Ecommerce statistics 2026: key findings and shopping trends [latest research]

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Global B2C ecommerce revenue is projected to reach $4.91 trillion by 2030. At the same time, price sensitivity, mobile-first habits, and a growing preference for resale and repair are reshaping buying behavior. AI is also starting to shape where people shop, with nearly a quarter of consumers now turning to generative AI tools when making buying decisions.

These ecommerce statistics combine Hostinger’s own consumer research with the latest market data on global growth, mobile commerce, and buying behavior, covering data points that show where the industry stands right now.

Top 10 ecommerce statistics for 2026

A quick look at the numbers that matter most for online sellers right now:

1. More than a third of customers spent less than $200 on their last online purchase, and another 36% spent between $200 and $400
2. 49% of customers start and end their shopping journeys on retailer websites or apps like Amazon or Walmart.
3. Fast and reliable shipping is the top priority for 58% of shoppers.
4. 47% of customers prefer live chat over phone, email, or self-service support.
5. Smartphones are the top choice for online shopping among 70% of shoppers.
6. High prices are the top reason for cart abandonment, cited by 45% of Gen Z, 34% of Millennials, and 32% of Gen X and Boomers.
7. The holiday season drives 24% of online shopping activity, led by Christmas.
8. Global B2C ecommerce revenue is projected to reach $4.91 trillion by 2030, growing at a 6.20% compound annual growth rate from 2026 to 2030.
9. Digital wallets account for 56% of global ecommerce transaction value in 2025, making them the world’s leading online payment method.
10. 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool in 2026, matching an all-time high in adoption.

Ecommerce statistics from Hostinger’s consumer survey

Hostinger surveyed 250 U.S. consumers who had shopped online over six months in a 2024 customer survey. The findings appear to remain broadly relevant in light of 2026 market trends. Here’s what that research found.

• 85.6% of shoppers made a purchase within the last month, and over a third spent less than $200, while 36% spent $200-$400.

• 49% of customers start and end their shopping journey on retailer websites or apps, while 23% start on search engines and 18% go directly to a brand’s site.
• 58% of shoppers prioritize fast, reliable shipping, followed by secure payment options (48%) and competitive pricing (46.8%).

• 47% of customers prefer live chat over phone (21.6%), email (14%), or self-service support.
• 70% of shoppers use smartphones for online purchases, and shopping activity peaks in the afternoon (40.8%) and evening (35.6%).
• High prices are the top cause of cart abandonment for every generation: 45% of Gen Z, 34% of Millennials, and 32% of Gen X and Boomers.

• The holiday season drives 24% of online shopping activity, followed by Black Friday and Cyber Monday at 20.4%.
• 45% of Gen Z shoppers made 1–2 last-minute purchases in the past six months, a pattern shared by 44% of Millennials but only 26% of Gen X and Boomers.
• 62% of consumers shop online weekly, and 66% of weekly shoppers come from households earning under $75,000 a year.
• 26% of shoppers abandon their carts to find a better price elsewhere, while 23% simply change their minds before checkout.

Together, these findings point to a shopper who’s price-sensitive, mobile-first, and deliberate about where and when they check out.

Ecommerce growth statistics

This section covers global ecommerce growth projections and retail sales data to help with business decision-making. 

• Ecommerce sales could reach 22.5% of retail sales worldwide in 2028, up from 21.1% in 2026 (EMARKETER).
• U.S. retail ecommerce sales reached $340.2 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up 12.2% year over year and accounting for 17.1% of total U.S. retail sales (U.S. Census Bureau).
• Global B2C ecommerce revenue is projected to reach $3.86 trillion in 2026 and grow at a 6.20% annual rate from 2026 to 2030, reaching $4.91 trillion by 2030 (Statista).
• Ecommerce user penetration is projected to reach 57.1% of the global population in 2026, rising to 60.1% by 2030. The number of users is expected to hit 4.1 billion by 2030 (Statista).
• U.S. social commerce sales are projected to reach nearly $150 billion by 2028, up from roughly $90 billion in 2025 (Hostinger’s social commerce statistics). 

The forecasts point to steady ecommerce expansion: online retail share, market revenue, and user penetration are all projected to rise through 2028-2030.

Consumer behavior trends

Understanding how customers shop and make decisions helps you fine-tune your online store for more sales and stronger loyalty.

• 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, while 45% used AI tools like ChatGPT for local business recommendations in 2026, up from 6% in 2025 (BrightLocal).
• 22% of consumers now use generative AI tools for shopping, rising to 28% among Gen Z compared to 16% of baby boomers (McKinsey).
• 82% of consumers globally are using items longer before replacing them, and 69% are repairing products instead of discarding them, reflecting a broader shift toward resourceful spending (McKinsey).
• 30% of consumers now buy apparel secondhand, and more than 20% report buying secondhand across other product categories (McKinsey).
• 44% of U.S. consumers rank environmental impact as “extremely” or “very important” when making a purchase, although price, quality, and convenience rank higher as important purchasing factors (McKinsey).

