46+ Online Shopping Statistics: The Facts & Trends 2024

Online shopping is huge right now, and it’s changing how people buy things, which is a big deal for businesses.

But just how big is online shopping these days?

With that in mind, we’ll do a deep dive into the most important online shopping statistics to help your business stay competitive.

Online Shopping Statistics: Key Numbers

The number of online shoppers in the United States has increased by 17% in the last five years.
As of 2023, there were 2.64 billion online shoppers worldwide.
In 2022, there were 274.72 million US online shoppers, and by 2027, the number is projected to increase to almost 289.91 million.
Approximately 80% of Americans have shopped online.
Since 2010, global eCommerce sales have increased by nearly 800%.
As of 2022, 21% of global retail sales are online, with the goal of reaching 27% by 2026.
By 2023, global retail ecommerce sales will total $6.169 trillion and account for 22.3% of total retail sales, up from $3.351 trillion and 13.8% in 2019.
63 percent of shopping occasions begin online.
Approximately 50% of shoppers shop more on mobile than in-store.
The average person spent $5,381 online in 2023.

Source: (Zippia, Drip, Oberlo, Tidio, Shopify, FitSmallBusiness, Oberlo, Statista, Insider intelligence, Thinkwithgoogle, 2018, Ibotta, 2018, Yahoo, Morgan Stanley, Insider Intelligence)

Shopper Demographic

73% of Generation Z said they shop online, and the majority (60%) said they do so at least once a week.
83.1% of millennials do the majority of their shopping online.
Millennials, who are estimated to spend $1.4 trillion in 2020.
By 2024, black consumer purchasing power is expected to reach $1.8 trillion.
According to the “Taking Stock with Teen” research reports, the average teenager spends $2,391 per year.
Americans spend $63,531 per year on average.

How Many People Shop Online?

As of 2023, there are approximately 2.64 billion people who shop online worldwide, according to a report by eMarketer and Oberlo. That is approximately 33.4% of people who shop online globally.

Shopping Online vs in Store Statistics

40% of consumers make an in-store purchase at least once a week, compared to 27% who make an online purchase at least once a week.
67% of millennials prefer online shopping to in-store shopping, compared to 72% of seniors who prefer in store shopping.
Currently, about 20% of all retail sales happen online, compared to 80% in physical stores.
52% of Gen Z in the US prefer to shop online, while 48% prefer to shop in-store.
81% of retail shoppers conduct online research before buying.
Physical stores are growing at a rate of 18.5%, while e-commerce is growing at a rate of 14.2%.
42% of holiday shoppers will research and buy online, while 23% will shop in-store.

Sources: (PWC, Statista, Tidio, GWI, General Electric, Census, Bigcommerce)

Baby Boomers Online Shopping Habits

There are 76.4 million Baby Boomers, with a combined purchasing power of $548 billion.
21% of baby boomers shop online.
65.2% of Baby Boomer shoppers began their shopping journey on Facebook and Instagram.
80% of baby boomers consider price when making a purchase decision.
Baby boomers spent 49% more online in 2020 than they did the year before.
The average boomer spent $1,615 online from January to October 2021, up 49% from the year before.
52% of baby boomers shop online on computers, 24% on phones, and 11% on tablets.
45% of baby boomers shop online more due to the pandemic.
Baby Boomers control 70% of US disposable income.

Sources: (Statista, Hubspot)

Gen X Online Shopping Habits

Gen X has a total purchasing power of $357 billion.
43% of Gen X consumers shop online.
51% of Gen Xers have purchased an item through social media.
Roughly, 66% of Gen Xers say they use their mobile phones most for online shopping.
40% of Gen X consumers discovered new products through online searches in the last three months.
Gen Xers make nearly 19 online purchases per year on average.
22% of Generation X shoppers purchase groceries online.
53% of Gen Xers prefer big-box retailers such as Amazon.
29% of Gen Xers buy beauty and electronics online.
On average, Gen Xers spend 37.4 hours per month online.

Sources: (Hubspot, Fisglobal, MarketingCharts, EMarketer)

Gen Z Online Shopping Statistics

Gen Z consumers have $360 billion in purchasing power.
52% of Gen Z in the US prefer to shop online, while 48% prefer to shop in-store.
32% of Gen Z consumers shop online at least once a day, compared to 25% of millennials, 15% of Gen X, and 7% of baby boomers.
Gen Z is 2X more likely to use an online-only store or brand website than any other generation.
96% of surveyed Gen Z consumers in the United States reported shopping online at least once a month in the first quarter of 2023.
58% of Gen Zers have increased their online grocery shopping.
51% of Gen Z cited price comparison as the leading advantage of online shopping.
54% of Generation Z say they will only shop online in the next decade.
43% of Gen Z consumers surveyed begin their online product searches on TikTok.
38% of Gen Z start their product searches on Google, compared to 36% on Amazon.
73% of Gen Z said that they shop online, and a majority of those shoppers (60%) said that they do so at least once a week
25% of Gen Z often make impulse purchases.
73% of Gen Z consumers are willing to pay 10% more for sustainable products.
52% of Gen Z in the US prefer to shop online, while 48% prefer to shop in-store.

Sources: (GWI, Yahoo, SurveyMonkey, ICSC, The Influencer Marketing Factory, Food Institute, FirstInsight, Bluestonepim)

Millennial Online Shopping Statistics

80% of millennials now do most shopping online, up from 60% in 2019, and 56% use their phones, up from 36%.
Approximately, 57.79 million millennials shop online, according to our calculation from the latest data.
According to the most recent data, millennials have a $2.5 trillion annual spending power.
In the US, millennials’ spending accounted for 30% of total retail sales in 2020.
73% of millennials plan to spend the same or more online.
27% of millennials intend to spend significantly more online and less in physical retail stores.
91% of millennials prefer to shop online, with only 9% preferring to shop in-store only.
Millennials spend $208.77 per day on average, more than any other generation.
40% of millennials read online reviews before making a purchase.
59% of millennials polled say they buy clothing and shoes online.
72% of millennials reported social media impacts their buying decisions.
40% of millennials are shopping on social media.
78% of millennials now follow brands on social media (up from 57% in 2017)
75% of millennials shop on Amazon compare to Walmart (46%), eBay (20%).
44% of millennials shop online because #1 factor that is fast shipping and more product options.
Millennial shoppers spend more on grocery; this group reported spending a monthly average of $298 on groceries.
The average 25- to 34-year-old reported spending $2,008 per year at coffee shops

Sources: (CouponFollow, ESW, BusinessWire, JungleScout)