Global retail e-commerce sales reached 5.8 trillion dollars. Forecasts indicate further growth ahead. Shoppers abandon most carts because of unexpected costs and delivery delays.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, global retail e-commerce sales were $5.8 trillion, and e-commerce accounted for 19.4% of total retail sales.
- In 2024, global retail e-commerce sales are forecast to reach $6.8 trillion.
- In 2025, global retail e-commerce sales are forecast to reach $7.7 trillion.
- In the U.S., 21% of shoppers prefer to shop online “more often” than in-store.
- In the U.S., 59% of shoppers purchased at least one product online in the past 30 days.
- Globally, 34% of online shoppers say they shop online for convenience.
- In 2023, online retail represented 19.7% of total retail trade in the U.S.
- In the U.S., the e-commerce share of total sales was 15.4% in Q4 2023.
- U.S. e-commerce sales were $1.6 trillion in 2023 (monthly estimate).
- In 2024, 47% of online shoppers abandoned purchases due to unexpected costs.
- In Baymard’s research, 17% of shoppers abandoned due to “too slow delivery.”
- In Baymard’s research, 8% abandoned because they needed “account required.”
- In 2024, the global number of online consumers (digital buyers) was about 2.64 billion.
- In 2023, online payment fraud losses were estimated at $... (global benchmark) .
- In 2023, the global e-commerce fraud rate was 0.9% of transaction volume (estimated).
Global e commerce is booming, reaching $5.8 trillion in 2023 and $6.8 trillion forecast for 2024.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size & Growth30 stats
01
In 2023, global retail e-commerce sales were $5.8 trillion, and e-commerce accounted for 19.4% of total retail sales.
02
In 2024, global retail e-commerce sales are forecast to reach $6.8 trillion.
03
In 2025, global retail e-commerce sales are forecast to reach $7.7 trillion.
04
In 2023, retail e-commerce sales worldwide were expected to grow by 8.9% (nominal) versus 2022.
05
In 2022, retail e-commerce sales in the U.S. were $1.03 trillion.
06
In 2023, retail e-commerce sales in the U.S. were $1.2 trillion.
07
U.S. e-commerce as a share of total retail sales was 15.0% in 2023.
08
U.S. e-commerce as a share of total retail sales was 14.1% in 2022.
09
Europe’s e-commerce sales were €537 billion in 2023.
10
Europe’s e-commerce sales are forecast to reach €636 billion in 2024.
11
Europe’s e-commerce sales are forecast to reach €784 billion in 2026.
12
China’s online retail sales were RMB 15.5 trillion in 2023.
13
China’s online retail sales were RMB 14.2 trillion in 2022.
14
India’s online retail sales were $65.8 billion in 2023.
15
India’s online retail sales are forecast to reach $90.2 billion in 2024.
16
UK e-commerce sales were £134.9 billion in 2023.
17
UK e-commerce sales are forecast to reach £145.7 billion in 2024.
18
Germany e-commerce sales were €84.6 billion in 2023.
19
Germany e-commerce sales are forecast to reach €93.4 billion in 2024.
20
France e-commerce sales were €113.3 billion in 2023.
21
France e-commerce sales are forecast to reach €122.5 billion in 2024.
22
Japan e-commerce sales were ¥17.5 trillion in 2023.
23
Japan e-commerce sales are forecast to reach ¥18.7 trillion in 2024.
24
Global number of online shoppers was about 2.64 billion in 2023.
25
Global number of online shoppers is forecast to reach 2.8 billion in 2024.
26
Global number of online shoppers is forecast to reach 3.2 billion in 2027.
27
Online shopper penetration worldwide was 34.7% in 2023.
28
Online shopper penetration worldwide is forecast to be 36.9% in 2024.
29
eMarketer estimated U.S. retail e-commerce sales would reach $1.0 trillion in 2019.
30
eMarketer estimated U.S. retail e-commerce sales would reach $1.2 trillion in 2023.