Customer Spotlight

La Petite Alice have never produced stocks – it’s not how we see the clothing industry. We’re trying to get back to the old days when you’d go to a tailor and have a suit made to fit your measurements, something that would last for 10-15 years.

Matthieu Soltysiak, Co-founder of La Petite Alice

AI-assisted discovery and more resourceful spending habits are changing how consumers research products and decide whether to buy, repair, reuse, or purchase secondhand.

Mobile commerce statistics

Mobile commerce continues to account for a large share of online spending, making mobile-friendly browsing and payment options central to ecommerce performance.

• 5.83 billion unique mobile users worldwide in April 2026, equal to 70.4% of the global population, while smartphones accounted for about 89% of mobile handsets in use. (DataReportal).
• Smartphones accounted for 71% of global online retail orders in the second quarter of 2026 (Statista).
• U.S. retail mobile commerce sales are forecast to reach $840.5 billion by 2029. (Statista).
• Global voice commerce is estimated at $82.5 billion in 2026 and projected to reach $186.3 billion by 2030, a 24.6% CAGR from 2024 to 2030 (Grand View Research).
• Digital wallets account for 56% of global ecommerce transaction value and 33% of in-store spending in 2025, with adoption highest in Asia-Pacific at 77% of online and 63% in-store (Worldpay Global Payments).

Mobile devices now account for most online retail orders, while digital wallets lead global online payment value, making mobile usability and payment choice a baseline ecommerce requirement.

Factors that influence online shopping decisions

Understanding what drives purchase decisions and cart abandonment helps you identify where your store might be losing sales.

• Promotions and discounts are the top drivers of online purchase decisions, cited by 53.6% of shoppers, followed by advertising (39.2%) and recommendations from friends or family (38%) (Hostinger’s 2024 consumer survey).
• 38% of consumers say they are more likely to buy from a company that offers live chat, and 51% say they’re more likely to make repeat purchases on retail sites that offer it (Kayako).
• 26% of shoppers abandon their carts to find a better price elsewhere, while 23% simply change their minds before completing checkout. Our 2024 consumer survey confirms that high prices remain a major online shopping challenge (Hostinger’s consumer survey).
• Social media plays a key role in purchase decisions for 34% of Gen Z shoppers, compared to just 16% of baby boomers, who lean more on in-store influence (31%) and traditional advertising (16%) (McKinsey).
• Online reviews influence purchase decisions for 16% of baby boomers, more than double the 7% of Gen Z shoppers who say the same (McKinsey).

Price sensitivity, customer support, reviews, and social influence all shape the path to purchase alongside the product itself.

Ecommerce marketing statistics

Current ecommerce marketing statistics show how retention, personalization, video, conversion, and AI visibility are shaping online marketing.

• 83% of respondents said loyalty-program membership influenced their decision to buy again. (Yotpo).
• More than half (54%) of marketers personalize email content(Hostinger’s email marketing statistics).
• 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool in 2026, matching an all-time adoption high after a dip to 89% in 2025 (Wyzowl).
• The average ecommerce conversion rate was 2.03% in June 2026, up from 1.85% in June 2025 (IRP Commerce).
• For consumer-goods brand queries, brand-owned websites account for just 1-2% of sources cited by LLMs. Even among the most-cited sources overall, brand websites account for only 3-10% of citations (McKinsey).

Expert Tip

A website alone isn’t enough anymore; small businesses need a way to actually sell once customers arrive. That’s the gap Hostinger Ecommerce closes: it gives even the smallest sellers a straightforward way to list products, accept payments, and manage orders without needing a developer or a separate platform for every sales channel.

Justina Nemaniutė

Lead of Sales at Hostinger

The marketing data points to a more distributed ecommerce journey: retention, personalized communication, video, third-party reviews, and AI-visible sources all contribute at different stages.

The future of ecommerce

Ecommerce is being shaped by several forces at once: AI-assisted product discovery, mobile shopping and digital wallets, sustained online sales growth, and more price-conscious consumer behavior.

Price, trust, support, and checkout usability remain important throughout the purchase journey. What is changing is the number of channels that can influence a shopper before they reach a store, from social platforms and marketplaces to AI assistants. These shifts are part of broader ecommerce trends reshaping how businesses compete online.

For businesses, that means showing up where the discovery is happening, making the buying experience frictionless once they arrive, and giving people a genuine reason to come back.

All of the tutorial content on this website is subject to Hostinger's rigorous editorial standards and values.

The author

Daniela Chan

Daniela is an Off-Site SEO Specialist with extensive expertise in link building, digital PR, and content optimization. She has led international outreach campaigns across the U.S., Brazil, France, and Spain, securing high-quality backlinks. Follow her on LinkedIn.

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