Business Trends

Total Ecommerce Sales for 2022

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Summary

Total e-commerce sales for 2022 continued to power upward, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Total e-commerce sales for 2022 were estimated at $1,034.1 billion, an increase of 7.7 percent (±0.4%) from 2021. Total retail sales in 2022 increased 8.1 percent (±0.9%) from 2021. E-commerce sales in 2022 accounted for 14.6 percent of total sales. E-commerce sales in 2021 accounted for 13.2 percent of total sales.

Fourth Quarter 2022

The estimate for U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the fourth quarter of 2022, adjusted for seasonal variation, but not for price changes, was $262 billion, a decrease of 0.1 percent (±0.7%) from the third quarter of 2022.

The fourth quarter 2022 e-commerce estimate increased 6.5 percent (±1.1%) from the fourth quarter of 2021 while total retail sales increased 5.7 percent (±0.2%) in the same period.

E-commerce sales in the fourth quarter of 2022 accounted for 14.7 percent of total retail sales.

4th qtr ecommerce sales

As you can see from this graph, the percent of ecommerce sales vs. total retail sales has continued its climb higher, despite fears of a slowing economy.

Take a look at fourth quarter 2021 and third quarter 2022 numbers for comparison.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau News, Press Release, Feb 17 2023

Ecommerce Sales for Third Quarter 2022

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Summary:  E-commerce sales for third quarter 2022 outpace retail sales over last quarter and Q3 2021, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Third Quarter 2022

  • The estimate for U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the third quarter of 2022, adjusted for seasonal variation, but not for price changes, was $265.9 billion, an increase of 3.0 percent (±0.5%) from the second quarter of 2022.
  • The third quarter 2022 e-commerce estimate increased 10.8 percent (±1.2%) from the third quarter of 2021 while total retail sales increased 9.1 percent (±0.4%) in the same period.
  • E-commerce sales in the third quarter of 2022 accounted for 14.8 percent of total retail sales.

third quarter ecommerce sales

As you can see from this graph, the percent of e-commerce sales vs. total retail sales on an adjusted basis remains strong and has not been affected by higher interest rates or other macro factors.

Take a look at third quarter 2021 and second quarter 2022 numbers for comparison.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau News, Press Release, November 18 2022

Sell My Online Business? The World is Your Oyster

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Back when “retail” meant a store you could walk into, selling a business was generally a local affair. Sellers marketed their opportunities for sale in the newspaper, or on geographically-focused marketplaces. Business owners and brokers met face-to-face with prospective buyers, and due diligence was mostly hands-on.

global marketplace

A Global Marketplace

The world has changed, of course. A retail store is now just as likely to be online as off. Ecommerce companies sell their products and services to customers globally, and are often not geographically tethered by leases, furniture and fixtures, and staff. Most are relocatable. As a result, the buyer universe for ecommerce stores and other online businesses can be much larger than for traditional brick and mortar businesses. Sellers have the opportunity to generate more buyer competition, translating to a higher purchase price.

Not surprisingly, a highly specialized brokerage community has emerged to address the needs of ecommerce sites and other web-based business sellers. This new guard of online business brokers is equipped with the resources and digital tools needed to unlock a global universe of buyers to sell my online business.

Highly Specialized Online Business Brokers

Empire Flippers for example, has over $7bn in buyer liquidity and over 250k active users internationally. In addition to robust digital marketing capabilities, the firm has a sophisticated buyer vetting process requiring buyers to prove available funds before viewing diligence materials. They work with businesses of all sizes, and on the lower end, enable the acquiring of businesses at the click of a button. Website Properties utilizes a multi-pronged marketing approach including advertising on search engines like Google, posting their opportunities in the featured listings spots on over a dozen business opportunity websites, and direct email alerts to their 40k qualified targeted subscribers.

