Online Shopping Statistics and Facts - 2025 Updates
The online shopping industry has totally reshaped consumer habits and expectations. As we continue through 2025, let's delve into some compelling online shopping statistics that highlight the many facets of the dynamic eCommerce world.
Popularity of Online Shopping
The convenience and breadth of online shopping options continue to captivate consumers worldwide, leading to remarkable growth in the eCommerce sector. Here's a closer look at how many people tend to shop online worldwide, and their preferences:
Number of online shoppers in the US: In 2024, 273.5 million Americans shopped online, and this number is expected to grow steadily to 333.5 million by 2029.
General number of online shoppers: The global number of online buyers is projected to reach nearly 3 billion by 2025.
eCommerce in retail: Online purchases accounted for nearly 20% of global retail sales in 2024 and are expected to reach 23.9% by 2030.
Money earned in online sales: Global eCommerce revenue reached $6.01 trillion in 2024 and is expected to surpass $8.9 trillion by 2030. In the U.S., online spending totaled $1.34 trillion and may exceed $2.5 trillion by decade’s end.
Shopping Behavior: Nearly half of consumers complete most of their shopping online, with 47% making more than half of their purchases digitally—and that share rises to 51% among women.
Most popular online shopping categories:
The most profitable categories in global eCommerce included:
Electronics: over $920 billion
Fashion: over $750 billion
Food: over $450 billion
Beverages: nearly $250 billion
DIY & Hardware: over $210 billion
Furniture: over $210 billion
Media: nearly $200 billion
Beauty & Personal Care: nearly $170 billion
Tobacco Products: over $115 billion
Toys & Hobbies: nearly $90 billion
Sources: Oberlo, Inbeat, CapitalOne, FitSmallBusiness, Shopify, Sellerscommerce.
These statistics underscore the undeniable impact of online shopping on the retail landscape. They also reveal a strong consumer preference for digital spending.
Demographics
Demographics play a crucial role in understanding online shopping trends. Let’s explore some insights into who is shopping online worldwide, and when they prefer to do so.
Women vs. men: In the U.S., online shopping is slightly more common among women, with 72% making purchases online compared to 68% of men.
Dominant age group: Adults aged 25–34 are the most active online shoppers, making up nearly 28% of Amazon visitors and over 24% on eBay, while seniors 65+ account for just 8%. Millennials lead in overall online shopping, being 14.3% more likely to shop online than any other generation.
The most preferred day and time: Most people tend to shop online on Fridays and during the evening hours.
Average time spent shopping online: Consumers appear to spend six hours/week shopping online, including one to two hours/week from their offices.
Sources: Yaguara, Saleslion, Statista, FitSmallBusiness
These demographic insights show that female shoppers are more influential in shaping online shopping trends than male shoppers. If you want to build a successful online business, consider the times and ways in which customers prefer to engage with eCommerce, as this can greatly enhance the success of your business.
Marketplaces
The digital marketplace is vast, but certain platforms stand out for their popularity and the volume of traffic they attract. Amazon, in particular, has emerged as a colossus in online retail. Here are some stats:
Leading online selling platforms worldwide: Amazon remains the global leader in eCommerce, boasting a market capitalization of over $2 trillion as of early 2025. At the time, Alibaba’s valuation stood at just over $300 billion.
Americans’ favorite marketplace: In the U.S., Amazon is also the dominant marketplace, holding nearly 40% of total eCommerce market share. In 2024, it generated the highest gross merchandise value (GMV) in the country at around $397 billion, with Walmart trailing at approximately $159 billion.
Product search starting point: 51% of users initiate their online shopping searches on Amazon, however, they don’t always end up spending their money there.
Sources: Statista, Statista, AMZScout, InsiderIntelligence, Sellerscommerce
Amazon's leading position among other online marketplaces reflects a level of trust that is likely to continue to increase over time. These statistics imply that Amazon is the best place to start an online business.
To launch a successful online brand, first, you need to find the most profitable product idea. AMZScout's tools will assist you with all aspects of research, profitability calculation, and listing creation.
Global Trends by Country
Online shopping is a global phenomenon. We can see big differences in various countries and areas, and these numbers can help us predict the future of online shopping trends worldwide.
United Kingdom (UK) digital buyers: The UK leads Europe in eCommerce, with penetration nearing 85% and 62.1 million shoppers expected by 2025.
Internet shopping in China: In China, total eCommerce revenue reached $2.14 trillion in 2024.
Number of online shoppers in India: In 2024, India added 28 million new online shoppers, bringing the total to nearly 240 million.
Online purchases in Europe: Online shopping adoption in the EU reached nearly 80% in 2024, marking a 17-point increase over the decade.
Fastest-Growing Markets: Asia is leading global eCommerce growth in 2024, with the Philippines and India seeing online sales jump by 23% and 18%, respectively. Malaysia follows with 17.8% growth, while Bolivia and Mexico are also on the rise, each expecting increases of over 15%.
