22 Telling Ecommerce Growth Statistics for 2024
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Shopping online is not only a means to an end anymore. With all the browsing and comparing of products, it’s become a leisure activity. Furthermore, in pandemic times, it presented a safer alternative for purchasing anything.
In countries like the UK, ecommerce growth statistics show it is steadily approaching the rates of in-store shopping in terms of retail sales percentages. During the pandemic, a significant number of people accepted online shopping as a part of their routine, so ecommerce is bound to keep growing.
While online shopping is going up, there are still interesting fluctuations in the numbers. Check out these stats and see how the retail market changed in the last year.
Ecommerce Statistics (Editor's Pick)
- The global ecommerce market size will increase by 12.2% to $5.5 trillion.
- $3.23 trillion were spent in the top online marketplaces in the world in 2021.
- Global ecommerce is expected to retain 20% to 30% of the pandemic growth.
- UK online retail sales fell by 20.8% in January 2022, compared to the same time in 2021.
- The fastest-growing online retailer in 2021 was Etsy, with a growth rate of 26.9%.
- 27.3% of UK consumers expect to permanently shift more of their shopping online.
- The social commerce industry is expected to grow three times as fast as traditional ecommerce.
- People spent over 100 billion hours in shopping apps in 2021.
Global Ecommerce Growth Stats for 2022
1. 2.14 billion people worldwide shopped online in 2021.
(Statista)
Global ecommerce growth corresponds to the steadily rising number of people who have access to the internet around the world. Just a year prior, the figure of online shoppers stood at 2.05 billion worldwide.
2. In 2022, the global ecommerce market size will increase by 12.2% to $5.5 trillion.
(eMarketer)
Due to the pandemic and stay-at-home orders worldwide, online shopping experienced a dramatic rise in 2020. While the surge drastically impacted the numbers for 2020, ecommerce growth in 2022 is expected to keep slowing down.
3. 65.2% of the world’s internet users will have shopped online by the end of 2021.
(Statista)
Ecommerce growth statistics show that 64.6% of internet users shopped online in 2020 and that the percentage was estimated to exceed 65% last year. Compared to 58.3% in 2016, the number has grown significantly. After the pandemic expedited the growth of ecommerce, online shopping is becoming a habit for even more people.
4. $3.23 trillion were spent in the top online marketplaces in the world in 2021.
(Digital Commerce 360)
Just the top three marketplaces, Taobao, Tmall, and Amazon, sold more than 60% of the total gross merchandise value. At the same time, internet shopping statistics show that shoppers shifted towards small businesses.
5. Around 5% of shoppers made an online purchase for the first time during the pandemic.
(Statista)
Ecommerce growth caused by COVID-19 was reflected in the general sales numbers and the shoppers who purchased online for the first time.
The largest growth in online shopping penetration happened in Canada, with 6% of new consumers trying online shopping for the first time. In the UK and most other countries, this percentage stood at 5%.
6. Global ecommerce is expected to retain 20% to 30% of the pandemic growth.
(Mastercard)
The pandemic forced people to switch to online shopping, sparking permanent changes in the ecommerce landscape. Mastercard’s report on ecommerce suggests that 20% to 30% of the online shopping growth will remain after the pandemic, reflecting the newly acquired habits of shoppers worldwide.
7. Global shoppers are purchasing from roughly 30% more online stores.
(Mastercard)
More consumers are shopping on the internet, and online sales statistics indicate they do it from a wider selection of websites and marketplaces. Saudi Arabians expanded their shopping choices the most, with 33%, followed by Italians with 30%. Russia is next, with a 29% increase in shopping diversity.
Ecommerce Growth by Country
8. Argentina was the country with the highest ecommerce growth in 2020, with a rate of 79%.
(eMarketer)
Ecommerce growth stats point to Latin America as the region with the highest ecommerce growth in 2020, estimated at 36.7%. The largest country in the region, Brazil ranked fourth globally with a 35% growth of online shopping.
9. US retail ecommerce sales will grow 16.1% in 2022.
(eMarketer)
While the rate offers an overview of the rise of ecommerce in the US, the online retail sales growth looks differently depending on the category. Apparel will be the fastest-growing category (18.9%), followed by groceries (18.1%), and health, personal care, and beauty (16.1%).
10. Between 2020 and 2025, Turkey’s retail ecommerce is forecasted to grow with the highest CAGR in the world — 14.59%.
(Statista)
Ecommerce growth projections put Turkey at the forefront of online retail growth. For the same period, the global compound annual growth rate for retail ecommerce is estimated at 6.29%. However, Turkey still has plenty of market penetration to complete, spurring exceptional growth.
Online Shopping Growth Statistics for the UK
11. Ecommerce growth in the UK for 2022 is expected to reach a rate of 11.66%.
(eMarketer, Statista)
UK ecommerce growth continues on its upward trajectory set in the previous two years.
