While the pandemic has interrupted our way of life in many ways, online shopping hasn’t lost a beat. In fact, it has continued to increase. From groceries to clothing, we are buying online like never before.
Retail e-commerce sales in the U.S.
Online shopping is growing so fast, it is predicted to nearly double from 2017 to 2023. In the U.S alone, we’re expecting to have 300 million online shoppers in 2023. That’s 91% of the entire country’s population!
U.S. grocery online spending
Major grocers and players like Walmart and Target are developing online grocery services to remain competitive. It is estimated that by 2022, grocery sales online will have increased by nearly 400% from what they were in 2010, or 10% of all grocery sales. A cash value of roughly $133.8 billion.
Online shopping during COVID-19 in the U.S. …
Younger people (those under 35) were most likely to shop online before the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost half were shopping online once per week or more already, and that rose to more than 60% after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Only 15% never shop online. The older people are, the less likely they are to shop online. Their patterns of online shopping also changed less during the COVID-19 pandemic.
… and abroad
How online shopping changed during pandemic by country: Figures from the newly released 2020 IPC Domestic E-Commerce Shopper Survey Pilot have revealed that 52% of consumers bought more online from domestic e-retailers during the COVID-19 pandemic than before. While more than half of consumers indicated that they shopped more online during the pandemic, the study revealed that 49% of consumers plan to shop more online in the future.
Most popular apps
A study in 2019 found that Amazon was the most popular online mobile shopping app. Mobile commerce, especially the use of mobile apps, are becoming increasingly important when developing an online selling strategy.
Convenience is king
When consumers were asked what factors motivated them to buy online instead of going to a shop, the top reasons were time flexibility and cost savings.
Where the money is spent
Clothing is the leading online vertical. 59% of U.S. shoppers purchased clothing online between Q2 2018 and Q2 2019. With books, movies, music & games, shoes, and consumer electronics falling close behind.
Ecommerce success is more than having a beautiful website — you need a healthy amount of traffic to your online store. In a recent Statista survey, direct to site, email and SEO were found to be leading traffic drivers.
High shipping costs are the #1 reason for cart abandonment. While fast shipping is in great demand, high spend for it isn’t. In a study of U.S. shoppers over the age of 18, it was discovered that high shipping costs are the primary reason for cart abandonment for online sales.
WHO SHOPS ONLINE
When it comes to shopping, there is definitely a gender gap. The majority of heavy shoppers (56%) and medium shoppers (58%) are women, while the majority of light shoppers (56%) are male.
