How Many People Shop Online in 2023? (US & World!)

How many people shop online in 2023? Let’s find out.

Shopping is one of the best feelings to relieve stress and restore happy hormones. The pandemic popularized another way to shop– e-commerce.

As a result, more people today are more likely to buy online instead of going to the physical store.

A few years before 2020, online shops are known by many but a smaller number of online shoppers put trust in providing personal information online, especially their bank accounts. 

How Many People Shop Online in 2023?

How many are online shoppers around the world?

With the rise of online purchases worldwide, online shoppers reached 2.14 billion, accounting for about 27% of the total global population. 

There were approximately 900 million more online shoppers in 2021 compared to the previous year, showing an increase of around 4.4% year-over-year.

Here is a list of the number of people shopping online from 2014 until 2021:

• In 2014, there are about 1.32 billion people who shopped online
• In 2015, there are about 1.46 billion people who shopped online
• In 2016, there are about 1.52 billion people who shopped online
• In 2017, there are about 1.66 billion people who shopped online
• In 2018, there are about 1.79 billion people who shopped online
• In 2019, there are about 1.92 billion people who shopped online
• In 2020, there are about 2.05 billion people who shopped online
• In 2021, there are about 2.14 billion people who shopped online

What Country Spends Most Online?

In 2021, e-commerce sales worldwide exceeded $5.2 trillion and are expected to hit $6.4 trillion in 2024. It is also projected to continuously grow in the coming years. 

People in the United Kingdom spend the most money online, spending $4,021 per capita.

Here are the top 10 countries with the highest online spending per capita:

1. United Kingdom – the average person spends around $4,021 on e-commerce
2. United States – the average person spends around $3,428 on e-commerce
3. South Korea – the average person spends around $2,591 on e-commerce
4. France – the average person spends around $1,946 on e-commerce
5. China – the average person spends around $1,855 on e-commerce
6. Australia – the average person spends around $1,764 on e-commerce
7. Canada – the average person spends around $1,746 on e-commerce
8. Japan – the average person spends around $1,488 on e-commerce
9. Israel – the average person spends around $1,361 on e-commerce
10. Germany – the average person spends around $1,283 on e-commerce

How Many Online Sellers Worldwide?

There are approximately 12 to 24 million sites of e-commerce around the world. 

These global e-commerce and online shop sites had almost 120 billion total visits in 2021, while e-commerce and online shop sites in the US had 63.5 billion total visits.

Data shows that there are more than 7 million online retailers worldwide and 1.8 million online retailers in the US.

Top Online Shops

The top online shop in the global e-commerce market is amazon.com, generating $131,019 million in revenue in 2021.

Chinese giant jd.com follows with a revenue of $118,515 million, apple.com with $51,950 million in revenue, and walmart.com with $46,446 million in net sales.

Amazon is also the top e-commerce market in the US, with $125,844 million in e-commerce net sales in 2021 followed by Walmart, Apple, and Target. 

Online Shoppers in the United States

The number of US online shoppers continuously increases per year. Based on the latest report, over 263 million US consumers shop online. 

This number is projected to hit 266.7 million by the end of 2022, marking a 1.4% growth from the previous year.

By 2025, the number of US online shoppers is expected to reach 291.2 million.

Statistics show that 56.6% of US consumers prefer online shopping compared to in-store shopping. This represents around a 10% increase from 2020.

The largest group of online buyers in the US are from ages 25 to 34 years old, accounting for 20.2% of US online shoppers.

It is followed by the group aged 35 to 44 years old, accounting for 17.2%.

The US social commerce sales are forecasted to hit $45.74 billion in 2022, purchasing social media platforms.

About 51% of social media users purchased products on Facebook while 47% purchased products on Instagram.

Online Shoppers in China

China recorded more than 842 million online shoppers in 2021, acquiring an almost 8% annual increase.

The country has many online shoppers since it has the biggest population worldwide and some of the world’s leading e-commerce companies.

Based on a study, the country’s mobile e-commerce users are 905 million in 2021 and is projected to reach 1.139 million in 2023.

China is expected to have the highest percentage of e-retail sales worldwide, with almost 50% by the end of 2022.

Why Do People Shop Online?

Shopping online is the most convenient way to buy products. Aside from that, shopping online provides a wide selection of goods with reviews and ratings. 

Below are the other reasons why people shop online:

• 49.3% of consumers enjoy free delivery when shopping online
• 38.1% of consumers enjoy coupons and discounts when shopping online
• 31.0% of consumers enjoy reading the reviews of others when shopping online
• 30.1% of consumers enjoy the easy returns policy when shopping online
• 27.8% of consumers enjoy the quick and easy online checkout process when shopping online
• 27.4% of consumers enjoy next-day delivery when shopping online
• 25.3% of consumers enjoy loyalty points when shopping online
• 21.7% of consumers enjoy checking the likes or good comments on social media when shopping online
• 19.3% of consumers enjoy eco-friendly products when shopping online
• 18.1% of consumers enjoy interest-free payment when shopping online

Advantages and Disadvantages of Shopping Online

Some of the advantages of online shopping include convenience since online stores are accessible 24/7.

Another is the wide selection of products and easy access to product information and details. 

While the disadvantages include the hidden price mark-ups that can cost online shoppers more, the risk of fraud and scams, and a longer time to arrive.

Conclusion

Through the help of the internet, online shoppers have been growing in numbers over the past few years.

The strict implementation of the lockdown starting in March 2020 marks a 20% increase in the number of online shoppers compared to the 2018 record. 

The United States is one of the leading countries in the e-commerce market when it comes to online shopper penetration.

About 230.5 million people in the US were online shoppers in 2021. Thanks for reading our article on how many people shop online in 2023.

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