Online Shopping Statistics (How Many People Shop Online?)
Are you searching the web to find the most comprehensive online shopping statistics?
Are you trying to find how many people shop online and just how big the online shopping market is?
We’ve done the necessary research, so you don’t have to.
These 46 stats will help you learn all about and stay updated on the online shopping industry.
We’ll touch on everything, from online shopping behavior and mobile commerce to social commerce and eCommerce fraud. Plus, we added stats about Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales because they are huge.
Enjoy.
This post covers:
- 2.14+ billion people worldwide shop online
- China has the most online shoppers – 845 million
- There are nearly 26 million eCommerce sites globally
- The global eCommerce market is expected to generate $8.1 trillion by 2026
- Nearly 60% of shoppers say it’s vital to be able to shop on mobile
- Free shipping is the nr. 1 reason consumers like shopping online
- 67% use shopping apps for digital window shopping
- Global eCommerce payment fraud is expected to grow to $48 billion
- Black Friday generated $9.12 billion in 2022 and Cyber Monday $11.3 billion
How Many People Shop Online?
1. 2.14+ billion people worldwide shop online
While we couldn’t find the latest stat on how many people shop online, there were around 2.14 billion online shoppers around the world in 2021. This is quite a massive increase from the 1.66 billion digital buyers in 2016.
Likely, with more and more internet users (there were 5.3 billion in 2023!), the number of online shoppers is also increasing yearly.
Update: We found a resource stating that there were 2.3 billion consumers who made at least one online purchase in 2022.
Source: Statista
2. Only 4% more women shop online than man
While shopping behaviors and habits vary quite a bit, there are 72% of women who enjoy online shopping and 68% of men. That 30% left go to a brick-and-mortar because they like to touch items, engage in human interaction and feel safer.
Source: BELVG
Number Of Online Shoppers Around The World
3. China has the most online shoppers – 845 million
According to a report from December 2022, there were approximately 845 million people in China who had bought goods online. Remember, there were only 34 million digital consumers in 2006, but the rapid growth continues to this day.
Source: Statista
4. There will be 290 million online US consumers by 2027
Each year, there are approximately 5.5% more US consumers that buy on the internet. According to a prediction based on historical data, there will be 289.91 million people in the United States who will make digital purchases by 2027.
Source: Statista
5. Canada will have 31 million digital buyers in 2027
The share of online buyers is growing even faster in Canada than in the US, by 7%+. Thus, there will be approximately 31.71 million Canadians who will buy products and services online in 2027.
Source: Statista
6. The UK had around 60 million eCommerce consumers in 2022
Knowing that the UK population was just under 68 million in 2022, having 60 million of them making purchases online, means only 12% of the UK people don’t buy online.
In 2021, nearly 29% of all retail sales in the United Kingdom were digital. Netherlands and Germany are second and third with 24% and 22%.
Source: Statista
7. There were 50+ million French eCommerce users in 2022
While Germany ranks second in the number of online shoppers (close behind the UK), France had well over 50 million eCommerce consumers in 2022. And this number is expected to increase even further.
Fun fact: The number of active French eCommerce sites more than doubled in the past decade.
Source: Statista
8. 40+ million Spaniards will dive into the eCommerce market in 2027
It’s expected that the number of online spenders will increase by 6.3 million users between 2023 and 2027, jumping all the way to 40.1 million.
Spain also has one of the highest digital spending as a percentage of total GDP, at almost 5%.
Source: Statista
9. Number of online shoppers in other countries
Source: Statista
How Many eCommerce Websites Are There?
10. There are nearly 26 million eCommerce sites globally
The BuiltWith platform registers 25.7+ million eCommerce websites around the world.
The biggest share has the United States (13.5+ million), the second is the United Kingdom (1.2+ million), the third is Germany (709K+), the fourth is Brazil (701K+) and the fifth is Australia (630K+).
Source: BuiltWith
But how many overall websites are there? We reveal the number in our website statistics roundup.
