Key ecommerce statistics
- 17.1% of US retail sales were made online in Q2 2026, a record high (Census Bureau, seasonally adjusted).
- The online share took 12 years to go from 0.6% to 5% (1999 to 2011), 7 more years to reach 10% (2019), and jumped to 16.3% in one pandemic quarter (Q2 2020).
- US online and other nonstore retailers sold $1.05 trillion in January to September 2026, up 8.0%, against 4.8% for all retail.
- Since the end of 2021, the online share has risen by about 0.6 percentage points a year.
- In India, 39.4% of small businesses use the internet (2025), and internet use among women rose from a 43% to 70% state average between the last two national health surveys.
These ecommerce statistics trace how online shopping grew in the United States from 1999 to 2026, how fast it is growing now, and how quickly India’s businesses and consumers are going digital. All figures come from official sources and link to their pages on Advanton Statistics.
Updated November 2026.
20 ecommerce statistics at a glance
Table of Contents
- 17.1% of US retail sales were online in Q2 2026, the highest ever.
- A year earlier, in Q2 2025, the share was 16.3%.
- Five years earlier, in Q2 2021, it was 14.6%.
- Ten years earlier, in Q2 2016, it was 7.8%.
- In Q4 1999, when the Census Bureau began measuring it, online sales were just 0.6% of retail.
- The share first reached 2% in Q1 2004.
- It first passed 5% in Q4 2011.
- It reached 10% in Q1 2019.
- It jumped from 11.9% to 16.3% between Q1 and Q2 2020, the largest quarterly jump on record.
- After the pandemic it fell back to 14.6% by Q4 2021.
- It passed its 2020 peak again in 2025 and reached 17.0% in Q1 2026.
- Since Q4 2021 it has risen by about 0.6 percentage points a year.
- US nonstore retailers (mostly online sellers) sold $1.05 trillion in January to September 2026.
- That was 8.0% more than a year earlier.
- All US retail trade grew 4.8% in the same period.
- Nonstore retailers took 18.6% of US retail trade sales in January to September 2026.
- In September 2026, nonstore sales were $124.3 billion, up 8.2% year on year.
- 39.4% of India’s small businesses used the internet for business in 2025 (ASUSE 2025).
- The average share of women aged 15 to 49 who had used the internet, across Indian states, rose from 43.3% (NFHS-5) to 69.5% (NFHS-6).
- In Goa, 94.0% of women aged 15 to 49 have used the internet; in Tripura, 48.8%.
US ecommerce statistics
The online share of US retail, 1999 to 2026
| Year (Q4, unless stated) | Online share of retail sales |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 0.6% |
| 2000 | 1.0% |
| 2005 | 2.6% |
| 2010 | 4.6% |
| 2015 | 7.4% |
| 2020 | 15.0% |
| 2025 | 16.7% |
| 2026 (Q2) | 17.1% |
Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, via FRED (series ECOMPCTSA), seasonally adjusted.
Year by year, 2016 to 2025
| Year (Q4) | Online share | Change on previous year (points) |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 8.2% | |
| 2017 | 9.1% | +0.9 |
| 2018 | 9.9% | +0.8 |
| 2019 | 11.2% | +1.3 |
| 2020 | 15.0% | +3.8 |
| 2021 | 14.6% | −0.4 |
| 2022 | 14.6% | 0.0 |
| 2023 | 15.5% | +0.9 |
| 2024 | 16.2% | +0.7 |
| 2025 | 16.7% | +0.5 |
The single largest quarterly rise in the series was +4.4 points in Q2 2020, more than six times the next largest (+0.7 points in Q1 2020). The largest fall came straight after it: −1.4 points in Q3 2020, as stores reopened.
Four eras of US ecommerce
- The early years (1999 to 2011): online sales grew from 0.6% to 5% of retail over 12 years, slowed briefly by the dot-com bust and the 2008 recession.
- Steady growth (2012 to 2019): the share doubled from 5% to 10% in about 7 years, as smartphones, free shipping and marketplaces spread.
- The pandemic jump (2020): stores closed and shoppers moved online almost overnight. The share leapt from 11.9% to 16.3% in a single quarter, then fell back to about 14.6% by late 2021 as stores reopened.
- The new normal (2022 to 2026): steady gains of about half a percentage point a year, passing the pandemic peak in 2025 and reaching 17.1% in Q2 2026.
What it means: the pandemic pulled forward several years of online growth, but the long-term trend kept going after stores reopened. Online now grows steadily rather than explosively.
Online sales growth in 2026
| January to September 2026 vs 2025 | Sales | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Nonstore retailers (online and mail order) | $1,046.1 billion | +8.0% |
| All retail trade | $5,637.8 billion | +4.8% |
| Retail and food services | $6,445.1 billion | +4.7% |
Nonstore retailers grew about two thirds faster than retail overall in 2026, and in September their sales were 8.2% higher than a year earlier. The two Census measures differ: "nonstore retailers" counts businesses whose main channel is online or mail order, while the e-commerce share counts online sales by all retailers, including the websites of store-based chains.
Which store types are most exposed to online competition?
Store types that grew slower than retail overall in 2026 include department stores (+0.9%), grocery stores (+1.0%), furniture and home furnishings stores (−1.5%) and health and personal care stores (−1.9%). Store types with strong in-person demand grew faster: sporting goods, hobby, music and book stores (+9.2%) and miscellaneous store retailers (+11.2%). See retail industry statistics.
