32 Top Ecommerce Statistics For 2023: The Comprehensive Guide

Introduction to Ecommerce Statistics

Let’s have an in-depth discussion about ecommerce statistics.

The shift towards online shopping has been remarkable, with an increasing number of consumers opting for it.

This trend brings several questions to the forefront: How many ecommerce stores are currently operating worldwide? What is the average conversion rate for an ecommerce store located in the United States? What features should an online store have to meet the demands and expectations of today’s consumers?

This article seeks to answer these questions and more.

Highlighted Ecommerce Statistics

Here are some of the most interesting and vital statistics covered in this article:

• According to BuiltWith, there are over 26 million ecommerce stores spread across the internet.
• Global ecommerce sales are expected to hit a milestone of $4 trillion by 2024, as reported by Statista.
• By the year 2025, online sales will account for 21.9% of all retail sales, as projected by Statista.
• Mobile devices are driving 74% of traffic to ecommerce websites, and they account for 63% of online purchases, based on data from Statista.
• Ecommerce stores in the United States have an average conversion rate of 2.3%, as stated by Statista.
• BuiltWith data suggests that Shopify is the platform of choice for 25% of all ecommerce stores globally.
• A study by Coveo indicates that 93% of online shoppers expect an online shopping experience that surpasses the in-store experience.
• When it comes to checking out, 40% of online consumers prefer using the guest checkout option, as per a survey by Coveo.

General Ecommerce Facts

1. The Immensity of Ecommerce Stores Online

Data gathered by BuiltWith suggests that there are over 26 million ecommerce stores actively operating on the internet. Out of these, a staggering 49.1%, which translates to more than 13 million stores, are based in the United States. Other countries with a significant presence in the ecommerce space include the United Kingdom at 4.7%, Australia at 2.4%, Germany at 2.7%, and Brazil also at 2.7%.

Source: BuiltWith

2. Forecasted Revenue from Global Retail Ecommerce

Statista’s research indicates that by the end of 2023, global ecommerce stores are expected to generate a revenue exceeding $4 trillion USD. When this revenue is broken down by region, the distribution appears as:

• Asia: $2.055 trillion
• Both North and South Americas combined: $1.1 trillion
• Europe: $722 billion
• Australia & Oceania: $49 billion
• Africa: $40.2 billion

Source: Statista

3. The Growing Share of Ecommerce Sales

Forecasts published by Statista provide a glimpse into the future of retail. They predict that by 2025, ecommerce sales will constitute a significant 21.9% of all retail sales. For context, back in 2021, the percentage of retail sales that came from ecommerce was 14.2%.

Source: Statista

4. The Rising Trajectory of Retail Ecommerce Sales

The global ecommerce sector is on an upward trajectory, with Statista predicting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.34% between the years 2023 and 2027. Leading this growth is Brazil, expected to have the highest CAGR at 14.63%. Following Brazil are Argentina with a CAGR of 14.61%, Turkey at 14.33%, India at 13.91%, and Mexico at 13.67%.

Source: Statista

5. Mobile Devices Dominate Ecommerce Traffic and Sales

Smartphones have become an integral part of our lives, and their impact on ecommerce is evident. Data from Statista reveals that smartphones are responsible for 74% of all the traffic that retail websites receive. In terms of sales, mobile shopping accounts for a whopping 63% of all online shopping orders.

Source: Statista

6. Conversion Rates for Ecommerce Stores in the United States

The United States is a major player in the global ecommerce market. According to Statista, when consumers in the United States visit ecommerce websites, the conversion rate is 2.3%. For comparison, Great Britain has seen its conversion rates grow to beyond 4%.

Source: Statista

7. The Impact of Site Load Time on Conversion Rates

Site performance can make or break an ecommerce store. A detailed analysis conducted by Portent, which evaluated 100 million page views from 20 different B2B and B2C websites over a span of 30 days, discovered a direct correlation between site load time and conversion rates. Websites that loaded in just one second achieved an impressive average conversion rate of 3.05%. In stark contrast, websites that took a whole five seconds to load could only muster an average conversion rate of 1.08%.

Source: Portent

8. Return Rates in the United States Ecommerce Market

Returns are a part and parcel of the ecommerce business. In 2022, the ecommerce industry in the United States witnessed an average return rate of 16.5%. This figure means that businesses had to forgo potential revenue to the tune of $212 billion due to returned products.

Source: Loop

9. Average Spending by Online Shoppers

How much does the average online consumer spend during a shopping session? Data collated by Statista for the fourth quarter of 2022 suggests that the average online shopper’s expenditure is slightly under $3 for every visit they make to ecommerce stores. Among all the product categories, the food and beverage sector sees the highest average spend per visit, with consumers shelling out more than $4 every time they shop.

