In today’s fast-paced world, ecommerce is only going to get bigger as consumers’ shopping habits increasingly shift online and technology advances. COVID-19 certainly accelerated things for the channel. In fact, during the last two years of the pandemic, Americans spent $1.7 trillion online, which is a 55 percent increase or $609 billion more than the two years prior to the pandemic. Many external factors outside of the pandemic remain in play that will keep ecommerce prominent in the future of shopping.

With over two billion active online consumers globally, the online ecommerce marketplace is competitive. In 2022, more U.S. consumers are switching brands and retailers compared to 2020 and 2021, and nearly all of them plan to continue doing so. This presents a unique opportunity for marketers to find new ways to get their brand in front of more people and keep their existing customers engaged.

Recent ecommerce statistics show that growing digital channels such as affiliate marketing are a powerful tool for those in the ecommerce vertical looking to grow their customer base and improve the quality of their online sales.

Let’s focus on the most important ecommerce statistics driving online shopping’s growth in 2022 and the opportunity for marketers to get ahead with affiliate marketing.

Ecommerce statistics – digital spend

• The overall U.S. ecommerce ad spend contribution to the total digital ad spend is increasing. In 2022, it will account for 14.5 percent of the digital ad market, and by 2026 it will reach 20.1 percent. (eMarketer)
• Retail ecommerce ad spend in the U.S. is predicted to reach $28.57 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. (Statista)
• U.S. ecommerce ad spend will rise by 29 percent in 2022. (eMarketer)
• In 2022, 66 percent of online retailers are increasing their digital marketing budgets. (Digital Commerce 360)

Ecommerce statistics – market size

• The global B2C ecommerce market size is expected to surpass U.S. $7.45 trillion by 2030 and grow at a CAGR of 7.6 percent from 2022 to 2030. (Precedence Research)
• Globally, the largest ecommerce markets from highest to lowest are: China, the U.S., the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, India, Canada, and Spain. (Business.com)
• The largest retail websites worldwide include: Amazon.com, JD.com, Walmart.com, Apple.com, Sunning.com, BestBuy.com, Amazon.de, HomeDepot.com, Target.com, and Amazon.co.uk. (Business.com)
• Worldwide ecommerce sales are expected to reach $5.5 trillion in 2022 and $6.2 trillion by 2023. (eMarketer)
• Ecommerce will take up 21 percent of total retail sales in 2022. Growth is expected to continue, reaching 24.5 percent by 2025, which translates to a 6.7 percentage point increase in just five years. (eMarketer)
• The U.S. ecommerce market is forecasted to reach over $875 billion in 2022, a little over a third of China’s ecommerce market. (Statista)
• U.S. retail ecommerce revenue was estimated at $768 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. By 2025, U.S. ecommerce revenue is expected to exceed $1.3 trillion. (Statista)
• In 2021, brands and retailers pulled in $1.14 trillion in online holiday sales worldwide and $257 billion in the U.S. (Salesforce)
• 40,000 to 50,000 retail stores are expected to close in the U.S. over the next five years. (UBS)
• Amazon accounted for more than 40 percent of all U.S. ecommerce in 2021. (Digital Commerce 360)
• Looking back at the 2021 holiday season, ecommerce sales rose five percent YoY worldwide and nine percent in the U.S. This increase was on top of the peak growth seen during the 2020 holiday shopping season. (Salesforce)

Ecommerce statistics – consumer shopping behavior

• 91 percent of consumers are “likely” to continue purchasing more items online in the future—and 52 percent are “very likely” to do so. (Stackla)
• Seventy-five percent of U.S. consumers are researching products and purchasing both in-store and online. (McKinsey)
• 45 percent of consumers believe social media influences their purchases. (McKinsey)
• 58 percent of consumers are influenced by product ratings and reviews that contain photos or videos. (Jungle Scout)
• 42 percent of consumers are using deal-finding browser extensions or plug-ins. (Jungle Scout)
• 90 percent of online shoppers choose free shipping even if the item takes longer to arrive. (NPR/Marist)
• 88 percent of consumers like online shopping because of the ability to shop day or night, and the ease of finding a product. (NPR/Marist)
• In 2022, smartphone retail ecommerce sales are expected to pass $400 billion, up from $148 billion in 2018. (Statista)
• Social commerce is projected to more than double from 2021 to 2025, at which time it will account for roughly $80 billion in retail sales. (McKinsey)
• U.S. retail mobile ecommerce sales reached $359.32 billion in 2021, a 15.2 percent increase from 2020. (eMarketer)
• By 2025, retail mobile ecommerce sales are projected to more than double to reach $728.28 billion and make up 44.2 percent of retail ecommerce sales in the U.S. (eMarketer)
• An average online buyer views 26 pages of a fashion ecommerce site in the same session they place an order. (Statista)
• When it comes to shopping cart abandonment, the majority of online shoppers abandon a cart due to shipping costs (63 percent), invalid discount codes (46 percent), and long shipping times (36 percent). (Business.com)

Ecommerce statistics – affiliate marketing opportunity

• The affiliate marketing industry has grown 10 percent each year since 2015 and is expected to reach $8.2 billion in the U.S. by 2022. (Statista)
• As brands continue to invest heavily in promotions and affiliate marketing to reach online shoppers, digital advertising spend in the U.S. is projected to reach $239.89 billion in 2022. (Marketer)
• Retail makes up 43 percent of the affiliate marketing industry revenue. (Authority Hacker)
• On average, online ecommerce orders are 31 percent higher from customers driven by affiliate marketing campaigns. (CJ Affiliates)
• Affiliate marketing programs generate 15-30 percent of all sales for advertisers. (Authority Hacker)
• 83 percent of marketers use affiliate marketing to increase brand awareness, and 79 percent of them use it to engage existing customers. (Rakuten)

Ecommerce statistics – advertiser trends

• 49 percent of brands are investing in social commerce content in 2022 leading to a competitive market. (Shopify)
• 49 percent of retail and ecommerce marketing professionals say attribution is a leading trend for them in 2022. (ROI Revolution)
• 82 percent of retail and ecommerce brands with over $1 billion in annual revenue site personalization as top-of-mind for them in 2022. (ROI Revolution)
• In a recent study, retailers who prioritize personalized experiences on-site or in marketing efforts experience a 25 percent revenue increase. (BCG)
• In 2022, 42 percent of brands will provide personalized product recommendations through tools like quizzes, custom mobile apps, and first-party or third-party behavioral data. (Shopify)
• 33 percent of marketers invest in mobile-friendly website design. (HubSpot)
• The cost for ecommerce brands to advertise on Facebook has drastically increased by 53.9 percent year-over-year. (Common Thread)

Other content you might be interested in:

• Blog: Digital Marketing Stats that Will Shape 2022
• Blog: Affiliate Marketing Trends 2022: A Look Forward
• Checklist: Choosing the Right Affiliate Software