30 Global eCommerce Statistics You Need to Know in 2021

As Harvard Business Review wrote: “Business leaders are scrambling to adjust to a world few imagined possible just a year ago. The myth of a borderless world has come crashing down. Traditional pillars of open markets—the United States and the UK—are wobbling, and China is positioning itself as globalisation’s staunchest defender.”

And so, data has become more significant than ever when it comes to the strategic planning and execution of your eCommerce business at all levels - global, national, and regional. Understanding the facts and trends empowers you to identify gaps and opportunities, so you can make data-driven business decisions.

In this blog, we have put together 30 important global and specific eCommerce statistics emarketers need to know.

Global eCommerce Stats
Consumer Behaviour Stats
Mobile eCommerce Stats
Digital Payment Stats
Covid-19 eCommerce Stats

Global Ecommerce Statistics (Editor's Choice)

Global retail eCommerce sales reached 4.28 trillion USD in 2020 and are expected to grow to 5.4 trillion USD in 2022.
In 2020, UK’s internet retail sales were up 46.1%, compared to the previous year.
Online sales accounted for 18% of all retail sales worldwide in 2020, and this figure is projected to reach 21.8 % in 2024.
Click and collect turnover in the UK is expected to reach 11.9 billion euros by 2023, from an estimated 3.2 billion euros in 2013.
The fashion and apparel industry is the largest segment of DTC eCommerce. Its global size is expected to exceed 1 trillion USD by the end of 2025.
In 2021, over 2.14 billion people worldwide are expected to buy goods and services online, up from 1.66 billion global digital buyers in 2016.
As of April 2021, the most popular online marketplace in the UK was the U.S. American behemoth Amazon, registering about 407 million visits/month.
In 2022, cross-border eCommerce is projected to account for 22% of eCommerce shipments of physical products.
China is the world leader in eCommerce, whereas the UK($169.02 billion) and Germany are the most significant European eCommerce markets.

Consumer Behaviour Stats

The e-commerce industry is set to expand and evolve, as digital buyer penetration is projected to surpass 65.2% of internet users worldwide in 2021.
Free delivery and discounts/coupons are the top two reasons consumers prefer to buy items online, according to the 2020 report by GlobalWebIndex.
According to Shopify, almost three-quarters (73%) of consumers use multiple channels during their shopping journey.
The average shopping cart abandonment rate globally is 69.61%. Whereas it is approx. 80% in the UK from mobiles devices.
About one in three UK consumers used Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) methods when purchasing casual wear.
Personalised emails deliver 6X higher transaction rates.
68% of online shoppers search for a product on Google before purchasing.

Mobile eCommerce Stats

Mobile traffic has now surpassed desktop, and it's not going to slow down. These marketing stats show us what to expect with mobile marketing.

Mobile is the future of online shopping. In 2020, 55.4% of consumers bought goods or services online via mobile devices.
The estimated mobile as a share of total eCommerce is projected to reach 72.9% worldwide by the end of this year.
Apple Pay alone has over 383 million users worldwide, which is more than five times the number of people in the UK alone.
UAE is the country with the fastest average mobile internet speed in 2021, with an average connection speed of 194.04 Mbps.
The revenue of the global mobile commerce industry is expected to reach 3.56 trillion USD by 2021.

Digital Payment Stats

As the largest segment within FinTech, digital payments’ global transaction value reached 5,204 billion USD in 2020.
Digital and mobile wallets were already the most popular online payment method worldwide with a share projected to reach 51.7% in 2024. Comparatively, credit cards are expected to decline to 20.8% in 2024.
In 2020, the UK was the biggest Digital Payments market in Europe with $218.3 billion.
Digital and Mobile Wallets such as PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, accounted for almost 45% of global eCommerce transactions in 2020.
PayPal is the preferred payment method among online shoppers worldwide with 40% of online shoppers using it.

Covid-19 eCommerce Stats

The global COVID-19 pandemic sparked a wave of interest in online shopping amongst new demographics and new verticals.

In October 2019, the keyword “buy online” generated 18,100 monthly online searches worldwide. The search volume for this keyword reached 27,100 in May 2020.
A recent Fujitsu study revealed that COVID-19 is accelerating digital transformations in the retail industry, where 79.1% of retailers planned to use digital marketing in 2021.
38% of consumers say they're more comfortable with digital technology than they were before COVID-19 lockdowns.
The food and groceries industry saw 605% growth from January to April 2020, the biggest increase in online sales for any industry.

As the eCommerce industry is ever-evolving, it’s important to keep up-to-date with the most recent research and trends. We hope these statistics give you some insight into the latest from the eCommerce and digital marketing world.

Whether you need help to increase your online sales, or you want to sell online for the first time, we can support you with our creative design, development, and digital marketing services. We also offer eCommerce consulting and ongoing support services to help you with your digital growth. Contact us to find out more.

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