Ecommerce Growth

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From books and movies to clothes and footwear, more people are buying items online than ever before. And with this ecommerce growth causes a growth with the ecommerce stores that sell these items. New ecommerce websites are popping up every week and more and more people are getting their hands in the growing industry of ecommerce. According to SaleCycle.com, ecommerce growth 2018 saw a jump of about 14.2%, which reached over $517 billion. And with the current data we have for ecommerce growth 2019, those numbers are continuing to climb. But why is e commerce sales growth soaring to new heights so rapidly? While there are many answers, the leading cause is our mobile-driven world. More and more people are using mobile devices, and the technology around mobile is getting better by the day. But why do people love shopping online? We’ve listed some reasons below:

Convenience

As roads get busier and department stores are farther away, more and more consumers are picking up their phones to make a purchase. And given how simple things have become when shopping online, choosing this avenue over the alternative is a no-brainer for many.

More Affordable

Another reason why online sales have skyrocketed for ecommerce stores relates to affordability. If you head over to the mall or the nearest department store, you may find a good deal on a sweater or purse, but chances are, you can find it cheaper online. Affordability is a growing reason why many people shop online, and with the added convenience of online shopping, simply buying something on the web is easier and more cost-effective than ever before.

US Ecommerce Growth Statistics

When you look at US e commerce statistics, it's pretty evident that things are rapidly growing in terms of sales and popularity of e commerce as a whole. More and more people are buying online, which has caused a high expansion in e commerce stores and platforms. When you look at US ecommerce sales 2018, sales were over $517 billion, according to SaleCycle.com. Compared to 2017, sales were only $453 billion. This is an over 14% increase, and this increase is relatively the same each and every year compared to the previous year. But if these US e commerce statistics 2018 shock you, the projected sales for 2019 are even higher.

Ecommerce vs. In-Store Retail

Although in-store retail sales still own the majority of sales made in the retail space, higher sales are happening every single year via ecommerce. According to DigitalCommerce360.com, the percentage of ecommerce sales has increased every single year. For instance, 11.6% of retail sales were made through e commerce stores in 2018, while 2017 saw an increase of 13%. In the following year, ecommerce sales jumped to 14.3% of all retail sales. So while in-store retail sales still own the retail space, eccommerce is getting more common by the day. As things are projected to increase, we expect to see more and more consumers purchasing goods online in the future.

Global Ecommerce Growth Statistics

When it comes to eccomerce trends, and more importantly, ecommerce trends 2019, it's important to understand that e commerce growth statistics are skyrocketing not only in the United States, but on a global scale. E commerce statistics worldwide have grown quite a bit over the years and they’re expected to keep growing in the future. But why is this the case? Are other countries expanding with eccommerce sales faster than the United States? Keep reading to see ecommerce statistics 2019 compared to online shopping statistics 2018, including data regarding ecommerce sales by country.

Global E Commerce Statistics 2018

According to eMarketer.com, global ecommerce sales 2018 were at a little over $2.9 trillion dollars, which was about 12% of all retail sales made globally. Compared to the previous year, the percentage of ecommerce sales in the global retail space jumped about 2%. When it comes to e commerce market size by country, China is leading the pack. And when you look at e commerce ranking by country 2018, China saw an eye-popping $1,520 billion in eccomerce sales. In the same year, the United States only saw $514 billion. But as the global B2B e commerce market size and B2C market size are steadily growing, we expect to see these numbers rise even higher.

Global E Commerce Statistics 2019

As we saw a boost in the global ecommerce market size 2018, there is another boost in 2019. And after a thorough e commerce industry analysis by eMarketer.com, we saw some pretty impressive global online shopping statistics for 2019, including the projected growth rate of the years to come. Ecommerce sales are expected to jump past $3.5 trillion in 2019, which is 14% of all total retail sales globally. The regions that are growing the most in terms of eccomerce sales include Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East. Europe is also at the bottom of that list, and the future of ecommerce in Europe is very bright.

