Online Shopping Statistics 2026

Key online shopping statistics for 2026, from global ecommerce market size to cart abandonment rates and mobile commerce trends. Based on US Census Bureau, eMarketer, and Baymard Institute data.

You’re on your phone at 11 PM, adding sneakers and a kitchen gadget to your cart from two stores. No driving. No parking. No lines. That late-night browse is now normal for nearly 2.8 billion people. The numbers behind this shift are worth knowing. Our team tracks coupon and deal activity across 20,000+ stores. We see both the big picture and the small details of how shoppers actually behave. Here’s what the latest data actually says about online shopping.

Online Shopping Overview: The State of Ecommerce in 2026

Global retail ecommerce sales reached $6.42 trillion in 2025, growing 6.8% year-over-year. That’s a massive market, but here’s what most roundups won’t tell you: the growth rate is actually slowing down.

Retail ecommerce worldwide hit $6.42 trillion in 2025. eMarketer projects that figure to reach $6.88 trillion in 2026. Big numbers. But the 6.8% growth year-over-year is the slowest since 2022. The pandemic spike, when online spending jumped 34.2% in one year, is long gone.

So what does that mean? Ecommerce isn’t exploding anymore. It’s maturing. About 2.77 billion people shopped online in 2025. That’s a third of the world. The number is growing to 2.86 billion in 2026, but this growth comes from normalization, not a sudden shift.

In the US, the picture is similar. Full-year ecommerce sales came in at $1.2337 trillion, up 5.4% from 2024. That’s per the US Census Bureau. Steady growth. Not a hockey stick.

From tracking deals across thousands of stores, one pattern stands out. The ecommerce market is growing, but consumer expectations around discounts are growing faster. Shoppers don’t just buy online because it’s handy. They buy online because they expect a better price. And that shift is what makes coupon and deal platforms central to how people buy, not a side note.

US Ecommerce Sales Statistics

The US generated $1.2337 trillion in online retail sales during 2025, and ecommerce accounted for 16.4% of all retail spending for the full year.

The quarterly trajectory tells the real story. Here’s what the Census Bureau data looks like quarter by quarter:

Source: US Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales

Notice the Q4 spike every year? That’s holiday shopping at work. Q4 2023 jumped to 17.1%, then settled back. Q4 2025 came in at 16.6%. Without seasonal adjusting, the number was even higher. This matters if you time your buys around sale events.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that consumer spending grew 0.4% in January 2026. That means Q4 momentum hasn’t fully faded. But January retail and food services dipped 0.2% to $723.5 billion. That small pullback? Typical post-holiday stuff.

Global Ecommerce Growth Statistics

Asia-Pacific dominates global ecommerce with roughly 41.7% of all online sales. That gap isn’t closing soon. Cross-border buys make up 18.8% of the global market.

The regional split is striking. Asia-Pacific grabs 41.7% of the pie, driven by China’s 904.6 million online shoppers. The Americas follow at 37.4%. Europe sits at 18.4%.

China and the US account for most of the global spend. But the cross-border number is more interesting: 18.8% of all global ecommerce crosses national borders. And 52% of shoppers have bought from a foreign retailer. More than half of online buyers will leave their own market to find a better deal.

A McKinsey survey of 25,000+ consumers in 18 markets found something telling. Over 90% in both China and the US shopped at an online-only retailer in the past month. Online-only isn’t niche. It’s the default.

So where does that leave deal-seekers? Cross-border shopping opens up new discount chances that local-only shoppers miss. Coupon codes, clearance timing, and free shipping rules differ a lot between regions.

Online Shopping Demographics: Who Shops Online and How Much

About 288 million Americans (84.3% of the US) shop online. Generations differ a lot in how much they spend, how often they buy, and which platforms they pick.

The gender split is interesting. Men spend $220 per online order on average, versus $151 for women. But women buy more often: 7 times per year versus 5. So the yearly total ends up closer than the per-order gap suggests.

Worth noting: 34% of shoppers globally make an online purchase at least once a week. That’s not window shopping. That’s habitual buying behavior. And 82% buy at least once a month.

Mobile Commerce Statistics

Mobile devices generated 59% of all ecommerce sales globally in 2025. That share should hit 60% in 2026. But there’s a catch. Mobile conversion rates still lag well behind desktop.

Mobile commerce revenue hit $3.51 trillion globally in 2025. Hard to ignore. That’s expected to grow to $3.74 trillion in 2026 and $4.35 trillion by 2028. Mobile isn’t just for browsing anymore. It’s where most sales happen.