India ecommerce and digital adoption statistics
Small businesses online
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Small businesses using the internet for business (ASUSE 2025) | 39.4% |
| Small businesses not yet online | about 60% |
| Total small businesses (2025) | about 7.92 crore |
Six in ten of India’s small businesses still do not use the internet for business, a large gap for online selling, digital payments and business software, and a large opportunity for the companies that serve them. See the State of Small Business in India 2026.
Internet use among women
The National Family Health Survey measures the share of women aged 15 to 49 who have ever used the internet:
| NFHS-5 | NFHS-6 (2023-24) | |
|---|---|---|
| Average across 35 states and union territories | 43.3% | 69.5% |
| Andhra Pradesh | 21.0% | 63.6% |
| Uttar Pradesh | 30.6% | 70.0% |
| Telangana | 26.5% | 64.8% |
| Goa (highest in NFHS-6) | 94.0% | |
| Tripura (lowest in NFHS-6) | 48.8% |
Online customers are no longer concentrated in a few states: some of the largest jumps came in big states such as Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
Digital payments
India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is the backbone of its online and in-store digital payments. According to a government (PIB) factsheet of August 2026, UPI handled more than 24,000 crore transactions worth about ₹314 lakh crore in 2025-26. News reports of NPCI data put October 2026 at about 25.5 billion transactions worth ₹31.5 lakh crore in a single month. Advanton will add monthly UPI statistics directly from NPCI; see the data update log.
Key ecommerce trends
- Steady, not explosive: after the pandemic jump, the US online share now rises about 0.6 points a year.
- Online grows faster than stores: US nonstore sales grew 8.0% in 2026 against 4.8% for all retail.
- Stores are not disappearing: 83% of US retail sales still happen offline.
- India’s next wave is small businesses: most are not yet online, while consumers, including women in large states, have rapidly adopted the internet and UPI.
Benchmarks for online sellers
| Benchmark | Figure | How it is calculated |
|---|---|---|
| Share of US retail still sold offline | about 83% | 100% − 17.1% |
| Growth gap, online vs all retail (2026) | about 3.2 percentage points | 8.0% − 4.8% |
| Years for the US online share to rise from 10% to 17% | about 7 | Q1 2019 to Q1 2026 |
| Indian small businesses not yet online | about 6 in 10 | 100% − 39.4% |
How to estimate the online market for your category
A quick estimate multiplies total sales in your category by an online share:
Online market ≈ category sales × online share
For all US retail, 17.1% of about $5.64 trillion in retail trade sales in January to September 2026 suggests roughly $960 billion sold online in those nine months. This is a rough, illustrative figure: the e-commerce share is seasonally adjusted and covers slightly different sales from the nine-month total. Online shares also differ widely by category, so for your own business replace 17.1% with evidence from your category: competitors’ online sales, marketplace data or your own customers’ behaviour. See how to calculate market size.
What these statistics mean for businesses
- Sell where customers buy: most purchases are still in stores, but the online share keeps rising every year, so both channels matter.
- Plan for steady online growth, not the pandemic surge.
- In India, digital adoption among consumers is ahead of businesses: a small business that sells online and accepts UPI stands out.
- Use your own numbers too: a business’s online share depends heavily on its category.
Where to find ecommerce data
| Need | Source |
|---|---|
| Online share of US retail, quarterly since 1999 | Census Bureau Quarterly E-Commerce report (Advanton chart) |
| Monthly online and mail-order sales | Census Bureau Monthly Retail Trade, nonstore retailers |
| India digital payments | NPCI monthly UPI statistics |
| India internet use | NFHS, TRAI subscriber data |
| Small business digital adoption in India | ASUSE (internet use by small businesses) |
Questions about ecommerce
What percentage of retail sales are online?
17.1% of US retail sales were online in Q2 2026, according to the Census Bureau’s seasonally adjusted e-commerce estimate.
What was the biggest jump in online shopping?
Q2 2020, when the US online share of retail rose 4.4 percentage points in a single quarter, from 11.9% to 16.3%.
What share of shopping still happens in stores?
About 83% of US retail sales were made offline in Q2 2026.
How fast is ecommerce growing?
US nonstore retailers’ sales grew 8.0% in January to September 2026, and the online share rises about 0.6 percentage points a year.
Did the pandemic permanently change online shopping?
It pulled growth forward: the online share jumped to 16.3% in Q2 2020, fell back to 14.6% by late 2021, and passed its pandemic peak again in 2025.
Is ecommerce growing faster than store sales?
Yes. US nonstore retailers grew 8.0% in January to September 2026, against 4.8% for all retail trade.
When did ecommerce reach 10% of US retail?
In Q1 2019, after passing 5% in Q4 2011.
How many Indian small businesses use the internet?
39.4% in 2025, according to ASUSE.
How big is UPI in India?
More than 24,000 crore transactions worth about ₹314 lakh crore in 2025-26, according to a PIB factsheet.
Sources and methodology
- US Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales (via FRED series ECOMPCTSA, updated 18 August 2026) and Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services, September 2026.
- MoSPI, ASUSE 2025 factsheet; National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5 and NFHS-6) state tables as published in research.
- Press Information Bureau UPI factsheet (24 August 2026); NPCI October 2026 data as reported (3 November 2026). See the methodology.
Last reviewed November 11, 2026. Startup costs are estimates; check local prices, licensing and tax rules before you commit money.
