New data from the U.S. Department of Commerce (PDF) shows that retail ecommerce growth continues to outpace brick-and-mortar. In the fourth quarter of 2024, total U.S. domestic retail sales reached $1.88 trillion, a modest 1.8% increase from Q3. Online shopping showed stronger growth, with sales climbing to $308.9 billion, a 2.7% increase over the prior quarter.
According to the DoC, ecommerce sales are for “goods and services where the buyer places an order (or the price and terms of the sale are negotiated) over an Internet, mobile device, extranet, electronic data interchange network, electronic mail, or other comparable online system. Payment may or may not be made online.”
Ecommerce accounted for 16.4% of total U.S. retail sales in Q4 2024, up slightly from 16.3% in the prior quarter.
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The DoC reports U.S. retail ecommerce sales in Q4 2024 grew by 9.4% compared to Q4 2023, while total quarterly retail sales experienced a 3.8% annual rise over the same period.