Ecommerce Stats and Trends for Online Success

By Teodora Dobrilova | Posted on 25.08.2023 | Updated on 28.11.2025

Here’s a question – how many online purchases have you made this month?

Probably a few already. It should come as no surprise that the ecommerce industry is thriving, its numbers growing constantly.

Interested in the newest trends? Look no further, we’ve gathered the latest ecommerce stats to fill you in:

Key Ecommerce Statistics For 2025

We will be doing 95% of all shopping online by 2040.
Asia is the leader of the ecommerce market when it comes to revenue, with an expected $2 trillion in sales in 2025.
Philippines and India are the number one fastest-growing ecommerce markets.
57% of shoppers purchase goods internationally.
People get less than three products per order on average.
Shoppers will abandon carts because of additional costs in 48% of the cases.
60% of people have purchased goods when prompted by an email.

General Ecommerce Stats

Want to know which is the biggest ecommerce market? Or maybe you’re wondering what items people buy the most? Here’s what ecommerce statistics show:

Ecommerce shared 20.8% of the global retail market at the end of 2024 (Manaferra)

Ecommerce has been steadily cementing its place as a key player in the retail world. Factors in play are the wider choice, access to stores worldwide, and, of course, the pandemic.

Ecommerce market revenue in the US is predicted to increase by almost 53% between 2024 and 2029 (Statista)

That equals $657.8 billion. The peak will reach $1.88 trillion in 2029.

Retail ecommerce sales were estimated to exceed $4.1 trillion globally in 2024 (Statista)

Buying and selling goods online became somewhat of a norm, thanks to the pandemic, and in the early 2020s, the ecommerce business peaked.

Now that the effects of COVID-19 have subsided a bit, the surge has plateaued to an extent.

By 2027, 23% of retail purchases are expected to take place online (Forbes)

Retail includes apparel, food, homeware, electronics, appliances, and more.

The number might seem insignificant, but things will take a drastic turn in less than 20 years.

5% of all shopping will be done online by 2040 (Manaferra)

The world is slowly moving online. It makes sense that, at some point, we’ll do all of our shopping on the Web.

Roughly 30% of grocery stores created an online shop during the pandemic (Search Logistics)

As a nod to the previous ecommerce stat, this one clearly shows how most businesses are progressing toward the digital world.

The estimate of retail ecommerce sales for Q3 of 2024 in the US was $300.1 billion (U.S. Census Bureau News)

That marks an increase of 2.6% from Q2 of 2024.

Ecommerce Stats by Country

Asia leads the ecommerce market revenue ranking, boasting nearly $2 trillion (Statista)

It is followed by America with $1.5 trillion and Africa with less than $50 billion.

China itself accounts for 46.3% of global sales (Shopify)

In 2023, the sales hit just over $2.8 trillion. The country also has the most digital buyers – 39.5% or 842.1 million.

Turkey is predicted to rank first in the top 20 countries in retail ecommerce development between 2024 and 2029 (Statista)

This marks an annual growth of 11.58%. Turkey is closely followed by Brazil and India, with 11.56% and 11.45%, respectively.

Online sales in Mexico and the Philippines will increase by 25% and 24%, respectively (Statista)

That puts them on top of the list with the highest growth rates. Brazil and Argentina also make the cut, with a growth of over 15%, outpacing the US.

In Europe, the UK is leading the ecommerce market size by country list, with an estimated $118 billion in revenue (Oberlo)

Germany comes second, with $89.7 billion. Third place is for France, with $60.6 billion.

52% of people report shopping internationally (Forbes)

Online shopping enabled us to get goods from all over the world, presenting new opportunities for both shoppers and business owners.

Mobile Ecommerce Statistics

Experts estimate that mcommerce sales accounted for 44.6% of all retail ecommerce purchases in 2024 (Insider Intelligence)

That’s an almost 1.2% jump compared to 2023. Back then, mcommerce purchases accounted for 43.4% of total online retail sales.

By the end of 2027, mobile commerce sales are expected to reach a staggering $3.43 trillion (Statista)

This will account for around 62% of all ecommerce sales.

Around 7.4% of 2024’s retail sales in the US were conducted through a mobile website or app (Insider Intelligence)

The trend is expected to continue as mobile device usage grows further.

Mobile shoppers spend twice as much compared to others (RubyGarage)

Mcommerce statistics also show that 78% of people prefer to use an app store instead of a mobile website.

