Gitnux/Report 2026

Electronic Commerce Industry Statistics

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Electronic Commerce Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Before any source is gathered, an editor locks the question, what qualifies, and how the piece will be judged.

02Source Research

Search agents collect the source set and pull each data point out with its provenance attached.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The electronic commerce industry at a glance

Electronic commerce is a global, multi-trillion-dollar industry: businesses in 46 economies recorded nearly $28 trillion in e-commerce sales in 2024, while U.S. online retail continued growing rapidly in 2026.

$28T[93]
Business e-commerce sales, 2024
$340.2B[18]
U.S. e-commerce sales, Q2 2026
17.1%[18]
U.S. retail share, Q2 2026
78%[6]
EU online buyers, 2025
Market size
Businesses in 46 developed and developing economies recorded nearly $28 trillion in e-commerce sales in 2024; these economies represented about three-quarters of global GDP. In the United States, retail e-commerce sales reached an estimated $340.2 billion in the second quarter of 2026.[93][18]
Forecast & CAGR
The global B2B e-commerce market is forecast to reach $36 trillion by 2026 and is projected to grow at a 14.5% compound annual growth rate through 2026. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to account for 80% of B2B market share by 2026.[94]
Market share & regions
Asia-Pacific is forecast to hold 80% of global B2B e-commerce market share by 2026. For consumer adoption, online purchasing reached 78% of EU internet users in 2025, with country rates ranging from 57% in Bulgaria to 95% in Ireland.[94][6]
Segmentation
E-commerce spans B2B and consumer transactions, with sales conducted through websites or apps, online marketplaces and electronic data interchange. In the EU in 2024, 23.59% of enterprises made e-sales; the rate was 21.38% among small enterprises, 31.67% among medium-sized enterprises and 48.48% among large enterprises.[6][94]
Key players & concentration
Large platforms remain central to online retail, with the EU identifying Amazon Store, AliExpress, Google Shopping, Apple’s App Store and other very large online platforms as subject to enhanced obligations. The EU applies the highest Digital Services Act requirements to platforms and search engines with more than 45 million active users.[95]
Pricing
Delivery and returns remain major price and conversion factors: seven in ten shoppers identify trust and a choice of delivery partners as critical when choosing a brand. The cost challenge is intensified because free delivery and free returns remain important purchase motivators.[67]
Trends, drivers & challenges
AI-assisted shopping is becoming mainstream: 38% of surveyed shoppers had used AI-powered chat or virtual assistants to browse or buy in 2026, while 45% had purchased through TikTok, Instagram or Facebook. Businesses face continuing pressure from delivery and returns costs, platform dependence and the need to provide reliable product data for AI-driven discovery.[66][67]
Consumer behavior & competition
In the EU, 78% of people bought or ordered goods or services online in 2025, up from 62% in 2015. Clothing, shoes and accessories were the leading online purchase category in 2024, bought by 70% of EU online shoppers surveyed during the previous three months; competition increasingly spans merchants’ own sites, marketplaces, social platforms and apps.[6]
M&A
Consolidation continued in e-commerce infrastructure and local delivery. In October 2026, DoorDash agreed to acquire Instacart for approximately $17 billion, while Descartes announced its acquisition of Extensiv to expand warehouse-management and fulfillment capabilities for third-party logistics and e-commerce clients.[74]
Regulation
The EU Digital Services Act applies to online intermediaries and marketplaces serving the EU, including firms established outside the Union. Very large platforms with more than 45 million active users may face fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover, while marketplaces must improve seller transparency and take reasonable steps to check product legality and traceability.[95][96]
Latest news
The most significant recent transaction is DoorDash’s October 29, 2026 agreement to acquire Instacart for approximately $17 billion, combining delivery networks with grocery fulfillment, advertising and AI tools. Separately, DHL’s 2026 research highlights the rapid adoption of AI-assisted shopping, with 38% of shoppers reporting use of AI-powered chat or virtual assistants for browsing or buying.[66]
report visual · Projection

U.S. retail trade e-commerce sales

U.S. retail trade e-commerce sales grew from 784,621,978 thousands of USD in 2020 to 1,182,881,858 thousands of USD in 2024.

$784.6M
Start
+10.81%
CAGR · 4y
$1.2B
Projected
20202024
source-verifiedfred.stlouisfed.org2024

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Electronic Commerce Industry

The leading companies in the electronic commerce industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

Shopify and MercadoLibre are tied at the top of Gitnux's 2026 electronic commerce ranking with an Overall score of 9.4 each.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in merchant commerce platform

    Shopify

    CA

    Ranked #1 · 9.4 · Merchant commerce platform

    Why we picked it: It targets merchant infrastructure and payments, and reports both GMV scale and automation examples via Shopify Flow.

    See in ranking ↓Visit shopify.com ↗

  2. Leader in regional ecommerce platform

    MercadoLibre

    AR

    Ranked #2 · 9.4 · Regional ecommerce platform

    Why we picked it: It operates across Latin America ecommerce and payments, with 2025 net revenue and financial income reported across the region.