Quiet Light’s team of brokers are mostly internet entrepreneurs themselves. Partner and broker Joe Valley wrote The Exitpreneur’s Playbook, sharing real-life stories of successful and failed digital exits. The team’s hands-on experience benefits its clients in many ways, including driving significant traffic to their site through the firm’s blog and social media posts. A number of other top online brokerages, including Acquisitions Direct, App Business Brokers, and Latona’s, all have robust digital capabilities and unique skill sets to offer their clients.

cast a global net

Cast a Global Net

So, if you’re looking to sell my online business, the world truly is your oyster. Take advantage of the digital tools and resources available to you to cast a global net. With the right team and strategy in place, you’ll greatly increase your chances of finding that perfect “pearl” of a buyer. For additional information about business brokers, read 7 Reasons to Hire a Business Broker. 

Images from Pixabay

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links to Hatchit’s broker-partner sites. If you choose to buy or sell a business through a brokerage site we link you to, Hatchit may receive a referral fee at no additional cost to you. Thank you.

Ecommerce Sales for Second Quarter 2022

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Summary:  E-commerce sales for second quarter 2022 were up over last quarter and Q2 2021, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Second Quarter 2022

  • The estimate for U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the second quarter of 2022, adjusted for seasonal variation, but not for price changes, was $257 billion, an increase of 2.7 percent (±0.7%) from the first quarter of 2022.
  • The second quarter 2022 e-commerce estimate increased 6.8 percent (±1.1%) from the second quarter of 2021 while total retail sales increased 7.2 percent (±0.5%) in the same period.
  • E-commerce sales in the second quarter of 2022 accounted for 14.5 percent of total retail sales.

ecommerce sales 2nd qtr 2022

As you can see from this graph, the percent of e-commerce sales vs. total retail sales on an adjusted basis has recovered slightly as return to store shopping behavior moderates post-pandemic.

Take a look at second quarter 2021 and first quarter 2022 numbers for comparison.

For more articles about e-commerce stats, see our Data Shot series.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau News, Press Release, August 19 2022

Ecommerce Sales for First Quarter 2022

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Summary:  Ecommerce sales for first quarter 2022 were up over last quarter and Q1 2021, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

First Quarter 2022

  • The estimate for U.S. retail ecommerce sales for the first quarter of 2022, adjusted for seasonal variation, but not for price changes, was $250 billion, an increase of 2.4 percent (±0.7%) from the fourth quarter of 2021.
  • The first quarter 2022 ecommerce estimate increased 6.6 percent (±1.1%) from the first quarter of 2021 while total retail sales increased 10.9 percent (±0.4%) in the same period.
  • Ecommerce sales in the first quarter of 2022 accounted for 14.3 percent of total retail sales.

Quarterly retail sales graph

As you can see from this graph, the percent of ecommerce sales vs. total retail sales on an adjusted basis has gone down slightly as some shoppers return to stores post-pandemic.

Take a look at third quarter and fourth quarter 2021 numbers for comparison.

For more articles about ecommerce stats, see our Data Shot series.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau News, Press Release, May 19 2022

Ecommerce Sales for Fourth Quarter 2021

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Summary: Despite some fluctuations through out the year, total ecommerce sales for 2021 were up significantly over 2020, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Fourth Quarter 2021

  • The estimate for U.S. retail ecommerce sales for the fourth quarter of 2021, adjusted for seasonal variation, but not for price changes, was $218.5 billion, an increase of 1.7 percent (±0.7%) from the third quarter of 2021.
  • The fourth quarter 2021 ecommerce estimate increased 9.4 percent (±0.9%) from the fourth quarter of 2020 while total retail sales increased 15.2 percent (±0.5%) in the same period.
  • Ecommerce sales in the fourth quarter of 2021 accounted for 12.9 percent of total retail sales.
  • Total e-commerce sales for 2021 were estimated at $870.8 billion, an increase of 14.2% (±0.9%) over 2020. Ecommerce sales in 2021 accounted for 13.6% of total sales.

ecommerce sales fourth quarter 2021

As you can see from this graph, the percent of ecommerce sales vs. total retail sales has re-accelerated in the latest quarter after dipping a bit in 2021. 

Take a look at second quarter and third quarter 2021 numbers for comparison.

For more articles about ecommerce stats, see our Data Shot series.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau News, Press Release, Feb 18 2022