Social Media Ecommerce Statistics

87% of shoppers research products online before purchasing (Manaferra)

74% of all shoppers get informed via social media about products, discounts, and overall purchasing options.

78% of American consumers say they’ve discovered at least one product on Facebook (Whatagraph)

Mark Zuckerberg’s network is responsible for over 80% of all social referral shares to ecommerce and retail websites in the US.

In 2024, global revenues generated through social media were expected to reach nearly $700 billion (Statista)

That’s an increase of a whopping 23% over the previous year.

60% of shoppers have made a purchase when prompted by an email (Manaferra)

While not exactly social media, emails have a great ROI as a marketing tool. In fact, for every dollar spent on that, there’s an average return of $44.

Ecommerce Shopper Behaviour Statistics

Amazon leads the chart of the biggest consumer internet and online service companies globally (Statista)

Its market cap has grown from $1.34 trillion in June 2023 to $2.38 trillion in January 2025. To put Amazon’s dominance into perspective, Alibaba, the second biggest company on this list, has a market cap of around $206 billion as of January 2025.

Online shoppers purchase around five products per order on average (Statista)

The exact number of units per transaction depends on the season. 2024’s highest number was reached in February (5.12).

44% of people buy clothes, shoes, or accessories online (Eurostat)

The next popular category is food, with 19% of shoppers ordering from restaurants and catering services. Last but not least, 18% of people shop online for beauty and wellness products.

Optimized top product titles get 250% more clicks (DataFeedWatch)

If you want your product to shine on the Google Ads platform, you need to optimize your title for the search engine. This will make them more visible and increase click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rates.

In 47% of cases, shoppers abandoned carts because of additional costs (Forbes)

Those include shipping, taxes, and fees. 25% of users will bounce if the shop demands they create an account.

COVID-19 Ecommerce Statistics

Shopping app engagement surged by 40% during the first months of lockdown (Marketing Dive)

The estimated cost to acquire a first-time shopper was halved.

The average share of Web users who bought something online reached 60% after the pandemic (UNCTAD)

In 2019, the number was lower, though not drastically – 53%.

There was a 19% increase in worldwide ecommerce revenue pre-and-post COVID-19 in 2020 (International Trade Administration)

The biggest growth was noticed in the Food and Personal Care products sectors.

Ecommerce Trends to Boost Your Online Shop Visibility

The technological field is evolving in leaps and bounds, and so is the ecommerce environment. Each industry niche is experiencing increasing competition as the barriers for shop owners to create an online store are becoming smaller by the day. This inevitably reflects on the customers as well – today, we have so many options to purchase any product or service that the providers have to be increasingly creative to capture and retain our attention.

Increased Adoption of AI and Personalization

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been one of the most talked-about buzzwords in recent years. Although technology has been around for some time now, it has only recently been able to bear fruit for the average consumer.

Every customer wants to feel special, and machine learning helps store owners give us that feeling of personal touch.

AI tools can help shop owners personalize every step of the buyer’s journey. By analyzing our habits, searches, and shopping history, we can tailor the individual experience for each visitor, showing them the products that best suit their needs and wants. Not only that, but machine learning algorithms can help us build a profile and more accurately predict items we can use for upselling and cross-selling.

The same goes for ad targeting and retargeting. There is no point in offering products to people who don’t really need them or have already purchased them. This helps with more effective utilization of marketing budgets and reaching the right people with the right services.

Keep in mind that AI tools best work with large volumes of data, so you can also consider CRM and ERP systems to gather the most information for each of your visitors.

Mobile-first Design Trends are a Must

Long gone are the days when we created online shops for desktop users and maybe added a mobile version of our website down the line. Approximately 60% of ecommerce sales already occur through mobile devices, and this number is expected to increase further.

Building a responsive site is a no-brainer. You want to ensure a seamless experience regardless of the screen size of your visitors. What’s more, mobile-responsive websites get a huge SEO boost, helping them climb the search engine rankings and increase their visibility.

Speaking of visibility, brick-and-mortar stores can also capitalize on people being glued to their phone screens. They should focus on building their profiles in Google My Business, helping visitors find their exact location, read reviews, check out working hours, and access other valuable information.

Chatbots and Customer Support Trends

The evolution of AI is making chatbots smarter and more capable of handling many client queries without the need for hiring, training, and paying for extra support. While nothing can beat human-to-human contact, many customers actually have fairly simple questions, and a well-trained chatbot is more than capable of answering them.