    See in ranking ↓Visit mercadolibre.com ↗

  3. Leader in global online marketplace

    Amazon

    US

    Ranked #3 · 9.3 · Global online marketplace

    Why we picked it: It spans global online retail and marketplace activity, with 2025 net sales reported across multiple business lines.

    See in ranking ↓Visit amazon.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the electronic commerce industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Shopify

Merchant commerce platform · CA

9.4
2

MercadoLibre

Regional ecommerce platform · AR

9.4
3

Amazon

Global online marketplace · US

9.3
4

eBay

Recommerce marketplace · US

8.7
5

Alibaba Group

China and international digital commerce · CN

8.5
6

Sea

Shopee e-commerce platform, Southeast Asia and Taiwan · SG

8.4
7

Walmart

Omnichannel retail and online marketplace, global · US

8.4
8

Coupang

South Korea online retail and fulfillment · US

8.2
9

Etsy

Global handmade and vintage marketplace · US

7.9
10

Rakuten Group

Online marketplaces and e-commerce services, global · JP

7.7

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Top 10 companies in the electronic commerce industry. In Electronic Commerce Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/electronic-commerce-industry-statistics/#top-companies

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI and automation show quantified uplift in merchant operations and store performance; for example, AI-referred product-detail-page sessions converted 49% higher than organic in Q1 2026.

AI in the electronic commerce industry

  • 14% higher was the average order value for AI-referred orders than organic-search orders across Shopify stores in the measured period, globally in 2025.[1]
  • 55% of surveyed global consumers wanted virtual assistants in shopping, according to IBM’s retail study published in 2024.[2]
  • 8% was the increase in the share of new Shopify stores reaching five orders within 15 days after receiving onboarding support from Sidekick, globally in the measured period.[1]
  • 45% of U.S. consumers use AI as a primary or secondary shopping tool, according to Locus research cited by Shopify in 2026.[1]
  • 49% higher was the conversion rate for AI-referred product-detail-page sessions than organic-search sessions on Shopify storefronts in Q1 2026.[1]
  • 56% was the average category-level conversion-rate advantage of AI-referred sessions over organic search across 23 of 25 Shopify merchant categories in Q1 2026.[1]

Automation in the electronic commerce industry

  • $30,000 per month was the reported saving for Doe Beauty’s six-person team after automating operational tasks, according to Shopify in 2026.[1]
  • 80% of operational tasks were automated by Doe Beauty using Shopify Flow, according to the company example reported in 2026.[1]
  • 13% of surveyed warehouse and distribution-center operations used autonomous forklifts in 2025.[3]
  • 64% of surveyed companies used robotics-as-a-service or software-as-a-service systems in 2024 warehouse operations.[4]
  • 18% of surveyed warehouse and distribution-center operations used autonomous mobile robots or automated guided vehicles in 2025.[3]
  • 26% of surveyed fulfillment operations used mobile collaborative robotics in 2025.[5]

Digital Transformation in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among EU small and medium-sized enterprises, 71% reached at least a basic level of digital intensity in 2025.[6]
  • Across EU businesses, 74% reached at least a basic level of digital intensity in 2024.[6]
  • Among EU large businesses, 96% reached at least a basic level of digital intensity in 2025.[6]
  • Across retail and consumer-goods companies, 70% of business functions had generative AI adopted or piloted in 2025.[7]

Technology Adoption in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across US and European retailers, 16% had fully scaled artificial intelligence in 2025.[8]
  • Across US and European retailers, 66% had moved beyond exploration and testing of store-intelligence technologies in 2025.[8]
  • Across US and European retailers, 27% had fully scaled cameras and sensors in 2025.[8]
  • Across US and European retailers, 21% had fully scaled edge computing technologies in 2025.[8]
  • Across US and European retailers, 23% had fully scaled wireless communication technologies such as RFID or Bluetooth in 2025.[8]

Cloud Computing in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU enterprises, 52.74% used paid cloud-computing services in 2025.[6]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 45.52% hosted enterprise databases in the cloud in 2025.[6]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 85.15% used cloud-based email in 2025.[6]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 71.69% used cloud-based office software in 2025.[6]
  • Across EU enterprises using paid cloud services, 71.53% used cloud-based file storage in 2025.[6]

Big Data in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across retail companies, 23% were using artificial intelligence in production to resolve customer identities or prepare customer data for marketing or analytics in 2025.[9]
  • Across EU enterprises, 26.20% performed data analytics on transaction records such as sales and payment records in 2025.[6]
  • Across EU enterprises, 33.02% performed data analytics using their own employees in 2025.[6]
  • Across retail companies, 64% said their customer data was structured and accessible enough to support artificial-intelligence use cases in 2025.[9]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Data readiness and governance remain measurable blockers, with 66% of respondents citing identity-resolution ability as only somewhat effective in 2024.

