 2020, 40% of U.K. consumers said that they had been shopping more online during the pandemic. This number reached 75% by February 2021.
(Source: Statista)
In September 2020, during the pandemic, 26% of U.S. people were doing online grocery shopping. This means that people continue to buy household items online even after COVID-19.
(Source: GWI Commerce Flagship Report)
This indicates that people were willing to wait longer for their purchased items if it saved them money on shipping costs and other delivery fees.
Finally, let’s break down some statistics that have to do with holidays.
(Source: Queue-It)
Health and beauty retailers took second place, with 16% of their website traffic coming during the holiday season. Home appliances, food and drug, and apparel and accessories all took third place with 7% website traffic.
(Source: Statista)
Additionally, eCommerce revenue generated from Thanksgiving amounted to $5.1 billion and $8.9 billion on Black Friday.
(Source: Statista)
In contrast, 43% of U.S. consumers planned to go holiday shopping in physical stores.
(Source: Statista)
Spain was followed by Italy and the United States, with 78% and 77% of the consumers who were surveyed also saying that they were very likely to purchase items online for Black Friday.
(Source: Statista)
That makes electronics the most popular product category, with clothing and related accessories being the second most popular product category.
With consumer buying behaviors heavily shifting toward online shopping, it’s clear that eCommerce is a great industry to get into.
If you would like to learn more about eCommerce, head over to our article that covers the latest eCommerce trends and statistics for 2022.