Ecommerce sales to jump 18% this year in the USA, eMarketer forecasts

eMarketer this month forecasted a jump of 18% this year for the total ecommerce sales in the USA. eMarketer says ecommerce sales will climb 18.0% to reach $709.78 billion this year, representing 14.5% of total US retail sales in 2020.

“Everything we’re seeing with ecommerce is unprecedented, with growth rates expected to surpass anything we’ve seen since the Great Recession,” said Andrew Lipsman, eMarketer principal analyst. “Certain ecommerce behaviors like online grocery shopping and click-and-collect have permanently catapulted three or four years into the future in just three or four months.”

According to eMarketer, the top-growing ecommerce categories will be food and beverage at 58.5% and health/personal care/beauty at 32.4%, as Americans turn to online ordering for household essentials. Apparel and accessories, the second-largest ecommerce category in overall sales, will grow just 8.6% as consumers shift spending from more discretionary, nonessential categories.

For the first time, Walmart will surpass eBay as the No. 2 ecommerce retailer in the US.

“Amazon will increase its ecommerce market share to 38.0% and extend its reign of dominance,” Lipsman said. “But big-box retailers are leveraging their click-and-collect models to accelerate their ecommerce businesses. This will push Walmart into the No. 2 position for the first time. Along with Target, Best Buy, The Home Depot and Costco Wholesale, Walmart is expected to grow ecommerce sales more than 35% in 2020.”