E-commerce in the United States - statistics & facts
The United States has always been dominated by domestic online retailers, but now, two foreign companies are taking on the U.S. market: Temu and Shein. The growing e-commerce market generated over 1.15 trillion U.S. dollars in revenue in 2025 and is forecast to surpass 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars by 2030. In terms of product categories, electronics and fashion are the most popular online, as they have the highest share of online users.
Amazon reigns, challengers gain ground
Amazon is by far the leading e-retailer in the United States. The marketplace holds roughly two-fifths of the online shopping market, whereas most of its competitors hold single-digit shares, with Walmart standing out at about nine percent. Amazon also significantly outperforms its U.S. competitors in terms of e-retail net sales, generating approximately 427 billion U.S. dollars via its online store in 2025, compared to Walmart at roughly 197 billion U.S. dollars. Other successful online stores include eBay, Shein, and Target.
When downloads don't equal dollars
Shopping on smartphones is the most popular way to purchase items online in the United States, which is why shopping apps remain so important in the retail landscape. In mobile commerce, Amazon faces competition from Chinese shopping apps, which have attracted U.S. online shoppers, especially those looking for affordable options. In 2025, Temu remained the most downloaded shopping app in the country, with roughly 32 million downloads, though this marked a sharp decline from the prior year. Shein was also the most downloaded fashion and beauty app in the country, with over 21 million downloads. However, despite their popularity in terms of app downloads, Temu and Shein did not outperform the top local players in terms of e-commerce revenue that year. This suggests that while Chinese shopping apps may be popular among U.S. consumers for their low prices, they still face challenges in the highly competitive U.S. market.
Consumer spending in the U.S. remains resilient, particularly in online shopping, with mobile commerce revenues alone expected to surpass 840 billion U.S. dollars by 2029. While home-grown marketplaces are unlikely to lose their top spots to Chinese competitors, especially in light of new tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, these newcomers are still worth keeping an eye on in the years to come.
