United States: number of digital shoppers 2016-2021

This timeline shows the number of online shoppers in the United States since 2016. In 2016, million U.S. people were online shoppers and had browsed products, compared prices or bought merchandise online at least once. These figures are projected to reach million in 2021, positioning the United States as of one the leading e-commerce markets based on online shopper penetration.

Online shopping is not only a convenient way to shop but also saves money for many customers by leaving out physical retailing costs. As a result, many large companies simply offer their products on their own websites or on online retailing platforms such as Amazon or eBay. Because of such promotions, Amazon's sales have grown significantly every year and in the fourth quarter of 2016 generated revenues of billion U.S. dollars, largely boosted by seasonal sales during the holiday season.

There are often incentives that online stores offer when ordering either in bulk or when ordering goods of a high value. Therefore, users purchase goods that often exceed this value. The average value of online shopping orders in the United States in the most recently reported quarter averaged to U.S. dollars per order. With a reach of percent, apparel and accessories are the most commonly bought goods online, followed by travel products with percent.