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.
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
