This statistic shows the sales figures for U.S. retail e-commerce from 2002 to 2015. In 2012, desktop retail e-commerce sales added up to a total of 186.2 billion U.S. dollars. In 2015, overall U.S. desktop retail e-commerce sales surpassed 256 billion U.S. dollars.
E-commerce sales in the U.S. – additional information
In its simplest terms e-commerce, which has been in development since the 1970s, refers to the buying or selling of products and services via the internet. In order to appreciate the growing popularity of e-commerce in the U.S., the percentage of e-commerce as a share of total U.S. retail sales from the fourth quarter of 2002 to the fourth quarter of 2013 should be assessed. During the fourth quarter of 2002, e-commerce accounted for just 1.6 percent of total U.S. retail sales. Eleven years later, in the fourth quarter of 2013, e-commerce’s growth was revealed when e-commerce amounted to seven percent of total retail sales in the U.S.
Purchasing online has many advantages, especially during the holiday season. With bleak weather, bustling shops and the prospect of large queues, shopping can now be done without having to step foot out of the front door. As a result of the holiday season, retailers often experience their highest sales during the fourth quarter, and e-commerce sales are no exception. The U.S. retail e-commerce holiday season sales have been recorded from 2007 to 2014. In 2007, e-commerce sales in the U.S. generated 31.61 billion U.S. dollars during the holiday season. A year later this revenue dropped to 29 billion U.S. dollars but by 2013 had more than doubled to 62.11 billion U.S. dollars.
When it comes to the leading e-retailers in the U.S., ranked by annual e-commerce sales, it is no surprise to see Amazon on top. In 2013, Amazon.com Inc. accounted for 67.86 billion U.S. dollars worth of annual sales. Amazon’s nearest competitor for that year was Apple Inc with web sales reaching 18.3 billion U.S. dollars.
