The short answer
US retail e-commerce sales were $340.2 billion in the second quarter of 2026, 17.1% of all retail sales and growing 12.2% year over year against 6.7% for retail overall, according to the Census Bureau. Amazon accounted for 40.5% of US online retail in 2025 by Statista's estimate, Walmart 9.2% and Apple 3.2%. Walmart's US e-commerce sales grew 24% in the quarter ended July 31, 2026, Target's digital comparable sales grew 8.7%, and eBay's GMV reached $23.2 billion in Q3 2026. Every figure on this page links to its source.
01The size of US e-commerce
The Census Bureau publishes the only official measure, quarterly, seasonally adjusted. These are the second-quarter 2026 figures, released August 18, 2026.
$340.2B
US retail e-commerce sales, Q2 2026 (seasonally adjusted)
Up 3.8% from the first quarter and 12.2% from Q2 2025. Preliminary estimate.
Source: US Census Bureau
17.1%
E-commerce share of total US retail sales, Q2 2026 (seasonally adjusted)
Up from 16.3% in Q2 2025 and 16.7% in Q4 2025. On a not-adjusted basis the share was 16.4%.
Source: US Census Bureau
+12.2%
Year-over-year growth in US e-commerce sales, Q2 2026
Total retail sales grew 6.7% in the same period, so online took share at nearly twice the market's pace.
Source: US Census Bureau
$1,986.5B
Total US retail sales, Q2 2026 (seasonally adjusted)
The denominator for the 17.1% share. The Q3 2026 estimate is scheduled for November 19, 2026.
Source: US Census Bureau
$365.2B
US retail e-commerce sales, Q4 2025 (not adjusted)
18.3% of total retail in the holiday quarter, the highest share of any quarter in the Census series, which runs from 1999.
Source: US Census Bureau
Share estimates come from research firms, not filings. Statista's figures for 2025 are the ones below; the firm names only its own research department as the source, so treat them as an estimate.
40.5%
Amazon's share of US online retail sales, as of February 2025 (Statista estimate)
Statista's survey period is "as of February 2025", so this is not a full-year figure. Statista names only its own research department as the source; its page was last updated April 22, 2026.
Source: Statista
9.2%
Walmart's share of US online retail sales, as of February 2025 (Statista estimate)
The second-largest online retailer in the US, at less than a quarter of Amazon's share.
Source: Statista
3.2%
Apple's share of US online retail sales, as of February 2025 (Statista estimate)
Third place. Everyone else combined, by subtraction, is about 47% of the market.
Source: Statista
03Amazon's scale
The figures that put the share estimate in dollars, from Amazon's Q3 2026 results. The full set is on the Amazon seller statistics page.
$112.9B
Amazon North America segment net sales, Q3 2026
Up 6% from $106.3 billion. North America is Amazon's US-led retail segment.
Source: Amazon (SEC)
$68.5B
Amazon online stores revenue (first-party sales), Q3 2026
Up 2% from $67.4 billion. First-party sales are the slower-growing part; third-party seller services grew 9% to $46.5 billion.
Source: Amazon (SEC)
$716.9B
Amazon worldwide net sales, full-year 2025
Up 12% from $638.0 billion in 2024. Includes AWS and international.
Source: Amazon (SEC)
61%
Third-party sellers' share of Amazon's worldwide paid units, Q3 2026
Most of what Amazon sells is sold by brands and sellers, not by Amazon.
Source: Amazon (SEC)
04Walmart
+24%
Walmart US e-commerce sales growth, Q2 FY27 (quarter ended July 31, 2026)
Global e-commerce grew 23%, led by store-fulfilled pickup and delivery and the marketplace, per Walmart.
Source: Walmart (SEC)
$187.9B
Walmart total revenue, Q2 FY27 (quarter ended July 31, 2026)
Up 5.9%, or 5.1% in constant currency. Walmart US comparable sales grew 2.6% excluding fuel.
Source: Walmart (SEC)
$6.4B
Walmart global advertising business, fiscal 2026 (year ended January 31, 2026)
"Nearly $6.4 billion", up 46% including VIZIO.
Source: Walmart (SEC)
05The other marketplaces
Each company reports a different measure of volume, so the labels say which.
$23.2B
eBay gross merchandise volume, Q3 2026
Up 15% as reported, 16% currency-neutral. Revenue was $3.2 billion.
Source: eBay (SEC)
$10.5B
Instacart gross transaction value, Q3 2026
Up 15%. Advertising and other revenue was $331 million, 3.1% of GTV.
Source: Maplebear Inc. (SEC)
+8.7%
Target digital comparable sales growth, Q2 2026 (quarter ended August 1, 2026)
Led by more than 25% growth in same-day delivery. Store comparable sales grew 2.7%; net sales were $26.5 billion.
