Last updated: December 4, 2023
Highlights. Online consumers spend the most on electronics, followed by clothes & accessories, home furnishings, and personal care products.
- American consumers are most likely to buy their home media (books, movies, and music) online as opposed to in-store.
- Automotive and food & beverage products have the fastest year-over-year (YoY) online sales growth among all product categories, up 30.1% and 20.7%, respectively.
- 19% of American consumers primarily purchase their groceries online.
- Consumers were 29.2% more likely to buy groceries online in 2022 than they were in 2020.
- eCommerce sales have seen 1.4% growth from 2022 to 2023, resulting in a total $1.148 trillion in sales.
- Online shopping makes up 15.6% of total U.S. retail sales, a 0.9% increase from 2022.
What Americans Buy Most Online
In the United States, people are more likely to buy home electronics and media than perishable groceries.
- American online shopping and non-retail store sales are expected to increase by 7 to 9% compared to 2022.
- 69.1% of all home media sales revenue comes from online purchases.
- 53.2% of computer and consumer electronics retail sales are online.
- 37.6% of Americans prefer to purchase their personal electronics online.
- 45.4% of toys and hobby sales revenue comes from online purchases.
- 37.9% of retail revenue for clothes & accessories comes from online purchases.
- American shoppers are 6.25% more likely to purchase home goods online instead of in-store.
- 35% of American consumers primarily purchase their apparel and footwear online.
- 31% of American shoppers primarily purchase their home goods online.
- 29% of American shoppers primarily purchase their personal care and beauty online.
| Product category | 2022 Sales Revenue (in billions) | YoY Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Computer & consumer electronics | $224.181 | 15.0% |
| Apparel & accessories | $211.782 | 15.4% |
| Furniture & home furnishings | $116.841 | 10.3% |
| Health, personal care & beauty | $98.606 | 15.1% |
| Auto & parts | $81.612 | 30.1% |
| Other | $81.576 | -4.5% |
| Toys & hobby | $72.509 | 12.0% |
| Food & beverage | $64.478 | 20.7% |
| Books, music & video | $58.373 | 8.4% |
| Office equipment & supplies | $21.124 | 14.0% |
What Americans Buy Most Online & In-Store
Most consumers shop online as well as in-store, usually due to preference, need, or availability.
- 25% of consumers purchase their apparel and footwear online and in-store in equal measure.
- 40% of consumers purchase their home goods online and in-store in equal measure.
- 22% of consumers purchase their personal care and beauty products online and in-store in equal measure.
- 20% of consumers purchase their groceries online and in-store in equal measure.
What Foods Americans Buy Most Online
Statistics indicate shoppers may be more likely to buy groceries online in colder months.
- 2.4% of produce sold in the United States is purchased online.
- Compared to the 2020 calendar year, the share of fresh produce purchased online increased 41.2%.
- Between 2019 and 2020, produce sales online increased 142.9%.
- The top three fresh grocery items in terms of online sales revenue are ground beef (6.1%), chicken breast (5.2%), and berries (4.9%).
- Online consumers spend 17.3% more on ground beef than they spend on chicken breast (more than any other grocery item).
| Product Category | Online Share |
|---|---|
| Ground beef | 6.1% |
| Chicken breast | 5.2% |
| Berries | 4.9% |
| Bacon | 3.4% |
| Apples | 2.9% |
| Tomatoes | 2.0% |
| Salad kits | 1.7% |
| Potatoes | 1.7% |
| Lettuce | 1.6% |
| Avocados | 1.6% |
Where Americans Buy Online
Americans often select different online resources when shopping for different products, purchasing groceries from a different website than they purchase shoes.
- Total retail sales, which exclude non-store retailers, have decreased by 1% since 2022.
- Health and personal care retail stores saw a 7.2% increase since 2022.
- Walmart earns the most online grocery sales revenue at $5.24 trillion.
- Americans spend 480% more on Amazon than they spend at Walmart, the second-highest performing online retailer.
- Among online retailers, Amazon has a 37.6% market share.
- 34.5% of online clothes sales are purchased on Amazon.
- 11.5% of all apparel sales are on Amazon.
Why Americans Buy Online
In recent years, consumers are motivated more by brand values and less by simplifying their lives.
- 44% of shoppers are purpose-driven, meaning they prefer products and brands that are sustainable, environmentally friendly, and healthier.
- Shoppers in 2022 are 10.0% more likely to be purpose-driven than shoppers were in 2020.
- 37% of shoppers buy based on product value and convenience.
- 2022 shoppers are 9.76% less likely than 2020 shoppers to purchase based on product value.
- 15% of shoppers buy based on brand names, up 7.14% since 2020.
- 4% of shoppers buy solely based on functionality, down 33.3% since 2020.
These data and insights were compiled by the Capital One Shopping team based on publicly available data.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Retail
- Morning Consult, Retail & E-commerce
- National Retail Federation
- Information Resources, Inc., Fresh Produce in the Era of Inflation and Beyond
- Statista, E-commerce
- Statista, Consumer Goods & FMCG
- Insider Intelligence
- Most Popular Online Stores
- Online Shopping Trends
- Most Popular Online Payment Methods
- University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index
- Best-Selling Products of All Time
- Valentine’s Day Shopping Statistics