AI-powered assistants have plenty of benefits. They can aid your visitors in the client journey, help them pick the right product, and even facilitate the checkout process. Chatbot interactions feel less robotic these days, and their responses are immediate. This is something very valuable for ecommerce projects, as any delay can lead the client away from the sale.

At the end of the day, nearly half of online shoppers expect a live chat communication channel and put more trust in companies that offer one. Simplifying that aspect will not just save you money and effort but will also spare valuable time for your customers.

AR and VR Adoption

It’s always a good idea to be an early adopter of exciting ideas, rather than jumping on the bandwagon once they become very popular. Virtual reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are two such trends.

One of the biggest challenges of online shopping is the inability to see the product in a real-world context. For example, when shopping for furniture or big electronics, you would want to imagine how the new sofa would look in your living room or how much space the TV would take off your wall. Some brands have already incorporated an AR experience to help with that. On the other hand, many interior designers already rely on VR to show their clients what their finished projects will look like.

The same goes for clothes and wearables—“trying on” the product before buying completely eliminates the need to physically visit the shop and cram yourself in a booth with numerous items of clothing until you find the right one.

If you’re looking for an immersive experience that attracts customers from around the world, AR and VR are the way to go.

Voice Search Options

Voice search is about more than just convenience – it’s one of the key ecommerce trends to boost inclusivity and accessibility. According to Statista, by 2025, nearly 75% of US households will own some kind of smart speaker.

By now, we are becoming increasingly used to voice assistants like Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa. They help us multitask by relieving us from the need to type a search via keyboard or mouse clicks. Putting on our favorite music, operating our smart home gadgets, or finding a store near us – the possibilities are endless.

But while the average consumer utilizes voice assistants as a luxurious source of comfort, a large group of people see them as an indispensable tool—people with disabilities. Modern trends in inclusive design focus on consumers with motor and cognitive disabilities, users with blindness, and others with impairments that generally put them at a disadvantage.

Equipping your online store with voice search capabilities will establish your company as a brand that prioritizes customer care, thereby simplifying the entire shopping experience for all users.

Digital Wallets and Flexible Payment Options

The checkout process is a crucial element of the buying journey, one that can easily make or break a sale. As a shop owner, you want to ensure clients take as little time to complete the sale as possible, while also offering enough options to accommodate any kind of payment.

Today, it’s far from enough to just support bank transfers and some of the major credit card processors. We live in a time when millions of people are already used to digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, cryptocurrency has been around for years, and vendors like Revolut attract millions of customers. While debit and credit card payments still satisfy the majority of online shoppers, you are still missing out on plenty of sales if you fail to provide some alternatives.

It’s not just about convenience, either. The extra fees applied by the banks to the traditional payment methods can easily deter people from finishing a sale, especially when we talk about luxurious and high-value products.

Eco-Friendly Ecommerce

Renewable Energy and Sustainability are more than just buzzwords that sound good to your customers. Global climate change has already caused trillions of dollars in damage worldwide, and the tech industry is one of the biggest contributors to this problem. Consumers have already expressed their opinions, predominantly trusting companies that do their part to support environmentally sustainable practices.

Millennials and Gen Z users are the biggest proponents of that theory.

If your ecommerce project is in the fashion or cosmetics niche, more than half of your clients will expect your brand to follow eco-friendly and ethical practices. The web hosting industry is no different, being one of the largest energy consumers. This is why ScalaHosting is doing its fair share of giving back to the community, utilizing renewable energy sources, and ensuring we only trust data center providers with clear, eco-friendly strategies.

Prioritize Customer Privacy

Increasingly moving many of our activities online inevitably brings some questions to the users who adopt this trend. “What happens to my data?” is among the most frequent ones.

This is understandable, provided the rising rates of cybercrimes and the dangers that lurk around every corner. The fears are heightened by the fact that most of the emerging technologies we discussed are still uncharted territory, and not many people can understand what lies behind the screen. For example, voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Cortana can help with our online searches, but how much data do they really collect? And can we rely on them not doing the same while we’re not actively using them?

European and US legislation is already making steps in that direction, enforcing laws and regulations like GDPR and the EU Consumer Protection Law. Ecommerce businesses have to be transparent with the end user as well, telling them exactly what information is collected and storing only the data that is absolutely necessary. Furthermore, security tools like SSL certificates and application firewalls are essential if you want to establish your brand’s legitimacy.

