E-commerce sales have increased dramatically over the last ten years, reaching 15% of the US retail market, a nearly $1.4 trillion increase. However, on the flip side, physical stores are also returning in the wake of the pandemic as consumers want to shop in person. This twofold expansion offers a rare chance for new companies to prosper online and off.

Here are some online e-commerce vs physical retail statistics for you to explore.

General E-commerce and Retail Statistics

E-commerce

1. With 2.7% growth from 2023 to 2024, there will be 2.71 billion online shoppers worldwide, or 33% of the world's population. By 2026, this figure is projected to increase to 2.77 billion. sellersecommerce
2. In 2026, the US will have 288.20 million online shoppers. dotdesh
3. In 2026, global e-commerce is expected to hit around US$6.88 trillion. marketingltb
4. The share of retail purchases happening online is around 21% in 2025, with projections to about 22.6% by 2027. marketingltb
5. In the first quarter of 2024, the United States recorded $290 billion in e-commerce sales. By 2027, annual sales are predicted to reach $1.26 trillion and $1.72 trillion, respectively, accounting for 22.6% of all US retail sales. sellersecommerce
6. There are over 28 million e-commerce stores globally as of 2025. marketingltb

Retail

1. In 2021, retail sales worldwide reached $26 trillion, a nearly 10% increase. WebFx
2. The share of online retail purchases has been rising at an average of 0.32% every year since 2021. sellerscommerce
3. Global retail sales are projected to reach $31.3 trillion by 2026. WebFx
4. In terms of workforce size (measured in thousands), the top retail companies globally are as follows: Walmart (2,100), Amazon (1,500), Kroger (500), The Home Depot (475), Target (450), Fred Meyer (430), Ahold Delhaize (413), SPAR International (410), Edeka (405), and Reliance Retail (360). Solink
5. American companies dominate the world's largest retail businesses, with two German companies and one each from France and China rounding out the list: The companies listed are Walmart (USA), Amazon (US), Costco (US), Kroger (US), Walgreens Boots Alliance (US), Home Depot (US), Carrefour (France), Aldi (Germany), Schwarz Group (Germany), and JD.com (China). Solink
6. It is projected that global retail sales will increase from $27.4 trillion in 2023 to $32 trillion in 2026. Solink
7. By 2030, the retail market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.1.  thebusinessresearchcompany
8. Walmart is the biggest retailer in the world, with projected sales of $573 billion in 2021.  Deloitte
9. Schwarz Group, with $154 billion in sales in 2021, is the biggest retailer that is not American. Deloitte

Consumer Shopping Behavior in Online and Retail Shops

E-commerce

1. 82% of consumers shop online once a month, an increase from the 34% who do so at least once a week during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority like to shop on Fridays. sellersecommerce
2. 72% of Mexican online shoppers make international purchases, accounting for 52% of all online shoppers. By comparison, local websites are preferred by 63% of US and UK shoppers. sellersecommerce
3. Before making a purchase, 99% of internet shoppers read reviews, and 96% of them look specifically for negative ones. Reviews are trusted by 49% of people more than personal recommendations. sellersecommerce
4. Free shipping attracts 50.6% of online shoppers, discounts and coupons drive 39.3%, and easy returns appeal to 33.2% of consumers. sellersecommerce
5. 70% of shopping cart abandonment occurs frequently because of additional fees, required account sign-ups (25%), or delayed delivery estimates (24%). Furthermore, 16% of cart abandoners do so because of inadequate return policies. sellersecommerce
6. 81% of online buyers do research before making a purchase, with search engines accounting for 60% of this time. 15% of researchers use mobile devices, and 66% use PCs or laptops. sellersecommerce
7. Mobile commerce growth is expected to be over 6x from 2017 to 2028, rising from $500 billion in 2017 to a projected $3.35 trillion in 2028. soax

Retail

1. In 2023, 32% of American consumers changed brands as a result of their sustainability policies. WebFx
2. Of all consumer spending, 40% is made on impulse. While in the US, 16.5% of purchases result in returns. WebFx
3. One in five members of Generation Z is inclined to purchase a product that receives a lot of "likes" or favorable remarks. WebFx
4. 46% of respondents stated that they had recently shopped at a different brand, and the primary motivator was price. Forty percent of consumers begin their purchasing journey with a broad search. WebFx
5. According to 45% of Americans, retailers ought to back Black-owned companies and brands. WebFx
6. 49% of American consumers claim they would swap brands in exchange for a deal or discount. WebFx

