Highlights. Smartphone users now make up 59.2% of global web traffic and 51.4% of U.S. web traffic.

  • Worldwide mobile e-commerce sales dollars totaled $4.116 trillion in 2022; projections indicate that mobile e-commerce sales will reach $5.87 trillion in 2026.
  • Globally, 72% of e-commerce sales come from mobile devices; projections indicate the mobile e-commerce share will exceed 87% in 2026.
  • 307 million Americans currently use smartphones; that number is expected to reach 324.4 million in 2026.
  • 178.7 million American adults shop using a mobile device; projections indicate mobile buyers will grow to 196 million in 2026.
  • U.S. online shoppers ordered an estimated $431.4 billion in retail sales via mobile devices in 2022, up 19.1% year-over-year (YoY).

Grouped Bar Graph: Global Mobile eCommerce Revenue in trillions from 2017 ($1.40) to 2022 ($4.12), with projections up to 2026 ($7.13) according to Forbes & Statista

Grouped Bar Graph: Mobile Share of Global eCommerce Revenue from 2017 (58.9%) to 2022 (72.0%) with projections up to 2026 (87.5%)

Mobile eCommerce Revenue Statistics

Trends indicate that revenue from mobile e-commerce will continue to grow not only in value but in its share of e-commerce revenue.

  • In 2022, worldwide mobile e-commerce sales revenue increased 9.17% YoY.
  • Revenue from mobile e-commerce totaled $3.752 trillion in 2021, up 22.7% YoY.
  • From 2020 to 2022, U.S. mobile e-commerce sales represented an estimated 10.5% of all retail sales (in-store and online).
  • U.S. e-commerce sales represented 14.6% of all retail sales from 2020 to 2022.
  • U.S. retail sales, both online and in-store, totaled $6.565 trillion in 2021, up 17.8% YoY.

Grouped Bar Graph: U.S. Online Shopping Device Habits, including regular and at-least-weekly use of smartphones, desktops, and tablets for online shopping, according to Pew Research Center

Mobile Shopping Statistics

Mobile shopping as a share of e-commerce sales is likely to grow in emerging markets as phone ownership increases.

  • 73% of U.S. online shopping traffic is on mobile devices; 63% of U.S. online retail orders originate from mobile devices.
  • 76% of U.S. adults use a smartphone to shop or buy online; 32% do so on a weekly basis (or more often).
  • 28% of U.S. adults use a tablet for online shopping; 7% use a tablet for online shopping at least once per week.
  • Americans are 138% more likely to shop using a smartphone than a tablet.
  • Compared to desktop or laptop computers, U.S. online shoppers are 10.1% more likely to use smartphones and 59.4% less likely to use tablets.
  • 85% of mobile shoppers prefer to use apps as opposed to mobile websites.
  • 50% of online consumers regularly use mobile shopping apps to browse and purchase.
  • 28% of Americans use tablets to shop online.
  • 97.3% of mobile shoppers use a smartphone; 2.74% use a tablet for mobile shopping.
  • 96.8% of mobile orders are made via smartphone; 3.17% of mobile e-commerce orders come from a tablet.
  • 31% of U.S. adults have used mobile payment methods for online shopping.
  • Among adults who prefer shopping online to shopping in stores, 45% have used mobile payment methods for online shopping.

Grouped Bar Graph: U.S. Regular Mobile Shopping Habits by Age

Mobile eCommerce Demographic Statistics

In the United States, high-income shoppers aged 30-49 are most likely to shop online via mobile devices.

  • 92% of 30- to 49-year-olds regularly use smartphones for online shopping; 49% use smartphones to shop at least once weekly.
  • 30- to 49-year-olds are 29% more likely than the average U.S. adult to shop using smartphones; they are 53% more likely to do so at least once per week.
  • 87% of 18- to 29-year-olds regularly use smartphones for online shopping; 38% use smartphones to shop at least once weekly.
  • 18- to 29-year-olds are 14% more likely than the average U.S. adult to shop using smartphones; they are 19% more likely to do so at least once per week.
  • 69% of 56- to 64-year-olds regularly use smartphones for online shopping; 22% use smartphones to shop at least once weekly.
  • 56- to 64-year-olds are 9.2% less likely than the average U.S. adult to shop using smartphones; they are 31% less likely to do so at least once per week.
  • 48% of users aged 65 years or older regularly use smartphones for online shopping; 11% use smartphones to shop at least once weekly.
  • Consumers aged 65 years or older are 37% less likely than the average U.S. adult to shop using smartphones; they are 66% less likely to do so at least once per week.

These data and insights were compiled by the Capital One Shopping team based on publicly available data.

Sources

  1. National Retail Federation
  2. Forbes
  3. Statista, Mobile eCommerce
  4. Morning Consult, Smart Cart
  5. Pew Research Center
  6. U.S. Census Bureau, Business and Economy