As the twenty-teens came to a close, marketers everywhere turned their sights to forecasting ecommerce growth in the coming decade. As the 20th century came to an end, marketers around the world began to look ahead to the growth of ecommerce in the next decade. Their predictions looked promising, with ecommerce positioned to continue its steady upward climb. Their predictions were positive, with ecommerce poised to continue its steady climb.
In 2019, ecommerce was forecasted to account for more than 22 percent of all global retail sales by 2023, a sum of more than $740 billion [A]. In 2019, it was predicted that ecommerce would account for more than 22% of global retail sales in 2023. This is a total of $740 billion. This would be the largest 10-year increase of the global ecommerce market to date. This would be the biggest 10-year increase in the global ecommerce industry to date.
Online shopping has grown from constituting 1.75 percent of all retail sales in 2003 [F] to 5.1 percent in 2013 [G]. Online shopping has grown, from 1.75 percent of retail sales in 2003 [F] up to 5.1 percent of retail sales in 2013 [G].
But with 2020 shaping up to be history’s greatest curveball in the form of a calendar year, the picture is rapidly changing. The picture is changing rapidly, as 2020 is shaping up to be the greatest calendar year in history. As a global pandemic forced much of the economy out of public spaces, consumer shopping habits changed in big and unpredictable ways. As a global pandemic forced a large part of the economy to leave public spaces, shopping habits of consumers changed in unexpected and big ways.
Here are some coronavirus online shopping statistics that suggest that ecommerce will grow even faster than experts have predicted: Here are some statistics about online shopping that indicate that ecommerce is growing even faster than predicted by experts.
Online Shopping Surges Due to Coronavirus Lockdowns
Online shopping surges due to coronavirus lockdowns. Online shopping booms due to coronavirus restrictions. The coronavirus pandemic provided a moment for online-shopping to truly shine. The coronavirus epidemic was a great opportunity for online shopping to shine. As people around the world were confined to their homes for several months, online retail saw explosive growth. Online retail grew explosively as people were confined in their homes for months.
U.S. daily ecommerce sales grew 49 percent faster between April 1 and 23, 2020 as opposed to the weeks in March before the pandemic gained widespread attention. U.S. daily online sales grew by 49 percent between April 1 and 23 2020 compared to the weeks before the pandemic became widely known in March. [C]
Amazon.com was earning roughly $11,000 per second during March and April 2020, as opposed to $4,722 per second in 2019. Amazon.com earned approximately $11,000 per sec between March and April 2020 as opposed to $4.722 per sec in 2019. [E]
Americans were the most likely to have noted an online shift in their shopping habits due to the pandemic. Americans were most likely to have noticed a shift in their online shopping habits as a result of the pandemic. 71 percent of U.S.-based respondents reported shopping more online, compared with 65 percent of Brits and 53 percent of Germans. 71 percent reported that they were shopping more online compared to 65 percent of Brits, and 53 percent Germans. [B]
COVID-19 and the Rise of Food Ecommerce
COVID-19 and the rise of food ecommerce. COVID-19 and food ecommerce. Certain market sectors that had been steadily growing prior to COVID-19 suddenly saw skyrocketing traffic. Several market segments that had been steadily increasing prior to COVID-19 saw a sudden surge in traffic.
Over two thousand consumers in the U.S., the U.K., and Germany were asked if there were any items they deliberately purchased online instead of in-store due to the coronavirus pandemic [B]. Over 2000 consumers in the U.S.A., U.K. and Germany were asked whether they had purchased any items online rather than in-store because of the coronavirus epidemic [B]. The changes were most pronounced when it came to food:
The biggest changes were seen in the food sector: 31 percent of Americans reported having ordered takeaway because of the pandemic, and 24 percent had ordered groceries online. 31 percent of Americans have ordered takeout because of the pandemic and 24 percent have ordered groceries online. 19 percent of Brits had ordered takeaway, and 30 percent had ordered groceries online. 19% of Brits have ordered takeaway and 30% have ordered groceries online. This trend was less pronounced in Germany, where just 16 percent of respondents had ordered takeaway online and only 10 percent had ordered groceries online. In Germany, this trend was less pronounced. Only 16 percent of respondents ordered takeout online and only 10% ordered groceries online.
