Ecommerce has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade, fundamentally transforming the retail landscape. Ecommerce sales are projected to surpass the $6 trillion mark in 2024 and the worldwide ecommerce share will be 12.4%. According to eMarketer’s forecast 2024 report, over 20.1% of retail purchases are expected to take place online in 2024, up from an estimated 18.8% in 2023. This forecast highlights the rapid evolution of the retail industry, as more and more people embrace the convenience and accessibility of online shopping.

While certain segments like consumer electronics and apparel still make up a significant portion of ecommerce, even historically brick-and-mortar categories like groceries, home improvement, and health/personal care are seeing more digital adoption. At the same time, older generations are getting increasingly comfortable with buying online in addition to their younger, digital-native counterparts.

The COVID-19 pandemic was an accelerant to ecommerce growth, rapidly changing consumer behaviors and forcing retailers to focus on developing robust omnichannel capabilities. But the seeds were planted even before 2020 – improvements in fulfillment/delivery, security, website/app UX, and smartphone penetration have been gradually reducing friction in online shopping over the past decade.