Source: Target Corporation
+20%
Kroger adjusted e-commerce sales growth, Q2 2026 (quarter ended August 15, 2026)
Adjusted to exclude fulfillment center exits, the Vitacost sale and the Ship marketplace. Total company sales were $34.6 billion; identical sales without fuel grew 0.2%.
Source: Kroger (SEC)
$119.1B
Shopify gross merchandise volume, Q3 2026
Up 29%, for context on the brand-owned store side of the channel mix. Shopify is a platform, not a marketplace, and its GMV is global.
Source: Shopify (SEC)
06The holiday quarter
$275.1B
Adobe's forecast for US online holiday sales, November 1 to December 31, 2026
Up 6.7%. Black Friday forecast at $12.9 billion, Cyber Monday $15.1 billion, Cyber Week $47.5 billion.
Source: Adobe
+130%
Adobe's forecast for growth in AI-referred traffic to US retail sites, holiday 2026
Peaking at +159% on Thanksgiving. Measured by shoppers clicking a link from an AI service.
Source: Adobe
Where the market sits
Online retail's share of all US retail moves slowly and in one direction. The Census Bureau's seasonally adjusted series shows the shape.
US Census Bureau
E-commerce share of total US retail sales
Percent of total retail sales, seasonally adjusted, by quarter.
| Period | E-commerce share of retail |
|---|---|
| Q2 '25 | 16.3% |
| Q3 '25 | 16.4% |
| Q4 '25 | 16.7% |
| Q1 '26 | 17% |
| Q2 '26 | 17.1% |
Who has the share
Statista's estimate of the leading online retailers in the US for 2025. The three named shares are from Statista's page; the remainder is subtraction.
Statista estimate, as of February 2025
Share of US online retail sales
Leading retailers, per Statista Research Department. Survey period as of February 2025, so not a full-year figure.
- Amazon40.5%
- Walmart9.2%
- Apple3.2%
- Everyone else (by subtraction)47.1%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Amazon | 40.5% |
| Walmart | 9.2% |
| Apple | 3.2% |
| Everyone else (by subtraction) | 47.1% |
How we'd read these numbers
Two things we tell brands when the channel question comes up.
The first is that the Amazon number is a floor, not a trophy. Four dollars in ten of US online retail run through one storefront, and 61% of Amazon's paid units worldwide are sold by third parties. A brand that isn't there, or is there only through resellers it doesn't control, has handed that share to someone else. The work of getting it back is in channel control and brand protection.
The second is that the growth is elsewhere. Walmart's US e-commerce grew 24% in its latest quarter, Kroger's adjusted e-commerce grew 20%, and the Census share of retail moving online is still climbing. The marketplaces after Amazon are where the next point of share is being decided, which is what marketplace launch and expansion is for, and why each one gets its own plan rather than a copy of the Amazon one.
Common questions
How much of US retail is online?
17.1% of US retail sales in the second quarter of 2026 on a seasonally adjusted basis, per the Census Bureau, up from 16.3% a year earlier. In the holiday quarter the not-adjusted share reached 18.3%. E-commerce grew 12.2% year over year against 6.7% for retail overall.
What is Amazon's share of US e-commerce?
Statista estimates 40.5% of US online retail sales in 2025, with Walmart second at 9.2% and Apple third at 3.2%. Those are research estimates rather than reported figures. Amazon's own filings show North America net sales of $112.9 billion in Q3 2026 and third-party sellers supplying 61% of units.
Which marketplace is growing fastest?
On the latest reports, Walmart's US e-commerce sales grew 24% (quarter ended July 31, 2026), Kroger's adjusted e-commerce grew 20% (quarter ended August 15, 2026), eBay's GMV grew 15% and Instacart's GTV grew 15% (both Q3 2026), and Target's digital comparable sales grew 8.7% (quarter ended August 1, 2026). Amazon's North America net sales grew 6% in Q3 2026 from a base many times larger.
Why does this matter for a brand's channel plan?
Because the share numbers set the ceiling. A brand that isn't on Amazon is absent from roughly 40% of US online retail, and a brand that is only on Amazon is absent from the fastest-growing marketplaces. The right mix depends on margin after fees on each channel, which is what we work out before any budget moves.
Every source on this page
Everything above is drawn from these documents. Where a figure is ours, the text says so. Spotted an error? Our corrections policy says how we fix it.
- 01Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, 2nd Quarter 2026
US Census Bureau
- 02Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, historical data
US Census Bureau
- 03
- 04Amazon.com Announces Third Quarter Results
Amazon (SEC)
- 05Amazon.com Announces Fourth Quarter Results
Amazon (SEC)
- 06Walmart reports second quarter results
Walmart (SEC)
- 07Walmart reports Q4 results
Walmart (SEC)
- 08
- 09Instacart Announces Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
Maplebear Inc. (SEC)
- 10Target Corporation Reports Second Quarter Earnings
Target Corporation
- 11
- 12
- 13