11. eCommerce is expected to grow to almost 1/4 of all retail sales by 2025
With trillions of dollars in sales every year, retail eCommerce sales have been increasing steadily over the past few years and the future looks no different.
As a reference, 2023 will have approximately $6.2 trillion in eCommerce sales and $22.5 trillion in non-eCommerce sales.
Source: eMarketer
12. The global eCommerce market is expected to generate $8.1 trillion by 2026
In just five years, the eCommerce market is forecast to grow by more than 50%, going from $5.2 trillion in 2021 to $8.1 trillion in 2026.
Source: Statista
13. China’s online shopping market account for almost 50% of the country’s retail sales
China’s eCommerce market is the biggest in the world (2022), with almost half of the country’s entire retail sales coming from the online world.
As a reference, the UK scores second (36%) in the percentage of the country’s retail sales from the internet and South Korea third (32%).
Source: Statista
14. Alibaba Group is the largest eCommerce retailer in the world ($780 billion)
In 2022 (and to date), China’s Alibaba Group is the biggest online retailer in the world, with an estimated $780 billion in sales. That’s 15% of the global eCommerce market share!
No wonder why China has the largest online shopping market share.
In second place was Amazon, with $90 billion in online sales less, at $690 billion.
Source: Statista
15. But Amazon is expected to beat it in 2027 ($1.2 trillion)
Fans of Alibaba shouldn’t be hyped too much because, at the rate Amazon is growing, it’s expected to overtake Alibaba in 2027 with a whopping $1.2 trillion in annual online sales.
Source: Statista
16. The US eCommerce industry is forecast to grow to $1.6 trillion by 2027
Over the course of a decade, the United States eCommerce industry (is expected to) grew by more than one billion dollars.
Source: Statista
17. Shoppers check items online first in over half of the shopping occasions
Before completing a purchase, on more than 60% of shopping occasions, consumers first go online before they complete the purchase (which happens either online or in a store). And 40% of them go to Google to research the particular product or service they’re interested in.
Source: Think With Google
18. Nearly 60% of shoppers say it’s vital to be able to shop on mobile
When picking the brand or retailer to purchase products from, 59% of shoppers say that having a chance to hop on their mobile device to shop is essential to them.
Hey, nobody has a laptop with them all the time, but we all have a mobile phone with up (almost) all the time. This is why it’s also crucial that an online store offers the best mobile shopping experience.
Because of the importance of mobile, don’t forget to view these mobile marketing statistics.
Source: Think With Google
19. Over 80% of online shoppers say product info and pictures are important when buying online
In fact, 85% of surveyed consumers said that (detailed) product information and (quality) images contribute to deciding which brand or retailer they will buy from.
So if you’re in a niche where your competitors lack product descriptions and images, you now know how to get more people to shop on your eCommerce website – create the absolute BEST product pages.
Interestingly, a whopping 88% of shoppers say that the experience a company or a brand provides is just as important to them as the product or service itself.
Source: Think With Google, Insider Intelligence
20. Automatically activated loyalty or rewards would improve more than half of shoppers’ experience
53% of consumers said that their online shopping experience would be enhanced if a retailer’s loyalty program or rewards would automatically activate at checkout.
Moreover, 49% of them think their experience shopping with them would be better with promotions or deals specific to their past purchases.
Source: Think With Google
21. 60%+ of shoppers feel an emotional connection to the brands they buy from the most
Data by Insider Intelligence shows that 62% of shoppers feel an emotional connection to the brand they buy from the most often. The percentage increased by 9% in just two years (53% felt the same in 2020).
What is sad to read is that 56% of consumers feel they are treated like a number.
Source: Insider Intelligence
22. Free shipping is the nr. 1 reason consumers like shopping online
Out of the twelve most common reasons consumers prefer shopping online, free shipping is the main reason. The second and third are lower prices and convenience.
Surprisingly, fast shipping isn’t as essential to shoppers, meaning we are still patient – however, the packages we order online are expected to arrive fast (preferably the next day).