But here’s the gap that bugs retailers. Mobile pulls in 78% of all online shopping traffic. Yet it converts at only 2.3%. Desktop hits 2.8%. Tablet beats both at 3.1%. A lot of shoppers browse on their phones, then finish the buy on a laptop. Or they don’t finish at all.

Why does mobile convert worse? Small screens make coupon code entry a pain. Checkout forms are harder to fill. Shoppers get distracted more easily. Google research found that 73% of US smartphone users look up products on mobile before buying in-store. And 52% say a bad mobile experience makes them less likely to shop with that brand again.

Tracking coupon activity on our platform, we’ve noticed a clear gap between mobile and desktop for deal use. Mobile users search for codes at the same rate. But they bail more often once they hit checkout. Copy-paste friction, tiny “apply coupon” fields, and slow-loading pages all hurt code redemptions on phones. If retailers fixed their mobile coupon entry, the conversion gap would shrink fast.

Shopping Cart Abandonment Statistics

The global cart abandonment rate sits at 70.22%, per Baymard Institute’s analysis of 50+ studies. That’s 7 out of 10 shoppers. They add items to their cart and leave without buying.

The device split makes it worse. Mobile abandonment runs 80-85.65%. Desktop is lower at 66-70%. Fashion sees some of the worst rates at 84.61%. Luxury goods? Close behind at 82.84%.

So why do people abandon? Here are the top reasons:

Source: Baymard Institute

The top cause, at 48%, is surprise costs. Shipping charges, taxes, or fees that pop up at checkout but weren’t shown earlier. This is exactly where coupon codes and free shipping deals make the biggest dent.

What most guides miss is the math behind that 48% figure. It’s not just sticker shock. Shoppers who search for a free shipping coupon before checkout are trying to fix the exact problem that drives nearly half of all abandoned carts. When the code works, they buy. When it doesn’t, they leave. From the thousands of codes we test monthly, free shipping coupons have the highest completion rates of any coupon type. That lines up with the abandonment data.

Guest checkout alone can cut abandonment by up to 35%. Showing shipping costs early, instead of springing them at the payment step, cuts drop-offs too. Simple fixes. Yet many retailers still haven’t done them.

Online Shopping Payment Statistics

Digital wallets now handle roughly 50% of all global ecommerce payments. They’ve passed credit and debit cards as the top way to pay online.

Digital wallets claimed around 50% of global e-commerce payment volume in 2024. PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay lead in Western markets. In Asia, Alipay and Paytm take most of the share.

Buy Now, Pay Later is reshaping checkout. eMarketer data shows 55.1% of US Gen Z digital buyers use BNPL at least once a year. Globally, BNPL users should grow 150% between 2022 and 2027. The impact is real: BNPL drove $9.1 billion in November 2024 online spending. That’s 7% of all Cyber Monday 2024 spend.

One-click checkout is another quiet force. Stores with one-click payment see 35% higher conversion than multi-step checkout. Not small. That’s a big jump.

Social Commerce and Gen Z Shopping Statistics

Global social commerce should hit $1.2 trillion in 2025. Gen Z shoppers are the main engine behind that growth, buying through TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

The platform numbers are clear. Facebook still leads with 69.4 million US social shoppers expected in 2025. Instagram follows at 47.5 million. TikTok sits at 37.8 million but is growing the fastest.

Gen Z is the driver here. 60% of them find products on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube before ever visiting a brand’s site. And 37% have bought something directly inside a social app. Even more telling: 70% trust creator picks more than brand ads.

Live shopping is the newest wrinkle. 40% of US shoppers have tried it. Gen Z live shopping has grown 300%. It’s still early in the US compared to China’s mature market, but the trend line is clear.

Holiday and Seasonal Online Shopping Statistics

Cyber Monday 2024 set a new record: $13.3 billion in US online spending in one day. Black Friday 2024 wasn’t far behind at $10.8 billion.

Together those two days pulled in over $24 billion. Americans spent up to $1.02 trillion across the 2025 holiday season. The average household put about $902 toward winter holiday gifts.

December punches above its weight every year. Online retail dollars in December run 17.1% higher than a typical month. November shipment volumes jump 150% as shipping networks absorb the holiday rush.