Ecommerce Hosting Services Trends

Аs ecommerce shops start adopting the hottest trends, web hosting providers will also have to adapt their services to ensure robust and secure environments for these projects.

So, what would be the aspects that hosts need to consider:

Scalability – offering enough resources for growing online shops is a must. With some projects, traffic can surge overnight, and downtimes are never an option. This is why cloud hosting services will become increasingly popular, guaranteeing a practically endless pool of resources to handle any number of visitors. Virtual Private Server (VPS) solutions have long lagged behind shared hosting, but as their costs decrease and the resource demands of online stores increase, optimized VPS services become a no-brainer.
Security – shared hosting plans might be alright for small hobby projects, but dealing with clients’ personal and billing information requires a much higher level of security. Ecommerce shops will need to cover a much wider range of concerns – DDoS attacks, malware threats, spam, hacking attempts – and reliable hosts will have to offer multifunctional solutions to address them all. Not to mention the growing number of regulations for online store owners, such as PCI-DSS, GDPR, and various consumer laws, among others.
Monitoring and Updates – even a highly optimized environment is not always bulletproof. Providers will have to set aside the needed workforce and automation tools to constantly keep an eye on their servers and their performance. Technological evolution should also be considered, and regular updates will ensure that the hardware and software are always in tune with the latest standards.
Support – regardless of all the optimizations and automation, having a team of experts who are well-versed in ecommerce software and its specifics can save you a lot of headaches. Web hosting providers that train their support staff in the ins and outs of popular shopping cart solutions, such as Magento, WooCommerce, and PrestaShop, will have a competitive advantage, being able to provide swift assistance with potential issues.

Hybrid Solutions – while some traditional hosting configurations (such as VPS or dedicated servers) can handle most ecommerce projects, new services are expected to emerge, specifically tailored to the latest trends. For example, clustered hosting plans already allow for customized configurations that employ numerous servers, each with a specific task – load balancing, backups, etc. As this is possible even across different data centers, the chances of downtime and poor performance are practically zero, regardless of the number of visits or potential hacker attacks.

Ecommerce Stats and Trends for Online Success, Ecommerce Hosting Services Trends

Wrapping it Up

The world is slowly transforming into one digital environment. Ecommerce statistics show that now’s a great time to move your business online.

One of the main pillars of a successful digital shop is web hosting. Your best bet? – a high-performing managed VPS solution. At ScalaHosting, we have years of experience behind our backs, and our offers cover all the essential ecommerce aspects – speed, reliability, and security.

Contact us today to learn more!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How big will the ecommerce industry be in 2025?

A: With over a third of the world’s population shopping online, the ecommerce industry is expected to reach a value of around $6.8 trillion by the end of 2025. By 2027, it will be worth $8 trillion.

Q: What is the fastest-growing ecommerce market?

A: Mexico and the Philippines are the fastest-growing ecommerce markets currently. Online sales are expected to increase by 25% and 24%, respectively. Next are Brazil and Argentina, with 15% predicted growth.

Q: What is the busiest time of the year for ecommerce?

A: Black Friday sales in November and the Holiday season in December mean that the last two months of the year are usually the busiest for ecommerce outfits. Online sales usually slow down during the summer, when people spend more time outdoors.

Q: How do I find the most suitable ecommerce trends for my business?

A: Every business has its individual strategy and goals, so you cannot expect all ecommerce trends to be applicable to every scenario. Still, following some of the tendencies can easily prove profitable regardless of the case. Make sure your online shop is properly secured, follows the industry regulations, and is clear and transparent with its clients. Try to automate your processes whenever possible and offer plenty of payment options. Taking advantage of emerging technologies like VR/AR, voice search, and chatbots is a good idea, but only when it makes sense and can complement your offerings.

Q: What do people mostly buy online?

A: With hundreds of millions of people shopping through their smartphones and desktops, some ecommerce niches see more sales than others. The most profitable goods include apparel, consumer electronics, footwear, pet supplies, toys, and health & beauty products.

Q: What are the fastest-growing countries in terms of retail sales?

A: According to Statista, the countries with the biggest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) are Turkey (11.58%), Brazil (11.56%), India (11.45%), and Mexico (11.26%).

Sources

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