Interpretation
Market Size & Growth Interpretation
In 2023, online shopping turned a $5.8 trillion global retail market into a nearly one fifth e-commerce reality, with U.S. buyers pushing that share past 15% while Europe, China, India, the UK, Germany, France, and Japan all scale up in step, and the bigger punchline is that the world is gaining millions of online shoppers fast enough to keep e-commerce growth projections sprinting toward $6.8 trillion in 2024 and $7.7 trillion in 2025.
02 · Category
Consumer Behavior & Adoption30 stats
01
In the U.S., 21% of shoppers prefer to shop online “more often” than in-store.
02
In the U.S., 59% of shoppers purchased at least one product online in the past 30 days.
03
Globally, 34% of online shoppers say they shop online for convenience.
04
In a global consumer survey, 50% of online shoppers say product selection is a reason to shop online.
05
In a global survey, 44% of online shoppers say prices and promotions motivate them to shop online.
06
In a U.K. consumer survey, 45% of internet users bought goods or services online in 2023.
07
In the EU, 55% of individuals aged 16–74 bought goods or services online in 2023.
08
In the EU, 37% of individuals aged 16–74 bought online at least once a month in 2023.
09
In the EU, 22% of individuals bought online from other EU countries in 2023.
10
In the EU, 10% of individuals purchased from non-EU countries online in 2023.
11
In a U.S. survey, 72% of consumers expect online retailers to offer shipping promotions or discounts.
12
In a U.S. survey, 62% of consumers say faster shipping would make them buy more online.
13
In a U.S. survey, 51% of shoppers say free returns influence their decision to buy online.
14
In a global survey, 58% of consumers prefer same-day delivery if available.
15
In a U.K. survey, 55% of consumers report using mobile devices to browse or buy online.
16
In the U.K., 33% of online shoppers used mobile phones to place orders in 2023.
17
In the U.S., 80% of shoppers use smartphones for product research.
18
In the U.S., 58% of shoppers abandon carts because of unexpected costs.
19
In a U.S. survey, 35% of consumers say they will not return to a website after a bad experience.
20
In a survey, 48% of consumers say they read product reviews before purchasing online.
21
In the U.K., 40% of consumers say delivery costs affect whether they purchase online.
22
In a U.S. study, 67% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase if they can track an order.
23
In a global consumer survey, 43% of shoppers say they shop online because of the ability to compare prices.
24
In an Econsultancy survey, 54% of customers think a website’s speed is important for making purchases.
25
In a U.S. survey, 71% of shoppers say they check delivery dates before buying online.
26
In a U.S. survey, 39% of consumers say they have abandoned a purchase due to slow website performance.
27
In a global survey by Volusion, 39% of online shoppers say they look for discounts or promotions.
28
In a study, 58% of consumers say they use mobile apps for online shopping.
29
In a U.S. report, 47% of shoppers use price comparison websites/apps.
30
In a global study, 60% of consumers say social media influences what they purchase online.
Interpretation
Consumer Behavior & Adoption Interpretation
Americans mostly want the convenience, price, speed, tracking, and frictionless checkout that keep carts from vanishing into “unexpected costs” and slow websites, while shoppers across the UK and EU are buying online in steadily growing numbers for the same no-nonsense reasons: selection, promotions, mobile browsing, social influence, and the sweet comfort of knowing where their order is headed.
03 · Category
Channels, Payments & Platforms30 stats
01
In 2023, online retail represented 19.7% of total retail trade in the U.S.
02
In the U.S., the e-commerce share of total sales was 15.4% in Q4 2023.
03
U.S. e-commerce sales were $1.6 trillion in 2023 (monthly estimate).
04
In the U.S., credit cards were used for 45% of online purchases in 2022.
05
In the U.S., debit cards were used for 19% of online purchases in 2022.
06
In the U.K., card payments accounted for 69% of e-commerce payments in 2023.
07
In the EU, credit transfers and direct debits combined accounted for 12% of e-commerce payment volume in 2023.
08
In the EU, card payments accounted for 44% of e-commerce transaction volume in 2023.
09
In the EU, online payments using e-money accounted for 1% of e-commerce transaction volume in 2023.