Source: Jungle Scout
23. 40%+ are OK if they never shop in a physical store again
With the convenience and speediness of online shopping, 43% of consumers say they wouldn’t mind if they never shop in a physical store again. Hey, even physical stores promote their eCommerce websites, which means there’s a convenience for them, too.
In the end, 73% of shoppers firmly believe that most of the future shopping will be online instead of brick-and-mortar.
Source: Jungle Scout
24. Coupons and discounts stir nearly 39% to shop online
Statistical data by Oberlo show that 38.7% of consumers say that applying coupons and discounts to their orders motivates them to shop online more. As we learned above, Oberlo also found that free delivery is also the main reason that urges people to shop on the internet (have you seen our internet stats?).
Source: Oberlo
25. 56% of all online sales came from mobile in 2021
While mobile exceeded desktop internet traffic many years ago, that’s also the case when it comes to mobile sales.
In 2021, 56% of total online sales came from a mobile device (a smartphone or a tablet). The percentage is steadily increasing year in and year out.
Source: OuterBox
26. There will be 187+ million online shoppers in the US in 2024
The popularity of mobile shopping is increasing across the globe. There will be 187.5 million mobile consumers in the United States alone in 2024. As a reference, there were almost twenty million less in 2020, 167.8 million.
According to Statista, online shoppers using mobile devices account for 60% of the US population since the beginning of the decade.
Source: Statista
27. AliPay is the leading mobile payment service
With a whopping 650 million users, AliPay is the world’s most popular mobile payment service. WeChat Pay and Appley Pay are second and third, with 550 million and 507 million users.
Moreover, in the United States, the leading mobile payment options are Apple Pay (43.9 million users), Starbucks (31.2 million users) – yes, really! – and Google Pay (25 million users).
Source: Business Of Apps
28. More than 20% of users access shopping apps multiple times daily
21% of the users access their (favorite) shopping applications more than twice every single day. And there are more than one-third who access shopping apps on their mobile device multiple times weekly.
Do you also access a shopping app that often? (I cannot provide the answer because I don’t have any installed.)
Source: Criteo
29. 67% use shopping apps for digital window shopping
More than two-thirds of shopping app users access these applications to do digital window shopping. BUT!
77% of them will make impulsive purchases when they decide to get the product(s). (Usually, something triggers them, like a discount, special offer, etc.)
Source: Colorlib
Check our in-depth mobile commerce statistics to get familiar with other mobile shopping stats, facts and trends.
30. Online shopping is 5th on a list of the most popular smartphone activities
At 43%, online shopping is the fifth most popular smartphone activity by users worldwide. The first is email, the second is social media, the third is watching movies and videos and the fourth is reading news.
Furthermore, the three least popular activities are dating apps, gambling and betting and trading securities and shares.
Also, using a tablet for all these activities is significantly less popular than using a smartphone.
Source: Statista
31. 34% of US adults purchase through social media
More than one-third of the US adults who shop online did so through social media, which is a 5% bump in just a year. The survey also found that 27% are interested in social media shopping.
BUT!
Fun fact: Thailand (90% of all internet users), India (86%) and the United Arab Emirates (86%) had the most social media shoppers in 2022.
Source: Marketing Dive
32. 18 to 34 is the most likely age group that shops on social media
54% of these individuals had purchased through social media, of which women consumers were nearly half (42%) and men only 26%.
Source: Marketing Dive
33. 4% of US internet users don’t know what social media eCommerce is
That’s right; almost all US internet users know what social media eCommerce is, but only 10% use it regularly. Even when it comes to individuals aged 55 to 65, 7% of them shop via social media frequently.
Source: Insider Intelligence
34. Millennial consumers will be the biggest social media spenders in 2025
According to a survey, one-third of online sales through social media will be attributed to millennial shoppers. Gen Z shoppers will be in second place, with a 29% share.
Source: Statista
35. Global sales through social media were estimated at $992 billion in 2022
Global sales through social media nearly hit the $1 trillion milestone in 2022. And it’s predicted to reach approximately $2.9 trillion by 2026, a 34% increase.