Business intelligence in the electronic commerce industry

  • 25.85% of Irish enterprises used business-intelligence software in 2025.[6]
  • 32.50% of Belgian enterprises used business-intelligence software in 2025.[6]
  • 41.70% of Danish enterprises used business-intelligence software in 2025.[6]
  • 35.88% of Dutch enterprises used business-intelligence software in 2025.[6]
  • 11.45% of small EU enterprises used business-intelligence software in 2025.[6]
  • 21.95% of Swedish enterprises used business-intelligence software in 2025.[6]

Data analytics in the electronic commerce industry

  • 52% of shoppers said their retailer’s search and browsing experiences were sometimes personalized.[10]
  • 1.67 million large-language-model replies and decisions were generated for retailers by Agentforce during Cyber Week 2024.[11]
  • 22% of shoppers said their most recently visited online retailer did not personalize the experience at all.[10]
  • 20% of shoppers said their most recently visited online retailer frequently personalized the experience to their needs.[10]
  • More than 1,500 e-commerce websites were analyzed in a study of retail analytics-dashboard adoption.[12]
  • 4%–10% was the increase in average weekly revenue after online retailers adopted and used a descriptive-analytics dashboard.[12]

Data Quality in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across retail and e-commerce, 29% of respondents rated their customer-data collection methods not very effective in 2024.[13]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 66% of respondents rated their identity-resolution ability only somewhat effective in 2024.[13]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 66% of respondents identified data-quality controls as a significant challenge in 2024.[13]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 48% of respondents rated their customer-data collection methods only somewhat effective in 2024.[13]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 62% of respondents rated their data-management practices only somewhat effective in 2024.[13]

Data Governance in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across retail and CPG companies, 31% of respondents cited the lack of a corporate data strategy and semantic layer as a key challenge in 2025.[14]
  • Across retail and consumer-products companies, 66% of respondents said their data-management capabilities were only somewhat unified in 2025.[15]
  • Across retail and CPG companies, 35% of respondents cited inconsistent or incorrect answers to data questions as a governance-related blocker in 2025.[14]
  • Across retail and consumer-products companies, 53.5% of respondents said regulatory compliance was not a significant data challenge in 2025.[15]
  • Across retail and consumer-products companies, 96% of respondents said breaking down data silos was a significant challenge in 2025.[15]
  • Across retail and e-commerce, 57% of respondents identified data governance as a significant challenge in 2024.[13]

KPIs in the electronic commerce industry

  • 24.5% of online sales were abandoned before completion according to merchant survey responses in 2024.[16]
  • 31% of B2B e-commerce organizations used sales-conversion rate to measure strategy success in 2024.[17]
  • 74% of surveyed merchants said their online checkout experience needed to be simplified for customers in 2024.[16]
  • 27% of B2B e-commerce organizations used average order value as a success KPI in 2024.[17]
  • 22% of B2B e-commerce organizations used bounce rate as a success KPI in 2024.[17]
  • 28% of B2B e-commerce organizations used average time spent on site as a success KPI in 2024.[17]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

U.S. online retail continues to expand; retail e-commerce sales reached an estimated $340.2B in Q2 2026, with e-commerce at 17.1% of retail share that quarter.

Growth in the electronic commerce industry

  • 16.4% was e-commerce’s share of total U.S. retail sales in 2025.[18]
  • $340.2 billion was U.S. retail e-commerce sales in the second quarter of 2026.[18]
  • 17.1% was e-commerce’s share of total U.S. retail sales in the second quarter of 2026.[18]
  • 12.2% was the year-over-year increase in U.S. retail e-commerce sales in the second quarter of 2026.[18]
  • 36% was the year-over-year increase in independent Amazon sellers surpassing $1 million in sales in 2025.[19]
  • 7.8% was global e-commerce growth in 2025, according to ECDB’s Global E-Commerce Compass.[20]

Differentiation in the electronic commerce industry

  • 37% of surveyed shoppers said personalized product recommendations made them buy more often in 2024.[21]
  • 45% higher conversion was reported when brands delivered standout personalized value in 2024 research.[22]
  • 12% of surveyed baby boomers said personalized recommendations made them buy more often in 2024.[21]
  • 48% of surveyed millennials said personalized recommendations made them buy more often in 2024.[21]
  • 50% higher engagement was reported when brands delivered standout personalized value in 2024 research.[22]
  • Nearly 90% of Depop’s active buyers were under age 34 at December 31, 2025, differentiating the marketplace’s customer base.[23]

Mergers and acquisitions in the electronic commerce industry

  • 17 e-commerce M&A transactions closed in the first quarter of 2025, according to Capital IQ data.[24]
  • $1.2 billion was eBay’s announced cash purchase price for Depop in 2026.[23]
  • 29 e-commerce M&A transactions closed in the second quarter of 2025, according to Capital IQ data.[24]
  • 68 e-commerce M&A transactions were announced or completed through year-to-date 2026.[25]
  • 992 retail-sector M&A deals closed in 2025, according to KPMG’s retail-sector data.[26]
  • 212 retail M&A deals closed in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to KPMG’s retail-sector data.[26]

Strategic partnerships in the electronic commerce industry

  • More than 90% of sellers accepted recommended actions from Amazon’s Seller Assistant in 2025.[19]
  • More than 4.6 billion items were sold by U.S. independent sellers in Amazon’s store in 2025.[27]
  • 226 million items were sold by independent sellers in Texas through Amazon in 2025.[27]
  • 760 million items were sold by independent sellers in New York through Amazon in 2025.[27]
  • More than 2 million people were employed by U.S. independent sellers to support their Amazon-related businesses in 2025.[27]
  • More than 75,000 independent Amazon sellers surpassed $1 million in sales in 2025.[27]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce data focuses on retention and hiring scale; Walmart hired 17,100 U.S. military spouses in FY2025.

