10 INTERESTING ECOMMERCE FACTS & TRENDS

The ecommerce industry has become a major part of worldwide consumerism and is now baked into popular culture and daily life.  Companies like Amazon and Ebay are household names and often the first choice when something – anything – needs to be purchased.

Estimates place worldwide ecommerce sales at $1 trillion in 2012, a 26% increase from the previous year.

With ecommerce representing such a massive money-making opportunity with relatively few barriers to entry, it is no surprise that this industry experiences more disruption than many others – often leading to wild swings in consumer trends.

Here are 10 interesting facts and trends about ecommerce that you may not currently know:

1.  Pizza Hut was one of the first major brands to experiment with online commerce, starting in 1994.
2. Ecommerce is predicted to represent 10% of all US retail by 2017.
3. North Dakota, Connecticut, and Alaska lead all US states in ecommerce sales per capita.
4. India is home to the fastest growing ecommerce market, and France is experiencing the slowest growth.
5. 80% of the online population has used the internet to make a purchase, and 50% of the online population has purchased online more than once.
6. ‘Apparel and Accessories’ is the fastest growing ecommerce sector of the 9 major categories.
7. Although it launched in 1995, Amazon wasn’t able to turn a profit until 2003.
8. 26% of all products added to cart are abandoned and never purchased.
9. 44% of smartphone users admitted to “show-rooming” – They browsed products in brick-and-mortar stores, picked what they liked, then purchased online.
10. During the third quarter of 2012, $4,423 was transacted via Paypal, per second.