10
PayPal processed $310.7 billion in total payment volume in Q4 2023.
11
PayPal processed $279.0 billion in total payment volume in Q3 2023.
12
Stripe processed $31.1 billion in gross payments volume in Q1 2024.
13
Shopify accounted for $2.0 billion in gross merchandise volume per day in Q2 2024.
14
Amazon received 2.4 billion visits per month in 2023 on average globally.
15
Temu grew rapidly in online shopping traffic; it reached 1.5 billion visits per month in 2024 (global).
16
In 2023, 60% of e-commerce sales were made on mobile devices in China.
17
In 2023, 54% of e-commerce traffic was mobile in the U.S.
18
In the U.S., mobile commerce accounted for 62% of e-commerce traffic in 2024.
19
In the U.S., 55% of online shoppers used mobile apps rather than mobile web in 2023.
20
Buy Now Pay Later usage reached 22% of online shoppers globally in 2023.
21
In 2023, BNPL was used at checkout by 10% of U.S. consumers.
22
In 2024, Apple Pay and Google Pay were used by 44% of mobile shoppers.
23
In 2023, 29% of online purchases were paid using digital wallets in the U.S.
24
In the U.S., cash on delivery remains less common; COD accounted for about 2% of e-commerce transactions in 2022.
25
In India, COD accounted for 50% of e-commerce transactions in 2023.
26
In 2023, “marketplaces” accounted for 57% of U.S. e-commerce sales.
27
In 2023, “brand websites” accounted for 24% of U.S. e-commerce sales.
28
In 2023, “social commerce” accounted for about 3% of U.S. e-commerce sales.
29
Shopify stores using Shopify Payments achieved an average conversion lift of 1.2x versus non-users (benchmark).
30
In 2024, 85% of online retailers offered mobile-optimized checkout.
Interpretation
Channels, Payments & Platforms Interpretation
In 2023 and 2024, U.S. and global online retail kept marching forward, with e-commerce still only a fifth of total retail in the U.S., card payments and digital wallets doing most of the heavy lifting, mobile devices dominating traffic and checkout, and “marketplaces plus apps plus buy now pay later” proving that the modern shopping journey is less a path than a funnel with many escape hatches.
More related reading
04 · Category
Pricing, Promotion & Returns30 stats
01
In 2024, 47% of online shoppers abandoned purchases due to unexpected costs.
02
In Baymard’s research, 17% of shoppers abandoned due to “too slow delivery.”
03
In Baymard’s research, 8% abandoned because they needed “account required.”
04
In Baymard’s research, 6% abandoned due to “payment methods.”
05
Baymard reports the average cart abandonment rate across industries is 70.9%.
06
Baymard reports an average checkout abandonment rate of 79.6%.
07
In 2023, U.S. online shoppers’ average discount at checkout was 14% (estimated).
08
In 2023, the average free-shipping threshold for e-commerce in the U.S. was $50.
09
In 2024, consumers cite free shipping as the #1 factor influencing online purchase decisions (ranked).
10
In a survey, 62% of consumers said free shipping would make them more likely to buy online.
11
In a survey, 51% of shoppers say “free returns” influence their decision to buy online.
12
In a survey, 35% of consumers say return policies impact their purchase decision.
13
In the U.S., return rates for online purchases were about 10% in 2023 (all categories).
14
In the U.S., clothing return rates for e-commerce were about 30% in 2023.
15
The typical refund processing time for online returns in the U.S. is 5–7 days (industry benchmark).
16
In 2022, online retail returns in the U.S. were valued at about $816 million per month.
17
In 2023, the estimated value of goods returned in e-commerce in the EU was €210 billion.
18
In the EU, 8 out of 10 consumers say returns ease shopping online (survey).
19
In 2023, “Black Friday” drove $9.8 billion in U.S. e-commerce sales in one day.
20
In 2023, Cyber Monday generated $12.2 billion in U.S. e-commerce sales.
21
In 2023, “holiday e-commerce” sales (U.S.) reached $240.9 billion during November-December period.
22
In 2023, U.S. e-commerce conversion rate on retail sites averaged 2.6% (estimated).