Hiring in the electronic commerce industry

  • More than 70 nationalities were represented across Etsy’s employee workforce at December 31, 2025.[28]
  • More than 500,000 U.S. veterans and military spouses had been hired by Walmart since FY2014.[29]
  • 17,100 U.S. military spouses were hired by Walmart in FY2025.[29]
  • 90% of Walmart’s U.S. roles did not require a college degree as of FY2025, broadening the company’s potential recruitment pool.[29]
  • 44,322 U.S. electronic shopping and mail-order firms operated in 2022, up 33% from 33,241 in 2017, expanding the industry’s potential employer base.[18]

Employee retention in the electronic commerce industry

  • More than 316,000 Walmart hourly associates from 2015 were still with the company in 2025 and had received over 348,000 promotions collectively.[29]
  • 77% of U.S. frontline retail workers considering quitting in 2024 said they had many other job opportunities.[30]
  • 26% of U.S. frontline retail workers attributed workplace stress in 2024 to stressful work.[30]
  • 59% of U.S. frontline retail workers considered quitting in 2024, compared with 37% in 2023.[30]
  • More than 300,000 U.S. Walmart associates had spent over 10 years with the company as of FY2025.[29]

Remote Work in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 15.14% of full paid working days in 2022.[31]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 13.46% of full paid working days in 2024.[31]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 14.03% of full paid working days in 2023.[31]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 14.09% of full paid working days in 2026.[31]
  • Across U.S. retail trade, employees worked from home for 14.02% of full paid working days in 2025.[31]

Hybrid Work in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across retail organizations globally, 42% used mandated office days as their hybrid-work model in 2025.[32]
  • Across U.K. employers, 74% had hybrid working in place in 2025.[33]
  • Across U.K. employers, 23% used informal manager-employee arrangements for hybrid work in 2025.[33]
  • Across U.K. employers, 65% required hybrid employees to attend the workplace a minimum number of days in 2025.[33]
  • Across U.K. employers, 42% had a formal hybrid-working policy in 2025.[33]

Upskilling in the electronic commerce industry

  • $1 billion was invested by Walmart in career-driven training and education from FY2021 through FY2025.[29]
  • 84% of Walmart U.S. field roles above entry level were filled internally in FY2025.[29]
  • Walmart Academy had supported more than 4 million training completions since 2016 by 2026.[29]
  • More than 3.8 million Walmart Academy training completions were recorded by FYE2026.[29]
  • Walmart U.S. associates received their first promotion after an average of nine months with the company in FY2025.[29]

Employee Engagement in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across retail employees, 71% agreed their company contributed to their learning and development in Culture Amp’s 2024 dataset.[34]
  • Across U.S. retail workers, 24% were promoters of their organizations in Seramount’s spring 2025 survey.[34]
  • Across retail employees in Culture Amp’s 2024 dataset, 70% were engaged in 2025 reporting.[34]
  • Across U.S. retail workers, 24% reported one or more symptoms of burnout in Seramount’s spring 2025 survey.[34]
  • Across U.S. retail workers, 35% rated their personal well-being above average in Seramount’s spring 2025 survey.[34]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Checkout friction and returns expectations appear as quantified drivers of abandonment; 83% of online shoppers abandoned a cart for Mastercard’s 2024 research.

Customer experience in the electronic commerce industry

  • 49% of online shoppers abandoned checkout because of a lack of a frictionless payment experience in Mastercard’s 2024 survey.[35]
  • 44% of online shoppers reported making no online returns during the previous year in Baymard’s latest research.[36]
  • 28% of online shoppers reported returning items more than once during the previous year in Baymard’s latest study.[36]
  • 83% of online shoppers have abandoned an online shopping cart, according to Mastercard’s 2024 online-checkout research.[35]
  • 52% of online consumers reported returning at least one item purchased online during the previous 12 months in Baymard’s latest study.[36]

Customer retention in the electronic commerce industry

  • 38% was the average e-commerce customer-retention rate cited by Sprinklr for 2024.[1]
  • 22% to 44% was the repeat-purchase-rate range for consumable direct-to-consumer brands in Beauchamp Sullivan & Co.’s analysis.[1]
  • 29.8% was the median 12-month repeat-purchase rate for health, wellness and supplement ecommerce brands in Appbrew’s dataset.[37]
  • 21.7% was the median 12-month repeat-purchase rate across 250 Shopify brands measured by Appbrew.[37]
  • 23.0% was the median 12-month repeat-purchase rate for customers using ecommerce mobile apps in Appbrew’s Shopify-brand dataset.[37]