Source: Statista
36. Return fraud costs retailers $10.4 per $100 of returned merchandise
With the growth of return fraud, it’s necessary to mention that for every $100 in returned merchandise, retailers lose $10.4 to return fraud.
Furthermore, the expectation of fraud (in retailers) jumped from 9.8% in 2021 to 14% in 2022.
Also, for every $1 billion in sales, the average retailer suffers $165 million in returns.
Source: NRF
37. Global eCommerce payment fraud is expected to grow to $48 billion
Online payment fraud was around $41 billion globally in 2022, but it’s expected to grow to $48 billion in 2023. Sadly, with the growing online shopping market will also come more fraudulent activities despite the improvement in cyber security. (Have you seen our cybersecurity statistics yet?)
Source: Statista
38. Phishing/pharming/whaling was the most common fraud in 2022
43% of respondents reported phishing/pharming/whaling as the most common eCommerce fraud in 2022. The second most common was friendly fraud (first-party misuse), at 34%, followed by card testing and identity theft, affecting one-third of respondents.
Source: Statista
39. 38% of all global scams were credited to online purchases in 2020
Almost 40% of all scams worldwide were attributed to online purchases in 2020. The eCommerce scams increased because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the incidents dropped to around 30% in 2022.
Source: Statista
40. 75% of victims of eCommerce scams lost money in 2021
Only 25% of online shoppers who were victims of scams didn’t lose money in 2021. Surprisingly, the percentage of people who lost money decreased during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic, although there were many more scam incidents during COVID-19.
Source: Statista
41. Website orders experience the most fraudulent activities
Approximately two-thirds of merchants said website orders have the highest fraud incidents, followed by 45% saying mobile app orders. The two other types of orders high on the fraud list were discounted or promoted orders and call center orders.
Source: Statista
Black Friday And Cyber Monday Statistics
42. Black Friday generated $9.12 billion in 2022
Even though the Black Friday event was initially aimed at physical stores, a massive number of sales happen online each year. In 2022, online shoppers spent $9.12 billion on Black Friday alone (up by 2.3%), which is way more than on Thanksgiving, when people spent “only” $5.29 billion.
Source: Adobe
43. Cyber Monday generated $11.3 billion in 2022
But the most significant upward change in sales experienced Cyber Monday, with a new record at $11.3 billion (a 5.8% growth year-over-year).
Note: Consumers spent $12.8 million every minute during the peak hour (8:00 to 9:00 pm Pacific Time).
Source: Adobe
44. 87.2 million people shopped online on Black Friday in 2022
More people on Black Friday in 2022 shopped online (87.2 million) compared to those hitting their favorite physical stores (72.9 million). Surprisingly even though more people were buying online on BF, CM still hit a significantly larger total sales.
Source: National Retail Federation
45. 77 million people shopped online on Cyber Monday in 2022
On the final day of the Thanksgiving weekend, in 2022, Cyber Monday, 77 million people enjoyed browsing the internet, visiting their favorite brands to score great details. As a reference, only 22.6 million people shopped in-store on CM.
Additionally, there were 58 million and 36 million online shoppers on Saturday and Sunday.
Source: National Retail Federation
46. The best deals in 2022 were in toys, peaking at 34%
On Cyber Monday, great deals are available across all industries and all over the web. But the highest percentage off of the listed price was found in toys, followed by electronics and computers.
Source: Adobe
Conclusion
In conclusion, these online shopping statistics reveal the exploding industry that is forecast to grow even more vast in the coming years, especially due to the adoption of mobile commerce.
Shopping online has become part of our everyday lives, as we all turn to the internet to buy everything from groceries to electronics to clothing and order food.
With more consumers switching to online shopping, retailers must stay on top of the latest trends and apply new technologies to remain competitive. (You should also not forget to check these ultimate customer experience statistics because you’re customers are vital in growing your business.)
We all know that mobile and social commerce is growing faster each year, but there might be something else equally (or more) exciting about online shopping, full of new opportunities.
Instead of wandering in the unknown, keep a close eye on the latest online shopping statistics and trends and act accordingly.
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