Social Media E-commerce and Retail Statistics

E-commerce

1. By 2030, it is predicted that social media commerce will reach $8.5 trillion, and by 2027, there will be 118 million social media shoppers in the US, up from 106.8 million in 2023. forbes
2. Ages 18 to 24 make up 55% of U.S. millennials (those who made purchases on social media), with 25 to 34 making up the second-largest age group in 2021. forbes
3. With over 70% of consumers using live social commerce, China, India, and Thailand have the highest rates of live social commerce shoppers. forbes
4. With over 90 million social commerce buyers in the United States in 2021, Facebook is the most popular social commerce platform, utilized by 51% of buyers. forbes
5. 40% of consumers make purchases as a result of social media influence, with apparel, cosmetics, and health products, food and beverages, event tickets, and vacations being the top categories. Forbes
6. Social media influencer recommendations impact 49% of social commerce buyers, with 86% of women and 70% of teens believing that influencers can provide reliable shopping advice. forbes

Retail

1. Online research is where 81% of retail shoppers start their purchasing process. For consumer research, search engines are the best place to start when it comes to a variety of product categories, including mattresses, auto parts, bicycles, and water heaters. invoca
2. 77% of consumers look for products on their phones, frequently comparing costs in-store. The significance of mobile optimization in retail strategies is highlighted by this trend. invoca
3. According to Ark’s research, it is anticipated that US digital advertising spending will grow at a compound annual rate of 9%, from roughly $180 billion in 2021 to $275 billion by 2026. ark
4. Personalized marketing efforts are hampered by the fact that almost a third of retailers find it difficult to track customers across devices, even though 73% of retail consumers use multiple shopping channels. invoca
5. The efficiency of integrated marketing strategies is demonstrated by the noticeably higher engagement rates (18.96%) of omnichannel campaigns as compared to single-channel campaigns (5.4%). invoca
6. 84% of consumers expect better alignment from retailers, indicating the high level of customer demand for seamless crossover between both online and offline shopping experiences. invoca

Mobile E-commerce Statistics

1. Since 91% of consumers use their smartphones to make purchases online, mobile optimization is essential for a flawless shopping experience. forbes
2. Sales from mobile commerce are expected to increase from 56% in 2018 to 62% of total retail sales by 2027. forbes
3. Sales from mobile devices reached $491 billion in 2023. However, it is anticipated that sales of mobile commerce will almost double to $856 billion by 2027. forbes
4. Sales of tablets for commerce reached $61.08 billion in 2022, but due to waning tablet popularity and better mobile shopping experiences, sales are predicted to drop to $54.01 billion by 2026. forbes

Retail Foot Traffic and Employment Statistics

1. About 15.6 million people were employed in the U.S. retail sector as of May 2023, and employment grew at an annualized rate of 3.6% between 2018 and 2023. BLS
2. The age range of over half of retail employees in America is 16 to 34. IBIS world
3. Since 2020, the demand for retail jobs in the US has increased fourfold. Solink
4. Approximately 2.2 million people work in the retail sector in Canada. Solink
5. Retailers are very concerned about labor shortages, hiring difficulties, and retention issues following the pandemic. Solink
6. January 2023 saw a 3.7% decrease in retail foot traffic in the US over the same month the previous year. BlueBook
7. Mall foot traffic on Black Friday declined in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic and 2021 levels for both indoor and outdoor malls. Indoorcommerce
8. While traditional shopping centers have not yet fully recovered, supercenters like Costco, Walmart, BJ's, and Target have seen an increase in foot traffic compared to pre-pandemic levels. Solink

Online eCommerce vs Physical Retail – Regional Comparison

1. Global retail e-commerce sales were $5.8 trillion in 2023. By 2027, growth is predicted to reach 39% and surpass $8 trillion. Statista
2. At 23% of the global e-commerce market in 2023, Alibaba was the biggest player. However, it is predicted that by 2027, Amazon will overtake Alibaba and reach $1.2 trillion in online sales. Statista
3. In 2023, almost half of China's retail sales were conducted online. In 2023, 32% of Indonesia's retail sales were made online. Statista
4. In 2023, over 30% of retail sales in the UK and South Korea were made online. Statista
5. Forecasts indicate that by 2027, Amazon's chain retail sales will have grown to a value of over 1.18 trillion dollars. With projected chain retail sales of USD 686 billion that year, Walmart would come in fifth place. Statista
6. In 2022, global retail sales (including online and offline) reached $25.8 trillion, with $20 trillion coming from brick-and-mortar stores. E-commerce retail sales are expected to reach $9.4 trillion globally by 2026. Statista
7. China: The largest e-commerce market, accounting for 52.1% of all retail sales with $3.01 trillion in annual online sales. Business.com
8. United States: 20.1% of all retail sales are made online, making it the second-largest e-commerce market with $1.16 trillion in annual sales. Business.com
9. South Korea, Japan, and the United Kingdom: South Korea has $147.4 billion (2.5%), Japan has $193.4 billion (3.3%), and the United Kingdom has $195.7 billion (3.4% of total retail) in annual online sales. Business.com
10. The regional distribution of global retail sales is as follows: North America (47.9%), Europe (33.2%), Asia Pacific (15.7%), Africa/Middle East (1.3%), and Latin America (1.7%). Deloitte