Customer acquisition in the electronic commerce industry

  • The cost of an online visit increased 9% in 2024 across the digital experiences analyzed by Contentsquare.[38]
  • 3.6% was the average conversion rate for traffic referred by AI tools to more than 35,000 Shopify ecommerce brands.[39]
  • 20% of global holiday sales came from social-commerce platforms such as TikTok Shop and Instagram during the 2024 holiday season.[11]
  • 13.2% more digital advertising spend was recorded in 2024, while conversion rates declined 6.1% year over year, according to Contentsquare’s ecommerce benchmark analysis.[38]
  • 7.5% was the 90th-percentile acquisition rate for ecommerce companies in Amplitude’s September 2023–September 2024 benchmark.[40]

Customer loyalty in the electronic commerce industry

  • 6.46% was the year-over-year increase in customer lifetime value for home-goods ecommerce brands in Smile.io’s 2024 dataset.[41]
  • 585 million ecommerce orders were included in Smile.io’s analysis of loyalty and retention data for 2024.[41]
  • 100,000 ecommerce merchants in 148 countries were analyzed in Smile.io’s 2025 customer-loyalty report.[41]
  • 60% more likely to spend more on a brand were members of paid loyalty programs in the McKinsey research cited by AP.[42]
  • 41% of ecommerce companies in Impact’s 2024 referral-marketing study also offered loyalty programs.[43]

Lead generation in the electronic commerce industry

  • $20 was the average value of store-credit rewards in double-sided ecommerce referral programs in Impact’s 2024 study.[43]
  • 47% of double-sided ecommerce referral programs rewarded customers with store credit in Impact’s 2024 study.[43]
  • 3.5% was the 75th-percentile acquisition rate for ecommerce companies in Amplitude’s benchmark based on more than 2,600 companies.[40]
  • 94% of ecommerce referral programs were double-sided in Impact’s 2024 referral-marketing study.[43]
  • 85% of ecommerce referral programs rewarded a purchase event in Impact’s 2024 referral-marketing study.[43]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Marketing in the electronic commerce industry

  • 51% more frequently was the rate at which U.S. shoppers purchased from ecommerce brands in 2025.[44]
  • 55% more web-push notifications were sent by ecommerce merchants in 2024 than in the preceding year.[44]
  • 54% of total U.S. ecommerce order growth in 2025 came from the top 5% of brands.[44]
  • 147% was the year-over-year increase in ecommerce order volume among U.S. SMB brands in 2025.[44]
  • 31% more SMS messages were sent by ecommerce merchants in 2024 than in the preceding year.[44]

Digital marketing in the electronic commerce industry

  • 0.09% was the average placed-order rate for ecommerce email campaigns in Klaviyo’s 2024 benchmark data.[45]
  • 76.86% of ecommerce businesses ranked email marketing among their three highest-ROI marketing channels in 2024.[45]
  • 39.74% was the average email-campaign open rate for ecommerce brands in Klaviyo’s 2024 benchmark data.[45]
  • 1.47% was the average email-campaign click rate for ecommerce brands in Klaviyo’s 2024 benchmark data.[45]
  • 52.04% was the average open rate for ecommerce email automations in Klaviyo’s 2024 benchmark data.[45]

Branding in the electronic commerce industry

  • 88% of retailers said unified commerce would significantly affect their goals in Salesforce’s latest connected-shoppers research.[11]
  • 47% of global consumers said ecommerce provided a better experience than physical retail in 2024.[46]
  • 22% of global consumers said physical retail provided a better experience than ecommerce in 2024.[46]
  • 62% of consumers said branding was an important consideration when buying from a new ecommerce business.[47]
  • 75% of retailers said AI agents would be essential to competing by 2026 in Salesforce’s latest connected-shoppers research.[11]

Social media in the electronic commerce industry

  • 79% of U.S. online shoppers used social media for shopping in 2024.[48]
  • 51.1% of U.S. holiday shoppers used Instagram for shopping inspiration in 2024.[49]
  • 76% of Gen Z shoppers had discovered products through social media platforms in Salesforce’s 2025 research.[11]
  • 53% of shoppers discovered products through social platforms in Salesforce’s latest global connected-shoppers research.[11]
  • 40% of Gen Z shoppers used TikTok to discover products, compared with 4% of baby boomers, in Salesforce’s 2025 research.[11]

Influencer Marketing in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • 58% of brands integrated retail media networks and creator marketing platforms by amplifying creator-generated content on retail media channels in 2025.[50]
  • 49% of brands investing in creator marketing reported sales as an impact of creator activity in 2026, compared with 60% citing brand sentiment and 58% citing awareness.[50]
  • 78% of surveyed brands reported growing creator-marketing budgets in 2025, up from 36% reporting budget growth in 2024.[50]
  • 80% of brands investing in creator marketing increased creator budgets in 2026, while 25% raised creator spending by more than 10%.[50]
  • 91% of brands investing in creator marketing ran an always-on component in 2026, including 62% with hybrid programs and 29% with fully continuous programs.[50]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational technology adoption and logistics performance show up in KPI tracking; for example, 48% of e-commerce retailers tracked on-time shipping rate in 2024.