In 2020, ecommerce sales in the UK grew by 46.5% compared to 2019. Although such intense online sales growth cannot continue forever, the market in the UK is already highly developed, as 81.5% of the population is expected to shop online in 2022.
12. Online retail growth in the UK has the highest location rate of 34.5%.
(Statista)
Online shopping statistics show that this channel had the highest location success in the UK. Online is followed by factory outlets which are set to grow by 26.5% until 2023.
On the other hand, high streets saw the most evident decline. Town centres reported a growth of only 0.1% between 2013 and 2018 and are not expected to go over 2% by 2023.
13. UK online retail sales fell by 20.8% in January 2022, compared to the same time in 2021.
(Statista)
Due to the massive surge in online shopping in 2020, in 2021 and 2022, online retail market growth is predominantly negative. Household goods store online sales saw the greatest decline of 32.4%, while clothing and footwear fell by 17.6%.
14. Compared to the first quarter of 2020, UK mobile retail sales grew by 30% in 2021.
(Internet Retailing)
Online shopping statistics show the UK market is mobile-oriented. For any business that wants to go online, providing an optimised mobile shopping experience is essential, as the UK is the third-largest mcommerce market in the world.
15. The fastest-growing online retailer in 2021 was Etsy, with a growth rate of 26.9%.
(Retail Leader)
In 2021, the top five fastest-growing online retailers reached growth rates of over 20%. They include Etsy, with a growth rate of 26.9%, Walmart with 26.4%, Chewy at 25%, Amazon at 24.9%, and Costco with 21.7%. Apple is not far behind, with an estimated growth rate of 19.7%.
Top Ecommerce Growth Trends to Follow in 2022
16. China’s live-commerce market grew by over 280% between 2017 and 2020.
(McKinsey)
Ecommerce developments that happen in China often push the rest of the market forward. Such ecommerce sales growth factor is live-commerce, with sales reaching $171 billion in 2020 and penetrating 10% of the Chinese market.
Live-commerce applies particularly well to online apparel shopping, as models and influencers can present different outfits in interactive, live videos.
17. US commerce sales through social media will rise by 6.3% in 2022.
(eMarketer)
Social commerce is expected to keep growing in 2022, reaching 96.1 million buyers. Investing in social media presence will be a key driver of global ecommerce growth in the coming years. Evidently, over half the consumers worldwide consider social media as an influence on their shopping decisions.
18. Compared to 2020, mobile commerce grew by 22.3% in 2021.
(Statista, Oberlo)
Mobile commerce has become the backbone of online shopping. As we spend more time than ever on our smartphones, it’s no wonder that three out of four dollars spent online were spent via mobile in 2021.
More precisely, ecommerce growth statistics show that 72.9% of all sales were estimated to be mobile in 2021, reaching $3.56 trillion.
19. 27.3% of UK consumers expect to permanently shift more of their shopping online.
(Retail Gazette)
The shift to remote work is one of the main factors for this change in shopper behaviour, as 24.8% of UK shoppers report working from home since the start of the pandemic. 50.6% of remote workers assume they will continue shopping online more, as opposed to 27% of on-site workers.
20. Personalisation can create a 10% to 15% uplift in ecommerce revenue and retention.
(McKinsey)
The personalisation trend is reimagining ecommerce. However, only 15% of retailers have it completely implemented across all their channels. With data regulations changing and marketers finding other ways to reach consumers, personalisation will be an exciting trend to follow.
21. The social commerce industry is expected to grow three times as fast as traditional ecommerce.
(Accenture)
Ecommerce statistics worldwide show that social commerce will grow to $1.2 trillion by 2025 from $492 billion in 2021. Millennials and Gen Z are going to be responsible for the largest part of the growth, spending 62% on social commerce by 2025.
22. In 2021, people spent over 100 billion hours in shopping apps.
(Internet Retailing)
Compared to 2020, that is an 18% increase, mainly driven by social commerce, fast fashion and trusted big brands. Another major factor in the mobile shopping increase was Amazon’s Prime Day, which attracted shoppers to more brands and stores than just Amazon.
Conclusion
Last year’s global ecommerce growth rate skyrocketed unexpectedly due to the pandemic and the lockdown restrictions worldwide. However, the current rates are approximately half its size, due to the loosening of the regulations and people returning to physical stores.
Nonetheless, ecommerce is growing at a fast enough pace, intertwining with the best aspects of physical retail and improving to indulge our shopping cravings and savings even better.
FAQ
What is the growth rate of ecommerce?
The ecommerce industry growth in 2022 is forecasted to grow by 12.2%. That is a healthy rate, as the market grew significantly both in 2021 and 2020.
Is the ecommerce market growing?
The number of people shopping online will grow to 2.14 billion in 2021, while the market is growing at a strong 12.2% rate.
How big is the ecommerce market in 2022?
The ecommerce market is predicted to grow another 12.2% and reach $5.5 trillion in 2021.
How much did ecommerce grow in 2020?
Ecommerce growth statistics point to a 25.7% growth rate in 2020, with the market reaching $4.213 trillion.
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