Source: Statista

10. Average Product Quantity per Online Order

Diving deeper into consumer behavior, Statista’s data from 2022 indicates that on average, online shoppers purchase less than three products with every order. However, certain months like April and December witnessed a spike in this number, with the average products per order in April being 3.16 and in December being 3.12.

Source: Statista

11. Product Search Behavior of Internet Users

Where do consumers go when they want to find a product online? Statista’s findings reveal that 36% of internet users turn to online marketplaces for their product searches. In comparison, 30% rely on search engines to find what they are looking for.

Source: Statista

12. The Duel for the Top Spot: Alibaba vs. Amazon

The global online retail space is dominated by two giants: Alibaba and Amazon. As of the year 2022, Alibaba Group has emerged as the world’s largest online retailer, as per data from Statista. The company, with its various subsidiaries including Alibaba.com, AliExpress.com, and Trendyol.com, rakes in over $780 billion in online retail sales annually. However, Amazon is not far behind and is poised to overtake Alibaba in the near future. Currently, in 2022, Amazon’s annual revenue stands at $690 billion, but projections indicate that this figure could soar to $1.2 trillion by 2027.

Source: Statista

Ecommerce Statistics Categorized by Product Type

13. Alibaba’s Dominance in Electronics, Office, Leisure, and Entertainment

Alibaba’s influence in the ecommerce world extends beyond being the largest global retailer. The company also holds the title for being the top retailer in the electronics, office, leisure, and entertainment category. In 2022, just in the United States, online sales for this category generated a staggering $318 billion in revenue.

Source: Statista

14. Alibaba’s Stronghold on the Health and Beauty Category

Alibaba’s dominance is further showcased in the health and beauty category. As per Statista’s data, Alibaba leads the pack in this category, generating an annual revenue of over $58 billion from health and beauty products alone.

Source: Statista

15. Amazon’s Command Over the Home and Pet Care Market

In the home and pet care category of ecommerce, Amazon stands tall. Data from Statista highlights Amazon’s supremacy in this segment, with the company generating an annual sales revenue exceeding $23.3 billion. Future projections are even more promising, with the figure expected to grow to $39 billion by 2027. For context, Alibaba’s current annual revenue from this category is over $16 billion, expected to rise to $24 billion by 2027.

Source: Statista

16. Conversion Rates Across Ecommerce Categories

Delving into conversion rate data by category, Statista’s findings reveal that the food and beverage category enjoys the highest conversion rate at 4.6%. Following closely is the health and beauty category, boasting a conversion rate of 3.3%.

Source: Statista

Insights into Ecommerce Platforms

17. Shopify’s Popularity Among Ecommerce Stores

BuiltWith’s data reveals that 25% of all online stores globally utilize the all-encompassing ecommerce platform, Shopify. This statistic is derived from 26,183,459 ecommerce websites, meaning over 6.5 million ecommerce stores operate on Shopify. Besides Shopify, other significant platforms include WooCommerce (20%), Wix’s ecommerce solution (13%), Squarespace (11%), and Ecwid (6%). The remaining 25% comprises various other ecommerce platforms.

Source: BuiltWith

18. Top Ecommerce Stores and Their Preferred Platforms

BuiltWith further breaks down platform usage statistics based on the top 1 million, 100,000, and 10,000 stores, categorized by the traffic they attract. Of the top 1 million stores, 23% use WooCommerce, while both the top 100,000 and top 10,000 categories see 19% of stores using Shopify. Other platforms used by the top 10,000 stores include Amplience (9%), Magento (8%), WooCommerce (7%), and Squarespace (4%). A substantial 54% utilize other platforms, with most of them accounting for less than 1% usage each.

Source: BuiltWith

19. Shopify’s Popularity in the United States

Within the United States, 28% of online stores employ Shopify, as per BuiltWith’s findings. Other notable platforms in the US include WooCommerce (18%), Wix (15%), Squarespace (14%), and Ecwid (4%).

Source: BuiltWith

20. WooCommerce’s Prominence in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, WooCommerce, WordPress’ leading checkout solution, is used by 23% of ecommerce stores. Shopify is a close second at 21%, followed by Wix (16%), Squarespace (12%), and Ecwid (10%).

Source: BuiltWith

21. Most Visited Retail Websites Globally

A collaborative study by Statista and Semrush on the most frequented retail websites discovered that Amazon averaged 3.5 billion visits between January and May 2022. Other significant players include eBay (589.1 million visits), Walmart (589.2 million), AliExpress (486.5 million), and Etsy (467.4 million).