Process optimization in the electronic commerce industry

  • 23% of third-party logistics providers had implemented enterprise-resource-planning or accounting integrations in 2024.[51]
  • 86% of third-party logistics providers considered a warehouse management system critical to their technology stack in 2024.[51]
  • 30% of third-party logistics providers had implemented shopping-cart or marketplace integrations in 2024.[51]
  • 35% of third-party logistics providers had implemented an order-management system in 2024.[51]
  • 45% of third-party logistics providers had implemented electronic data interchange in 2024.[51]

Operational efficiency in the electronic commerce industry

  • 42% of e-commerce retailers tracked average cost per order as a key performance indicator in 2024.[52]
  • 34% of e-commerce retailers tracked inventory turnover rate as a key performance indicator in 2024.[52]
  • 48% of e-commerce retailers tracked on-time shipping rate as a key performance indicator in 2024.[52]
  • 28% of e-commerce retailers tracked out-of-stock rate as a key performance indicator in 2024.[52]
  • 35% of e-commerce retailers tracked return rate as a key performance indicator in 2024.[52]

Quality management in the electronic commerce industry

  • 99.9% was Amazon Multichannel Fulfillment’s undamaged-package rate for worldwide orders delivered between October 2024 and September 2025.[53]
  • 22% of consumers surveyed said an e-commerce delivery arrived much later than promised during the three-month period ending in January 2024.[54]
  • 67% of consumers surveyed experienced an e-commerce delivery problem during the three-month period ending in January 2024.[54]
  • 21% of consumers surveyed said an e-commerce delivery arrived at a different time than expected during the three-month period ending in January 2024.[54]
  • 15% of consumers surveyed experienced an e-commerce returns problem in 2024.[54]

Supply chain in the electronic commerce industry

  • 53% of respondents identified inventory positioning as an omnichannel supply-chain pain point in 2025.[55]
  • 50% of respondents identified fulfillment decisions as an omnichannel strategic challenge in 2025.[55]
  • 60% of respondents identified order fulfillment as an area affected by e-commerce in 2025.[55]
  • 60% of respondents identified distribution and logistics as an area affected by e-commerce in 2025.[55]
  • 40% of respondents reported returns management as an e-commerce cost-to-serve pressure in 2025.[55]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the retail and e-commerce sector (sector benchmark)

  • 74% of retailers surveyed sourced internationally, including 71% of small companies and 84% of larger companies, in 2024.[56]
  • 57% of retail organizations with $50 million–$100 million in revenue outsourced some or all fulfillment in 2025.[57]
  • Among U.S. apparel imports, China’s share fell from 30% in 2019 to 21% in 2023, while other Asian suppliers’ share rose from 30% to 35%.[58]
  • 72% of retail organizations with $100 million–$150 million in revenue outsourced some or all fulfillment in 2025.[57]
  • 76% of retail organizations with $150 million–$200 million in revenue outsourced some or all fulfillment in 2025.[57]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing and profitability pressures tie to conversion and costs; free delivery and free returns stay important purchase motivators for conversion.

Pricing strategy in the electronic commerce industry

  • 8.7% was the average increase in cart abandonment associated with dynamic pricing among 89 U.S. online retailers studied from 2022 to 2025.[59]
  • 3.8% was the average monthly conversion rate for fashion retailers in the U.S. online-retailer panel from 2022 to 2025.[59]
  • 1.72 was the estimated price elasticity of demand for electronics sold by U.S. online retailers from 2022 to 2025.[59]
  • 80% of U.S. consumers said consistent pricing makes brands more trustworthy in 2024.[60]
  • 68% of U.S. consumers said dynamic pricing makes them feel taken advantage of in 2024.[60]

Cost reduction in the electronic commerce industry

  • 86% of digital grocers reported picking-efficiency improvement as a path to profitability in Q1 2024.[61]
  • 58% of German online retailers reported human-resource cost reductions through workload reductions or layoffs in 2023.[62]
  • 24% was the average improvement in delivery speed after e-commerce businesses outsourced fulfillment in 2024.[52]
  • 29.7% was the average improvement in pick-to-ship cycle time after e-commerce businesses outsourced fulfillment in 2024.[52]
  • 27.8% was the average reduction in fulfillment cost per order after e-commerce businesses outsourced fulfillment in 2024.[52]

Profitability in the electronic commerce industry

  • $39.24 billion was Amazon’s net income for the first nine months of 2024.[63]
  • 24.2% was Etsy’s revenue take rate in 2025, compared with 22.3% in 2024.[28]
  • $163 million was Etsy’s net income in 2025.[28]
  • $47.39 billion was Amazon’s operating income for the first nine months of 2024.[63]
  • 49% was the gross margin of online-first direct-to-consumer businesses in the June 2024 online-commerce analysis.[14]

Financial planning in the electronic commerce industry

  • 51% of surveyed financial executives planned to optimize working-capital management to improve cash flow in 2026.[64]
  • 39% of surveyed U.S. B2C e-commerce brands held more safety stock because of unpredictable demand in 2026.[65]
  • 39% of surveyed U.S. B2C e-commerce companies used revenue-based financing or e-commerce lenders in 2026.[65]
  • 34% of U.S. B2C e-commerce finance and operations leaders said AI was central to forecasting, capital planning, and inventory management in 2026.[65]
  • 47% of surveyed U.S. B2C e-commerce companies used traditional bank credit lines as a funding source in 2026.[65]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Returns and product quality are quantified as recurring experience issues; 55% of shoppers cited faulty or poor-quality products as a typical reason for returning in 2025.