Sources: ECEuropa, Statista, Meltwater, Analyzify, Umatechnology, Statista
These global trends highlight the universal appeal of online shopping. It's especially important to focus on countries where online shopping growth is the greatest, like India and China.
Mobile Shopping
The rise of mobile commerce has revolutionized the way consumers interact with online retail. Using mobile devices for shopping makes the process more accessible and convenient than ever.
M-commerce share: By 2025, around 1.65 billion people—roughly 30% of the global digital population—shop using their mobile phones.
The most frequently downloaded shopping apps: In April 2025, Temu was the most downloaded shopping app worldwide with 25 million installs—ranking just below major platforms like ChatGPT and social networks such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
Share of US Temu users: In the U.S. alone, it has 100 million active users and sees over 185 million monthly app visits.
Sources: Sellerscommerce, Backlinko, Backlinko, Analyzify
The popularity of mobile shopping apps highlights the significance of mobile-friendly platforms in today's market.
Social Media Influence
In addition to shopping apps, users also use social media for shopping. Social platforms have a significant impact on people’s shopping habits and trends. Here is some data highlighting these trends:
First interaction: 41% of consumers have found products through social media.
Popular online social media for shopping: As of March 2025, Facebook led U.S. social media site visits with 56%, far ahead of Pinterest (16.7%) and X (Twitter) (11.7%).
TikTok shopping in the US: TikTok is rapidly growing as a shopping platform, with 47.2 million U.S. shoppers in 2024. By 2027, nearly half of TikTok users are expected to make purchases through the app.
Influencers' effect: 61% of consumers trust social media influencers' recommendations.
Sources: Hubspot, Statista, CapitalOneShopping, Morning Consult
The impact of social media on online shopping right now is significant. It shapes the ways in which products are discovered, promoted, and perceived by consumers.
Biggest Shopping Days
Certain days of the year stand out for their extraordinary sales figures, driven by deals, promotions, and consumer excitement. Let’s learn how much money has been generated in online sales during online shopping sales events.
Cyber Monday: For the first time ever, online spending during Cyber 5 in 2024 topped $40 billion, based on data from Digital Commerce 360.
Black Friday: In the U.S., Black Friday 2024 set a new record with $10.8 billion in online sales—a 10.2% jump from the previous year, according to DemandSage. Globally, shoppers spent $74.4 billion online, reflecting a 5% year-over-year increase.
Amazon Prime Day: The summer 2025 Prime Day event opened strong with $7.9 billion in U.S. online sales on the first day, up 9.9% from the year before. Over the next three days, total revenue climbed to $24.1 billion. Shoppers placed more than 154,000 orders and purchased over 300,000 items during the event.
Sources: Forbes, Numerator, NPR, Digital Commerce 360
These standout shopping days reflect the consumer excitement surrounding major sales events.
Factors Affecting Online Shopping
Various factors tend to influence consumer behavior, causing online shoppers to buy more or less depending on their efficiency. Here are the main ones:
Reviews: 99.9% of online consumers read reviews before they buy anything. Nearly all people search for testimonials to avoid problems with product or service quality.
Personalized shopping experience: 72% of people appreciate it when similar products and offers can be customized according to their preferences.
Price deals and special offers: 63% of shoppers are attracted by special deals and offers that can be done online only.
Sources: PowerReviews, Hubspot, First Insight, Business Wire
Brands must adapt to users’ preferences by offering the best deals in order to successfully influence their spending habits.
Fun Facts
Beyond the above-mentioned numbers and trends, the world of online shopping is filled with interesting and sometimes surprising facts that add color to digital retail.
One of the biggest and heaviest products on Amazon: You can actually purchase an entire house, known as the MADBOX Manarola, which can be shipped to you directly.
The most expensive item sold on eBay was a Gigayacht, valued at $168 million.
The most frequently sold item on Amazon currently is the Glass Screen Protector for iPhones, with more than 140,000 estimated monthly sales, according to the AMZScout PRO AI Extension.
![Statistics of most sold Amazon product]( "Statistics of most sold Amazon product")
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The largest paper shopping bag was made in Wiltshire, UK, by PaperBag Co in 2015, measuring 22.5 X 15.4 meters. This bag highlighted the significance of recycling shopping packages for many companies and kept its trending producers in the spotlight.
These fun facts illustrate the vast and varied nature of the online shopping landscape, from everyday items to extraordinary finds. To attract a modern shopper, it’s important to be creative and unique. These examples illustrate that nothing is beyond the capability of online retailers.
Conclusion
It's clear that eCommerce continues to evolve and expand, shaping the future of retail in a super exciting way. The online shopping stats in this article reveal interesting facts and features, and can be particularly useful to those interested in developing an online business. In addition, there has never been a better time to start selling online.
Find your niche, offer products that meet your audience's needs, and achieve success!