Here’s the thing. Census Bureau data shows Q4 ecommerce share spikes every year. It hit 16.6% in Q4 2025. That seasonal surge is when deal-seeking behavior peaks. Shoppers want savings, and the data backs it up.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the two biggest coupon search days on our platform. Not even close. What we’ve noticed is that the best deals often aren’t on a retailer’s homepage. They’re hidden in email-only codes that go live a few days early. Or they’re stacking deals where a percentage-off code works on top of sale prices. Timing matters a lot. The same store might offer 20% off on Black Friday, then quietly bump it to 30% on Cyber Monday when stock hasn’t moved.

Online Shopping Behavior and Consumer Preferences

Free shipping is the strongest draw for online shoppers. 80% of US consumers expect it above a minimum order amount. Coupons and discounts rank second at 39.3%.

80% of US online shoppers expect free shipping once they hit a minimum. A Radial and Dynata survey via eMarketer narrows it: 45% expect free shipping on any order. Period. And 16% won’t buy at all if shipping costs money.

Free shipping is the #1 reason people shop online, cited by 50.6%. Coupons and discounts come in second at 39.3%. So the two top draws for online shopping are both about saving money. That matters.

Then there’s the research step. 81% of consumers look things up online before buying. And 99% check reviews. Online shopping isn’t impulsive for most people. It’s planned.

What does 39.3% mean in real money? US ecommerce hit $1.23 trillion in 2025. If two out of five buys were pushed by a coupon or deal, that’s close to half a trillion dollars. Not a niche. It’s the #2 reason people buy online in the world’s biggest market.

The top US online shopping categories by revenue: consumer electronics ($241.5 billion), fashion ($180 billion), food and beverages ($131.8 billion). Electronics and fashion also tend to have the most coupons.

Online Shopping and Consumer Trust Statistics

Consumer trust in online shopping is weaker than most people think. Pew Research Center found that 36% of US adults have been hit by an online shopping scam. And 85% say scams are a problem on shopping sites and apps.

That’s one in three adults. Burned by a scam while shopping online. Hard to ignore.

Only 33% of customers trust brands with their data. Trust signals at checkout (SSL badges, clear refund policies) can cut abandonment by up to 20%. Not optional. They’re table stakes.

Brookings Institution research adds some nuance. 57% of US respondents say they feel good about online shopping overall. But 43% are neutral or negative. Not a great grade for a trillion-dollar industry.

This trust gap is why shoppers stick with what they know. Typing “discount codes” into Google is a coin flip. You might hit a phishing page. Or a site full of dead codes. Vetted coupon platforms that test codes before posting them cut that risk. From what our team has seen, the gap in success rates between curated sites and random code lists is real. People who use tested codes also run into fewer fraud problems and less junk mail.

AI and Technology Trends in Online Shopping

AI is already built into online shopping for most people, even if they don’t notice. Over 40% of retailers use AI for things like pricing, product picks, and shipping.

AI product picks alone lift average order value by 15-25%. That’s real money for stores. It also means the prices you see and the products in your feed are shaped by your browsing history. More personal. More optimized.

Voice shopping is growing fast. 54% of US internet users use voice assistants for shopping tasks. AR is further along than most think. 32% of shoppers have used it while buying. And 40% say they’d pay more for products they tested through AR first.

Retailers using predictive data report up to 20% better customer retention. Subscription commerce should pass $38 billion by 2025. Put it all together. AI pricing, subs, and custom feeds mean prices are tuned to pull the most from each buyer. That makes outside deal tools more useful, not less.

Methodology

This article pulls together public data from government agencies, academic groups, and industry research firms. The goal is a clear snapshot of online shopping behavior and ecommerce market conditions.

Primary data sources include:

• US Census Bureau (primary for US data): Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales reports, released March 2026, covering through Q4 2025. The gold standard for US ecommerce size and retail share.
• eMarketer: Global ecommerce market size and forecasts. Uses a B2C retail-only definition, so figures are lower than reports that include B2B.
• Statista: Digital buyer counts, mobile commerce share, payment method breakdowns, BNPL user projections.
• Baymard Institute: Cart abandonment rate benchmarks from 50+ studies and 150,000+ hours of user testing.
• Adobe Digital Economy Index: Black Friday and Cyber Monday online spending totals.
• Pew Research Center: Consumer trust and online scam experience data (November 2025 survey).
• McKinsey & Company: Consumer sentiment and shopping behavior surveys across 18 markets.
• Brookings Institution: Consumer satisfaction with online shopping experiences.
• Bureau of Economic Analysis: Personal consumption expenditure (PCE) data.