Ecommerce Versus Retail

Online stores are growing at a very rapid rate, while physical retail stores are shutting down for good. Many major retailers around the world are forced to close their doors because ecommerce is taking over the retail scene as we know it. In 2018, eccomerce sales accounted for over 14% of all retail sales in the United States. This was a jump from 13% in 2017, and 2017 saw a jump from 11.6% in 2016. So just looking at those stats alone, it’s pretty evident that e commerce taking over retail is the world we now live in.

E Commerce Share of Total Global Retail Sales

If you look at a global scale, eccomerce is owning the retail space. See below for e commerce as a percentage of retail sales by country as they were in 2018, according to invespcro.com:

  • United Kingdom: 18%
  • China: 16.6%
  • Norway: 12.7%
  • Finland: 11.5%
  • South Korea: 12%
  • Denmark: 10.8%
  • Germany: 11.2%
  • United States: 8.9%
  • Canada: 8.2%
  • Japan: 6.7%

Ecommerce Brands Opening Up Stores

While it may seem strange, ecommerce brands are now opening up their own physical stores. So instead of purchasing items through an ecommerce website, they can now walk into a store. They are doing this to drive brand popularity, increase visibility, and test new concepts with their products or services. Take a look at a few different ecommerce brands that have recently opened up their own physical store:

  • Amazon
  • Rue Saint Paul
  • MM.LaFleur
  • The Reset
  • Code8

The Future of eCommerce

With the level that eccomerce sales has grown to in this day and age, we can’t help but think about what the future holds. Keep reading as we’ll explain the future of ecommerce, the future of ecommerce 2020, and e commerce future trends.

Marketing Automation

One trend that we see moving in the right direction involves marketing automation with ecommerce businesses. From easy-to-find shopping carts to customized landing pages, automation is becoming the norm. But when it comes to marketing automation, the biggest use of it involves emails. These automated emails are sent to customers based on their empty shopping cart, recent purchase, or to promote a new product or promotion. These emails are targeted at a specific audience and require little effort by the business.

Better Shipping Options

As shipping options haven’t seen much advancement over the years, things are soon to change. In fact, Amazon is now testing drones to deliver packages. These drones understand the shortest route to the destination, which can lead to greater efficiency with the shipping process. Other advancements are in the works in terms of shipping, and new processes are improving as technology improves.

Mobile Mobile Mobile

Mobile devices are taking the world by storm. As more and more people are shopping online, more and more people are using their mobile devices to make a purchase. So if your ecommerce store isn’t responsive on a mobile device, you might lose out on a large chunk of business. For future online shopping in 2020, expect to see a lot more purchases made via mobile devices.

Resources For Tracking and Forecasting Ecommerce Growth

If you have your own ecommerce store or you just like to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in the ecommerce world, then you’ll want to choose the best resources that display current trends and statistics. It's important to choose resources that display statistics of the past and also statistics of the future. This will give you a clear idea of how things currently stand, where they came from, and where they’re heading in the future. As eccomerce sales continue to climb, it will be very interesting to see how popular these sites will become. It will also be very interesting to see what happens around physical retail stores. If ecommerce continues to grow, more and more retailers will be forced to close their doors for good. Take a look at a few great resources for tracking and forecasting eccomerce growth:

eMarketer

From reports to forecasts in the ecommerce world, eMarketer is a great tool to see what’s happening around the internet retailer scene. They clearly display data in an easy-to-digest way, and they also have very innovative and creative graphs. They also get pretty extensive with their reports and include a lot of details that you don’t even consider.

Statista

From popular studies and popular stats to info on B2B ecommerce and info on C2C eccomerce, Statista is a fantastic resource to stay in-the-know about everything ecommerce. This site goes very in-depth about statistics and what they mean. They also do a fantastic job of talking about how ecommerce is working on a global scale.

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