Product development in the electronic commerce industry

  • 39% of shoppers identified product discovery as an AI shopping use case in 2026.[46]
  • 51.7% of U.S. consumers said generative-AI suggestions had led them to choose brands they otherwise would not have selected in 2026.[46]
  • 76% of U.S. shoppers said viral trends and social buzz influenced their buying decisions in 2025.[66]
  • 59% of consumers said they were likely to visit a brand website if it was mentioned in an AI chatbot in 2026.[46]
  • 54.5% of U.S. consumers said a strong AI recommendation could influence their brand choice in 2026.[46]

Product lifecycle in the electronic commerce industry

  • 55% of shoppers said faulty or poor-quality products were a typical reason for returning an online purchase in 2025.[66]
  • 64% of online shoppers had returned a purchase in 2025.[66]
  • 44% of shoppers said transit damage was a typical reason for returning an online purchase in 2025.[66]
  • 50% of e-commerce retailers included a return label with shipments in 2025.[66]
  • 43% of e-commerce retailers cited goods damaged in transit as a main reason for returns in 2025.[66]

After-sales in the electronic commerce industry

  • 71% of U.S. shoppers said they would abandon a purchase if the return process did not meet expectations in 2025.[66]
  • 79% of online shoppers said they would abandon a purchase if the return policy did not meet expectations in 2026.[67]
  • 35.4% of EU online shoppers reported encountering problems while purchasing through a website or app in 2025.[6]
  • 19.9% of EU online shoppers reported delivery slower than expected as a purchasing problem in 2025.[6]
  • 63% of EU e-shoppers reported encountering no problem while purchasing online in 2025.[6]

Value proposition in the electronic commerce industry

  • 33% of EU online shoppers ordered restaurant deliveries in the three months before the 2024 survey.[6]
  • 20% of global shoppers said fast delivery was the main factor driving purchase completion in 2026.[66]
  • 51% of U.S. shoppers had purchased pre-owned or refurbished items in 2026.[66]
  • 46% of EU online shoppers bought film, series or sports-streaming subscriptions in the three months before the 2024 survey.[6]
  • 78% of EU internet users bought or ordered goods or services online in 2025.[6]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Packaging and repair guidance track sustainability actions; 74% of surveyed e-commerce retailers planned to provide guidance on repairing products in 2025.

Sustainability in the electronic commerce industry

  • 85% of Amazon’s operational waste was diverted from landfill in 2024.[68]
  • 1.5 billion packages were delivered globally by Amazon’s electric delivery vehicles in 2024.[68]
  • 74% of surveyed e-commerce retailers planned to provide guidance on repairing products in 2025.[66]
  • 55% of surveyed UK e-commerce retailers were cutting plastic and unnecessary packaging in 2025.[66]
  • 16.4% was Amazon’s reduction in total global plastic packaging in 2024 compared with 2023.[68]

ESG in the electronic commerce industry

  • 61% of surveyed smaller European e-commerce businesses reported stakeholder and environmental responsibility in 2024.[69]
  • 25% of surveyed European e-tailers were taking steps to improve accessibility for people with special needs in 2024.[69]
  • 34% of surveyed European e-tailers checked a prospective business partner’s ESG or sustainable-development approach in 2024.[69]
  • 34% of surveyed European e-businesses were familiar with responsible e-commerce in 2024.[69]
  • 47% of surveyed European e-businesses said they acted responsibly toward employees, customers, the environment, suppliers and partners in 2024.[69]

Ethics in the electronic commerce industry

  • 75% of surveyed e-sellers did not trust social-media commerce sites to manage inventory in 2024.[70]
  • 40% of U.S. adults aged 30–49 had experienced an online counterfeit or non-delivery shopping scam by 2025.[71]
  • 41% of Black U.S. adults had experienced an online counterfeit or non-delivery shopping scam by 2025.[71]
  • 26% of U.S. adults aged 65 and older had experienced an online counterfeit or non-delivery shopping scam by 2025.[71]
  • 65% of surveyed e-sellers did not trust social-media commerce sites with payment processing in 2024.[70]

CSR in the electronic commerce industry

  • 14.9% of Etsy’s U.S. employees identified as Black, Latinx or Native American at December 31, 2024.[72]
  • 42.1% of Etsy’s U.S.-based software engineers identified as women or marginalized genders at December 31, 2024.[72]
  • 81% of Etsy marketplace employees responded to the company’s 2024 engagement survey.[72]
  • 51% of Walmart’s U.S. associates identified as people of color in fiscal 2024.[73]
  • 2,400 people were employed worldwide by Etsy at December 31, 2024.[74]

