E-commerce sales rose a quarterly 1.3 percent in the second quarter versus a downward revised increase of 1.6 percent in the first quarter (initially 2.1 percent). Year-over-year, e-commerce sales were up 6.7 percent versus 8.1 percent previously. As a percentage of total retail sales, e-commerce accounted for 16.0 percent versus 15.8 percent in the prior quarter. This is the second largest share on record and only surpassed by a 16.4 percent share in the second quarter 2020 when consumers resorted heavily to online shopping during the pandemic.

The necessity of shopping online during the pandemic entrenched the practice even after restrictions were lifted. Since then, many retailers have found creative ways to mesh in-store and online shopping. Consolidation of brick-and-mortar locations and closing of some chains have further encouraged consumers to shop online which enables price comparisons and bargain hunting.

E-commerce sales are sales of goods and services where an order is placed by the buyer or where price and terms of sale are negotiated over the Internet, an extranet, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) network, or other online system. Payment may or may not be made online. Retail e-commerce sales are estimated from the same sample used for the Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS) to estimate preliminary and final U.S. retail sales. Advance U.S. retail sales are estimated from a subsample of the MRTS sample that is not of adequate size to measure changes in retail e-commerce sales.

E-commerce is a faster growing segment of the retail sector than retail sales overall. This report provides detail on e-commerce retail sales and data on its share of total retail sales. The growth rates and shares of e-commerce can be used as a benchmark to compare individual companies' growth in e-commerce. E-commerce increasingly is important for retailers' profitability and viability.