Source: Statista

22. Taobao’s Leading Position in Online Marketplaces

Statista’s research indicates that Taobao stands as the premier online marketplace worldwide, boasting a gross merchandise value (GMV) of $711 billion. Tmall and Amazon follow with GMVs of $672 billion and $390 billion, respectively.

Source: Statista

Consumer-centric Ecommerce Facts

23. Consumer Expectations for Online Shopping Experiences

A survey conducted by Coveo on over 4,000 consumers regarding the “brand experience gap” found that 93% of online shoppers anticipate a superior online shopping experience compared to traditional in-store shopping. This survey was conducted in 2021, post the COVID-19 pandemic, a period when global reliance on online services surged.

Source: Coveo

24. The Demand for Personalized Online Shopping Experiences

Coveo’s survey reveals that 68% of consumers feel that online shopping experiences often lack personalization. Furthermore, 48% reported subpar online customer services, 32% expressed frustration with mobile website navigation, 29% encountered issues with search experiences on ecommerce sites, and 27% faced post-purchase problems.

Source: Coveo

25. Consumer Willingness to Share Personal Data

Coveo’s findings indicate that 51% of consumers are open to sharing their personal data with brands they trust. This is noteworthy, especially considering that another statistic by Coveo suggests that 59% of consumers are apprehensive about how retail brands handle their data.

Source: Coveo

26. The Tendency to Shop Anonymously

Coveo’s survey on 4,000 consumers also touched upon their checkout preferences. It was found that when provided with the option, 40% of consumers prefer shopping anonymously by using the guest checkout feature.

Source: Coveo

27. Product Discovery via Social Media Among Young Adults

In a quest to understand how consumers discover new products online, Coveo found that 36% of millennials and 33% of Gen Z consumers use social media platforms. This statistic underscores the growing significance of influencer marketing.

Source: Coveo

Product-oriented Ecommerce Data

28. The Immense Popularity of Books as Online Products

Our internal data analysis reveals that books top the list of products sold online. This conclusion is based on data from three leading online marketplaces: eBay, Amazon, and Etsy. Books are responsible for over 94.5 million listings across these platforms and garner 269,000 monthly searches on Amazon and Etsy combined. On eBay, they have an impressive sell-through rate of 1,856%.

Source: X

29. Cat Litter’s Dominance on Amazon

Based on our internal analysis of products on Amazon, cat litter emerges as the best product to sell. It enjoys high demand but faces limited competition. Searches for “cat litter” on Amazon exceed 200,000 every month, yet the listings for this product are just over 500. On average, cat litter is priced around $36 on Amazon, with each listing generating an impressive annual revenue of over $226,000.

Source: X

Ecommerce Security Insights

30. The Threat of DDoS Attacks During Peak Shopping Periods

Imperva, a leading digital security application and service provider, in its report on ecommerce security, highlights the potential threats online retailers face. During peak shopping periods, such as Black Friday, retailers may experience up to 13 hours of downtime if targeted by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. A case study from 2021 showcases Imperva’s ability to shield a retailer from a massive 9 million bot requests in just 15 minutes during Black Friday week. This retailer faced a total of 162 million bot attacks during the last two weeks of November 2021.

Source: Imperva

31. The Prevalence of Automated Attacks on Retail Websites

Data from Imperva suggests that 61.8% of attacks on retail websites are automated, a significantly higher percentage compared to 28.4% of general websites facing such threats. A breakdown of the threats reveals that 23.4% are DDoS attacks, while 14.8% are categorized by OWASP as the “top 10 web application security risks,” which include injections, broken access control, and cryptographic failures, among others.

Source: Imperva

32. Geographic Distribution of Ecommerce Security Attacks

Imperva’s data offers a regional perspective on security attacks targeting retail websites. North and South America bear the brunt, with 43.9% of all attacks aimed at them. For context, general websites in these continents face 58.2% of attacks. Europe’s retail websites are targeted by 33.7% of attacks, Asia’s by 12.1%, Oceania’s by 10%, and Africa’s by a mere 0.3%. It is interesting to note that in the general category, 2.3% of all websites in Africa are the targets of security attacks.

Source: Imperva

Concluding Thoughts

Ecommerce businesses, particularly giants like Amazon and Alibaba Group, play a pivotal role in the global online marketplace. Nonetheless, irrespective of the size of your online business, there is a wealth of knowledge to be gleaned from the statistics discussed in this article. For instance, the average conversion rate for a store in the United States stands at 2.3%, but many consumers frequently encounter challenges related to customer service, mobile website navigation, and more. Moreover, quicker website load times can significantly boost conversion rates. Being aware of these insights provides a competitive edge, enabling you to refine your website or mobile app or even switch hosting providers to deliver an unparalleled experience to your customers.