Key point: eMarketer uses a retail-only (B2C) definition. Other firms cite much bigger totals because they include B2B and digital services. All figures in this article use the B2C retail definition unless noted.

Date range: Statistics are primarily from 2024-2026, with historical comparisons noted where relevant. All US Census Bureau data reflects the most recent release (March 10, 2026).

DontPayFull curates and reads third-party data for this article. We don’t do primary research. All stats link to their original sources where we can.

FAQ

How many people shop online in 2025?

About 2.77 billion people shopped online in 2025. That’s 33% of the world. In the US, 288 million Americans (84.3%) buy online. By 2026, the global count should grow to 2.86 billion.

What percentage of retail sales are made online?

In the US, ecommerce was 16.4% of total retail for 2025. Globally, it’s over 20%. The US share has been climbing: 14.8% in Q1 2023, up to 16.6% by Q4 2025.

What is the global ecommerce market size in 2026?

Global retail ecommerce should hit $6.88 trillion in 2026, up 7.2% from $6.42 trillion in 2025. That’s B2C retail only. Reports that include B2B and digital services show much bigger numbers.

Why do people abandon their shopping carts?

The #1 reason is surprise costs (shipping, taxes, fees), cited by 48%. Other reasons: forced account creation (24%), security worries (18%), and a messy checkout (17%). The global average cart abandonment rate is 70.22%.

What percentage of online shopping is done on mobile devices?

Mobile makes up 59% of global ecommerce sales in 2025, headed to 60% in 2026. It also drives 78% of all shopping traffic. But mobile conversion (2.3%) trails desktop (2.8%) and tablet (3.1%).

Which generation shops online the most?

Gen Z leads at 80%, then Millennials (75%), Gen X (65%), Boomers (55%). But Gen X households spend the most per year online (about $7,000). Millennials are the biggest social commerce shoppers.

What are the most popular online shopping categories?

In the US: consumer electronics ($241.5 billion), fashion ($180 billion), food and beverages ($131.8 billion). Electronics and fashion also have the most coupon codes.

What payment methods do online shoppers prefer?

Digital wallets (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay) make up about 50% of global ecommerce payments. That’s more than credit and debit cards. BNPL is the fastest-growing segment: 55.1% of US Gen Z buyers use it at least once a year.

Is online shopping safe?

It depends. 36% of US adults have been hit by online shopping scams. 85% say scams are a problem. Using trusted payment methods, buying from known retailers, and checking codes through vetted platforms all help cut fraud risk.

How big is social commerce expected to get?

Social commerce should reach $1.2 trillion globally in 2025, rising to $1.9 trillion by 2026. Facebook leads US social shoppers at 69.4 million. Instagram has 47.5 million. TikTok: 37.8 million.

Data compiled by the DontPayFull Research Team based on publicly available data from government agencies, academic institutions, and industry research firms.

Sources

1. eMarketer, Worldwide Retail Ecommerce Forecast: Global retail ecommerce market size and growth rates (2025-2026)
2. US Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales: Official US ecommerce quarterly data, share of total retail, and year-over-year growth (through Q4 2025)
3. US Census Bureau, Quarterly E-Commerce Report PDF: Detailed quarterly tables with seasonally adjusted and unadjusted figures
4. Baymard Institute, Cart Abandonment Rate Statistics: Global cart abandonment rate benchmark aggregated from 50+ studies
5. Statista, E-Commerce Payment Methods Market Share: Global payment transaction share by method (2024)
6. Statista, BNPL Users Worldwide: Global Buy Now, Pay Later user projections (2022-2027)
7. eMarketer, Gen Z and BNPL: US Gen Z BNPL adoption rate data (2025)
8. eMarketer, Free Shipping Expectations: Survey data on US consumer free shipping expectations
9. RedStagFulfillment, Free Shipping Consumer Expectations: Percentage of US online shoppers expecting free shipping above a threshold
10. Pew Research Center, Online Shopping Scams: US adult experience with online shopping scams and fraud perceptions (November 2025)
11. Brookings Institution, Online Shopping Experiences: Survey of 2,102 US adults on satisfaction with online shopping
12. McKinsey & Company, State of the Consumer: ConsumerWise Sentiment Survey (25,000+ consumers in 18 markets)
13. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Consumer Spending: Personal consumption expenditure (PCE) monthly data
14. US Census Bureau, Monthly Retail Trade Report: January 2026 retail and food services data

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