The pandemic-fueled growth of online grocery shopping had a tremendous impact on the ecommerce performance of major online retailers. The growth of online grocery shopping, fueled by the pandemic, had a huge impact on the performance of major online retailers.
| Month | Online Grocery Sales (USD) |
|---|---|
| March 2020 | $4 Billion |
| April 2020 | $5.3 Billion |
March 2020 set a 30-day record of $4 billion USD in terms of online grocery sales. March 2020 was the month that saw online grocery sales reach a record-breaking $4 billion USD. This record was immediately beaten the following month, when online grocery sales in April 2020 reached $5.3 billion USD. This record was immediately beaten in the following month when online grocery sales reached $5.3 billion US. [C]
Walmart saw a 74 percent growth in ecommerce sales in the first 4 months of 2020. Walmart’s ecommerce sales grew by 74 percent in the first four months of 2020. [D]
Target saw a 141 percent growth in ecommerce sales during this same period. Target’s ecommerce sales grew by 141 percent during the same period. [D]
From March 16 to April 12, Amazon hired 175,000 additional workers for their Whole Foods Market team, increased their online order capacity by 60 percent, and expanded the locations at which they performed pick-up and delivery from 80 to 150. Amazon increased its online order capacity by 60% and increased the number of locations where they perform pick-up and deliveries from 80 to 150 between March 16 and April 12. [H]
In total, online grocery sales are projected to grow 40 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. Online grocery sales are expected to grow by 40 percent in 2020, compared to 2019. [L]
What Other Products Saw Growth Due to COVID-19?
What other products have seen growth due to COVID-19. Groceries were far from the only products that saw more online purchases during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic. During the first few months of the pandemic, online purchases were not limited to groceries.
Online book sales doubled in April 2020 compared with the weeks before the pandemic. Online book sales in April 2020 will double compared to the weeks prior to the pandemic. [C]
Online electronic sales grew by 58 percent in the same time period. Online electronic sales increased by 58 percent during the same period. [C]
Online apparel sales grew by 34 percent on the whole. Overall, online apparel sales increased by 34 percent. But not all types of clothes saw more purchases. Not all types of clothing saw an increase in sales. Loungewear and pajamas saw 143 percent more purchases, while sales of pants (-13%), jackets (-33%), and bras (-12%) all saw declines. Loungewear and pajamas were purchased at a rate of 143 percent higher, while pants (-13%) and jackets (-33%) and bras (12%) saw sales declines. [C]
In China, disposable cleaning products were purchased online 34 times more often during the coronavirus lockdowns. During the coronavirus quarantine, disposable cleaning products were 34 times more frequently purchased online in China. [I]
Online pet food sales in the U.S. increased from 36 percent of pet owners to 45 percent of pet owners during the COVID-19 lockdowns [J]. During the COVID-19 Lockdowns, online pet food sales increased in the U.S. from 36 to 45 percent. Survey data shows that 75 percent of baby care product ecommerce businesses saw increased revenue during April 2020 [K]. The survey data shows that 75 percent (K) of baby care products ecommerce businesses experienced increased revenue in April 2020.
65 percent of surveyed ecommerce cosmetics brands saw increased revenue in April 2020, with 1 out of 5 of those who saw growth reporting revenue jumps of more than 51 percent. 65 percent of the surveyed ecommerce brands surveyed saw an increase in revenue in April 2020. One out of five of those who saw revenue growth reported revenue jumps of over 51 percent. [K]
Will COVID-19 Have Lasting Effects on Our Online Shopping Habits?
Will COVID-19 affect our online shopping habits in the long-term? While it is easy to say that COVID-19 has irreversibly changed the global economy in many ways, it is hard to predict exactly how far reaching these changes will be. It is easy to say COVID-19 irreversibly altered the global economy, but it’s hard to predict how far-reaching these changes will be.
The dust hasn’t quite settled on the horizon of ecommerce. The dust is still settling on the horizon for ecommerce. But current online shopping statistics have led us to these educated guesses:
- People around the world will increasingly purchase essentials online. Online shopping is becoming more popular around the globe. While only 16 percent of Americans reported that they were likely to buy pet food online before the pandemic, 28 percent say they will likely continue buying pet food online after the pandemic. While only 16 percent of Americans said they would likely buy pet food online prior to the pandemic, they say that 28 percent will likely continue buying pet food online. [J]
- 70 percent of Chinese shoppers born after 1995 reported that their habits shifted from only ever shopping online for themselves, towards shopping online for essentials for the whole family as a result of COVID-19. COVID-19 has influenced the habits of 70 percent of Chinese consumers born after 1995. They no longer only shop online for themselves but also for their entire family. [I]
2. Ecommerce brands will need to work hard to build loyalty among their consumers. Brands that sell online will need to work hard in order to build consumer loyalty. In 2019, frequent online grocery shoppers reported having purchased from an average of 1.8 retailers in the past 12 months. In 2019, online grocery shoppers said they had purchased from 1.8 retailers on average in the last 12 months. In 2020, they reported having shopped with an average of 2.3 retailers. In 2020, they said that they had shopped at an average of 2.3 stores. [L]
Even some of the most recognizable names in fashion, from J. Even some of fashion’s most recognizable brands, such as J. Crew to Nieman Marcus, filed for bankruptcy in the wake of COVID-19, suggesting a powerful brand is not enough to generate online sales. Even some of the most recognizable names in fashion, from J.