Circular economy in the electronic commerce industry

  • 6% of surveyed e-commerce customers purchased a refurbished or reconditioned product online during the year before the 2024 survey.[75]
  • 44% of shoppers who bought pre-owned or refurbished products online did so to reduce waste and be more sustainable in 2025.[66]
  • 26% of surveyed e-commerce customers bought a second-hand product online during the year before the 2024 survey.[75]
  • 52% of global shoppers bought pre-owned or refurbished products online in DHL’s 2025 survey.[66]
  • 60% of shoppers who bought pre-owned or refurbished products online did so to save money in 2025.[66]

Carbon footprint in the electronic commerce industry

  • 10% of Amazon’s European delivery packaging was shipped in product packaging in 2024.[68]
  • 41% of Amazon’s European delivery packaging consisted of cardboard boxes in 2024.[68]
  • 12% of Amazon’s global delivery packaging was shipped in product packaging in 2024.[68]
  • 13% of Amazon’s North American delivery packaging was shipped in product packaging in 2024.[68]
  • 49% of Amazon’s European delivery packaging consisted of flexible materials in 2024.[68]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Cross-border buying scales alongside local preferences; in 2024, $224B in cross-border B2C e-commerce revenue came from the Americas.

Globalization in the electronic commerce industry

  • $504 billion in cross-border B2C e-commerce revenue came from Europe in 2024.[89]
  • 91% of businesses sold and shipped cross-border in the latest Avalara executive survey.[90]
  • $180.7 billion in cross-border B2C e-commerce exports originated in China in 2024.[89]
  • 55% of global online shoppers bought from retailers in other countries in 2024.[66]
  • $224 billion in cross-border B2C e-commerce revenue came from the Americas in 2024.[89]

Cultural adaptation in the electronic commerce industry

  • 64% of Polish shoppers preferred parcel-locker delivery for online orders in 2024.[66]
  • 70% of shoppers in Thailand used cash or pay-on-delivery in 2026.[66]
  • 92% of shoppers in Thailand had made a purchase on social media in 2024.[66]
  • 64% of shoppers in the United Arab Emirates used cash or pay-on-delivery in 2026.[66]
  • 74% of shoppers in Morocco used cash or pay-on-delivery in 2026.[66]

Supplier management in the electronic commerce industry

  • 1.56 comparative seller offers per product was the average in Mirakl’s 2024 marketplace analysis.[91]
  • 33% of Etsy sellers who also sold elsewhere obtained most of their sales from Etsy in November 2024.[28]
  • 78% of organizations had mandates or ambitions to purchase from certified, sustainable, local or small-business sellers in 2025.[39]
  • 66,000 third-party sellers were represented in Mirakl’s 2024 analysis of global retail marketplaces and dropship platforms.[91]
  • $12.6 billion in gross merchandise sales was generated by Etsy sellers in 2024.[28]

Stakeholder management in the electronic commerce industry

  • 66% of U.S. online shoppers used digital wallets in 2026.[66]
  • $303.3 million was Etsy’s net income in 2024.[28]
  • 49% of eBay’s 2024 gross merchandise volume was generated outside the United States.[74]
  • 2.3 billion live listings were available on eBay marketplaces at the end of 2024.[74]
  • $2.8 billion was Etsy’s total revenue in 2024.[28]

Distribution channels in the electronic commerce industry

  • 67% of global online shoppers always used a smartphone to shop online in 2024.[66]
  • 74% of global online shoppers preferred home delivery in 2024.[66]
  • 64% of brands already operated B2B or brick-and-mortar store orders in 2024.[92]
  • 18% of brands sold through at least two sales channels in 2024.[92]
  • 73% of brands sold through at least three sales channels in 2024.[92]

Key questions about the electronic commerce industry

How large is the electronic commerce market?
Businesses in 46 economies recorded nearly $28 trillion in e-commerce sales in 2024.
How fast is B2B e-commerce growing?
The global B2B e-commerce market is forecast to reach $36 trillion by 2026 and is projected to grow at a 14.5% CAGR through 2026.
Which companies lead the electronic commerce industry?
Shopify and MercadoLibre are tied at the top of Gitnux's 2026 electronic commerce ranking with an Overall score of 9.4 each.
What technology shifts show up in 2026 buying behavior?
In 2026, 38% of surveyed shoppers used AI-powered chat or virtual assistants to browse or buy, while 45% had purchased through TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook.
What does market structure look like in online retail?
Large platforms remain central; the EU applies the highest Digital Services Act requirements to platforms and search engines with more than 45 million active users.
What factors most affect conversion and pricing?
Delivery and returns remain major price and conversion factors: seven in ten shoppers identify trust and a choice of delivery partners as critical when choosing a brand.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Electronic Commerce Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/electronic-commerce-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Electronic Commerce Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 10 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/electronic-commerce-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Electronic Commerce Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/electronic-commerce-industry-statistics.

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