25 Online Shopping & Ecommerce Statistics

Online shopping, or ecommerce, has seen a radical overhaul in the last 25 years. It was in July of 1995 that Amazon, for example, officially opened for business and sold its first book online. Fast forward to 2018, the year the U.S. Department of Commerce estimates consumers spent $513.61 billion online, and you’ll grasp the staggering growth of the ecommerce industry. Online shopping is also continuously evolving, with shifts in how consumers interact with, purchase and receive goods.

Here are 25 online shopping and ecommerce statistics that highlight what consumers expect from online shopping and where the industry is headed.

25 Online Shopping & Ecommerce Statistics

10. 8 out of 10 Americans now shop online. (Pew Research Center)

11. 54% of U.S. consumers under the age 25 say same-day shipping is their number one purchase driver. (Walker Sands)

12. In 2018, mobile ecommerce sales made up 64% of the total sales in ecommerce. (Statista)

13. 51% of online shoppers purchase products on their smartphones. (Pew Research Center)

14. 59% of smartphone users are more likely to buy from businesses that have mobile apps or sites that make purchasing fast and easy. (Think with Google)

15. According to BigCommerce, the top 3 things online shoppers expect from ecommerce websites are:

• Product images (78%)
• Customer reviews (69%)
• Side-by-side product comparisons (46%)

16. 51% of online shoppers want to see a product photographed from at least three different angles before making a purchase (see our DIY ecommerce product photography tips). (Splashlight Survey)

17. 88% of online shoppers say detailed product descriptions matter in their purchasing decisions (see our tips for writing better product descriptions). (CPC Strategy)

18. 80% of consumers stop doing business with companies because of a poor customer experience. (HubSpot)

19. 80% of online shoppers don’t do business with ecommerce sites that have complicated returns policy (see our ecommerce return policy checklist). (Smart Insights)

20. 30% of items purchased through online stores are eventually returned. (Invesp)

21. 41% of online shoppers say they “bracket” at least some online purchases (buy multiple versions of the same item and return the ones that didn’t work). (Narvar)

22. Online stores with a good social media presence get 32% more sales than stores that don’t use social networks. (BigCommerce)

23. 84% of online shoppers check at least one review of a product on social media before deciding to buy it. (Pew Research Center)

24. 69% of consumers who message businesses say being able to do so increases their confidence in the brand. (Facebook)

25. 29% of online shoppers say they currently use or plan to use chatbots to shop online (see our tips on how to use AI in ecommerce). (Narvar)

What do these stats tell us about consumer behavior and the online shopping experience?

Having a thriving ecommerce store starts with a fast and easy to use website with detailed product information accompanied by quality images. You must also have a solid return policy and outstanding customer service. Most importantly, you must offer free, fast and reliable shipping to keep your customers from abandoning their carts prior to checkout.