- Ecommerce brands will increase spending on advertising and brand protection. Brand protection and advertising will increase for Ecommerce brands. An April 2020 survey of leading ecommerce businesses revealed that 88 of 150 planned to invest more money into their ecommerce channels as a result of COVID-19. A survey conducted in April 2020 of leading ecommerce companies revealed that 88 out of 150 planned to increase their investment into their ecommerce channels due to COVID-19. [K]
59 percent of these businesses plan to expand their social ad spending, 54 percent expect to invest more in brand protection, 35 percent plan to work on their SEO and build out organic content, and 33 percent expect to invest in offline marketing channels. These businesses plan to increase their social media advertising spending by 59 percent, invest more in brand protection by 54 percent, improve their SEO and create organic content by 35 percent, and invest in offline marketing channels at 33 percent. [K]
Sources
- [A] Estay, Beatriz (2019). “Ecommerce Research: How Many People Shop Online?” Study by BigCommerce and Kelton Global. BigCommerce and Kelton Global study “Ecommerce research: How many people shop online?” Summarized here: https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/online-shopping-statistics/5-essential-online-shopping-statistics/
- [B] Kunst, Alexander (2020, June). “Shifting to online purchases because of the COVID-19 pandemic 2020, by category.” Summarized by Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107859/shifting-to-online-purchases-because-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-by-category/
- [C] Fareeha, Ali (2020, May 20). “Ecommerce trends in charts during the coronavirus pandemic.” Survey by Adobe Analytics. Adobe Analytics survey “Ecommerce Trends in Charts during the Coronavirus Pandemic.” Reporting by Digital Commerce 360. https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2020/05/15/quarantine-pajama-party-apparel-sales-driven-by-lounge-wear-rise-34-in-april/
- [D] Davis, Sarah and Toney, Lauren (2020, July 2). “How Coronavirus is Impacting Ecommerce.” Analysis by ROI Revolution. ROI Revolution’s analysis of “How Coronavirus Impacts Ecommerce”. https://www.roirevolution.com/blog/2020/07/coronavirus-and-ecommerce/
- [E] Neate, Rupert (2020, April 15). “Amazon reaps $11,000-a-second coronavirus lockdown bonanza.” Published by The Guardian. The Guardian published “Amazon reaps an $11,000-a-second coronavirus lockdown bonanza.” https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/apr/15/amazon-lockdown-bonanza-jeff-bezos-fortune-109bn-coronavirus
- [F] “History of Ecommerce” (2008). Published by eCommerce-Land.com, “History of Ecommerce”. Published by eCommerce-Land.com. https://www.ecommerce-land.com/history_ecommerce.html
- [G] “Global Retail and E-Commerce Sales Forecast 2013-2018.” (2015, January 2). “Global Retail Sales Forecast 2013-2018.” 2015, January 2. Published by eMarketer. Published by eMarketer. Summarized by Marketing Charts. Marketing Charts summarized the data. https://www.marketingcharts.com/industries/retail-and-e-commerce-49733
- [H] Landry, Stephanie (2020, April 12). “New ways were getting groceries to people during the COVID-19 crisis.” Published to the Amazon Company News Blog. “New ways of getting groceries to people in the COVID-19 Crisis.” Published on the Amazon Company News blog. https://blog.aboutamazon.com/company-news/new-ways-were-getting-groceries-to-people-during-the-covid-19-crisis
- [I] Yang, Vivian and Kidron, Ella (2020, June 8). “4 new shopping trends revealed in post-lockdown China.” Published by the World Economic Forum. The World Economic Forum published “4 new shopping patterns revealed in post-lockdown China.” https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/4-new-shopping-trends-in-post-lockdown-china/
- [J] Browne, Michael (2020, May 27). “Pandemic spurs online pet food purchases.” Published by Supermarket News. Supermarket News published “Pandemic spurs online pet food purchases.” https://www.supermarketnews.com/winning-pet-care/pandemic-spurs-online-pet-food-purchases
- [K] Woodburn, Brogan (2020, May 12). “The Day After COVID-19: Preparing for the future of ecommerce.” Published by Red Points. “The Day after COVID-19: preparing for the future of ecommerce.” Published in Red Points. https://blog.redpoints.com/en/ecommerce-after-covid-19/
- [L] Redman, Russel (2020, May 11). “Online grocery sales to grow 40% in 2020.” Published in Supermarket News. Supermarket News published “Online grocery sales will grow 40% in 2020.” https://www.supermarketnews.com/online-retail/online-grocery-sales-grow-40-2020
Last Updated on September 28, 2020 by Joe
Last Updated September 28, 2020 by Joe