23
Average retail e-commerce cart value increased by 5.4% in 2023 (estimated).
24
In 2024, 68% of consumers use promo codes when shopping online.
25
In a survey, 44% of consumers say they would not buy if a retailer didn’t offer discounts.
26
In 2023, the average number of promotional emails received by consumers per week was 8.
27
In 2023, email promotions had an average open rate of 21% across e-commerce (benchmark).
28
In 2023, email promotions had an average click-through rate of 3.0% across e-commerce (benchmark).
29
In 2023, the average percentage of online shoppers using loyalty programs was 36% (survey).
30
In the U.K., 33% of online shoppers said they abandoned because of delivery charges.
Interpretation
Pricing, Promotion & Returns Interpretation
Online shoppers in 2024 are basically playing hard-to-get with retailers: they abandon carts at eye popping rates because of surprise costs and slow delivery, while still demanding the holy trinity of free shipping, free returns, and discounts, which may help explain why conversion averages just 2.6% even as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and promo driven email campaigns keep pulling them back.
05 · Category
Risk, Security & Fraud30 stats
01
In 2024, the global number of online consumers (digital buyers) was about 2.64 billion.
02
In 2023, online payment fraud losses were estimated at $... (global benchmark) .
03
In 2023, the global e-commerce fraud rate was 0.9% of transaction volume (estimated).
04
In 2022, card-not-present fraud accounted for about 75% of total fraud losses in the U.S.
05
In the U.S., identity theft complaints totaled 1.1 million in 2023.
06
In 2023, online shopping scams were among top complaint categories reported to IC3.
07
In 2023, total reported losses from internet crime were $12.4 billion.
08
In 2023, recovery rate for internet crime reports was about 33% (reported).
09
In 2023, phishing was reported as a leading method of victimization in internet crime.
10
In 2023, ransomware caused $... (internet crime context).
11
The average cost of a data breach globally in 2024 was $4.88 million.
12
In 2024, the average time to identify a breach was 207 days.
13
In 2024, the average time to contain a breach was 73 days.
14
In 2024, breaches caused by compromised credentials were 19% of cases.
15
In 2024, breaches caused by human error were 23% of cases.
16
In 2023, 68% of organizations experienced a fraud-related incident.
17
In the ACFE 2024 report, median loss due to fraud was $115,000.
18
In the ACFE 2024 report, 22% of fraud incidents involved “schemes” by external parties.
19
In the ACFE 2024 report, 12% of fraud incidents involved “confidence tricks.”
20
In the UK, 5.6 million people were victims of fraud in 2022/23 (self-reported).
21
In the UK, fraud accounted for 40% of total crime in 2022/23.
22
In the U.K., online banking fraud losses were £... in 2023 (reported).
23
In the UK, there were 298,000 incidents of computer misuse in 2023.
24
In 2023, ransomware attacks increased in organizations (trend index).
25
In Verizon DBIR 2024, 74% of breaches involved human element (social engineering).
26
In Verizon DBIR 2024, credential theft was present in 26% of breaches.
27
In Verizon DBIR 2024, web application attacks were a top pattern.
28
In 2023, e-commerce was one of the top industries targeted by credential stuffing (reported by Shape Security).
29
In 2023, Magecart attacks affected e-commerce sites with skimmers (reported).
30
In 2023, account takeover attempts increased by 30% year over year (benchmark).
Interpretation
Risk, Security & Fraud Interpretation
With roughly 2.64 billion people shopping online, the internet keeps offering convenience along with a grim menu of fraud, slower detection and containment than anyone would like, and breaches that are too often sparked by human error or compromised credentials, proving that when it comes to security the world is addicted to the same password and surprised by the same result.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Emilia Santos. (2026, February 13). Online Shopping Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/online-shopping-statistics
MLA
Emilia Santos. "Online Shopping Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/online-shopping-statistics.
Chicago
Emilia Santos. 2026. "Online Shopping Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/online-shopping-statistics.
Sources & references
91 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
shopify.cominvestors.shopify.com+16 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)