Online Shopping Resurgence: 2.5 Billion Shoppers Drive Record $4.12 Trillion in Sales

After experiencing a slowdown in 2022 and 2023, online shopping has made a remarkable comeback, reaching unprecedented levels in both users and revenue. In 2024, more than 2.5 billion people worldwide purchased consumer goods online—an 8.5% increase from the previous year—fueling a massive surge in ecommerce spending.

According to data from Stocklytics.com, global ecommerce sales hit an all-time high of $4.12 trillion in 2024, marking a 15% year-over-year increase and doubling the total from five years ago.

Online shopping’s share of the consumer goods market also grew significantly, with 17.3% of all retail purchases made online in 2024. On average, each online shopper spent approximately $1,620 over the year, highlighting the increasing dominance of digital retail.

The global ecommerce landscape has changed a lot in the past five years. The widespread adoption of AI-driven personalization and faster checkouts improved customer engagement and boosted conversion rates, helping the market to recover after the post Covid-19 slump.  Features like quick-commerce, social shopping, and new payment options like buy now, pay later (BNPL) made online buying even more appealing, fuelling spending growth across digital platforms. The Digital 2025: Global Overview Report shows just how much the market has grown.

In 2019, online shoppers spent $2.19 trillion, making up 12% of total consumer spending that year. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed e-commerce sales even higher, peaking at $3.61 trillion in 2021, when online shopping accounted for 17.8% of total spending.

However, with inflation and rising costs cutting down consumer budgets, this trend stalled in 2022 and 2023. While the number of online shoppers continued growing, the average spending per user dropped by 20% compared to the 2021 peak and hit around $1,500 in 2023.

But with stronger economies and growing consumer confidence, online spending bounced back in 2024, rising by nearly 15% year-over-year to a record $4.12 trillion. The average spending per shopper also increased, rising by 5% to $1,620 in 2024, though still below the 2021 peak. Statistics also showed that online purchases made 17.3% of total ecommerce spending last year, trailing only 0.5% of the 2021 record.

Still, some countries saw even higher online spending. Statistics show shoppers from the United States and China spent the most on ecommerce, making one-third of all their purchases online. The United Kingdom, South Korea, the Netherlands, and Canada also ranked above the global average, with online shopping making up between 18% and 23% of their total spending. All other surveyed nations were below the global average.

Fashion and Food Drive Nearly $1.5 Trillion in Sales

When it comes to what people are buying, fashion and food continue to dominate online shopping. The Digital 2025: Global Overview Report shows that people spent a massive $771 billion on fashion in 2024, more than any other category.

Online food shopping wasn’t far behind, with $680 billion in sales, about $100 billion more than DIY and home improvement, which ranked third. Electronics and media were also among the top choices, with $465 billion and $439 billion in sales, respectively.