An Overview of the North American Ecommerce Opportunity

north american ecommerce

Insights into the growth of the North America eCommerce market with payment methods, online shopper profiles, digital advertising, logistics and economy all profiled

Economy

North America is home to just over 365 million people with a total GDP of US$23 trillion. GDP per capita is currently US$61,453. Bermuda, Canada, and the United States make up North America, with the United States and Canada representing the biggest ecommerce opportunities.

Digital User Insights

There are currently 348 million people shopping online in North America, with 50 million new users expected to shop online by 2025.

North american ecommerce users

Additionally, online shoppers are expected to spend more over time. The average user currently spends US$1,899 online, which will grow to US$1,988 by 2025.

north american average revenue per user

Product Categories

By 2025, Fashion will continue to lead, valued at US$268 billion. Electronics & Media will remain in second place reaching US$168 billion.

Total ecommerce revenue across all product categories is US$657 billion, expected to reach US$794 billion by 2025. Fashion is currently the leading product category accounting for US$203 billion market share. Electronics & Media is the second leading product category accounting for US$142 billion.

north american ecommerce revenues

north american ecommerce

Logistics

The World Bank rates North American logistics highly, with the region scoring 3.18 in the 2018 LPI index. This makes it the overall leading region for logistics and delivery. Individually both the U.S and Canada score quite high on the LPI ranking.

Preferred Online Payments

Credit and debit cards tend to be the most used online payment options.

Imports

Both the United States and Canada rely on cross-border trade within North America, outside of the region, both rely heavily on imports. Particularly note-worthy import partnerships for both countries include China, Germany, Japan, and Mexico.

Internet and Device Usage

Internet penetration in North America is currently around 90%, depending on the country. Canada is currently 95.6%, with the US at 90.8%. Smartphone penetration in the US is 72% and is 87% in Canada.

84% of online shoppers in North America shop online via desktop, which is slightly above the global average. 27% of online shoppers use mobile and 28% used a tablet. Mobile is considerably lower than the global average.

Digital Marketing

Digital advertising in North America has grown steeply in recent years to reach US$168 billion. This is expected to reach US$206 billion by 2025. Social media advertising accounts for US$47 billion of the current spend, with search advertising leading the market spend at US$72 billion.

north american digital marketing spending 2021

Social Media

There are 405 million social media users in North America, predicted to reach 439 million by 2025. Popular networks across the region include Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Twitter.

Number of North aMerican social media users

To find out more about North American ecommerce, check out our market insights into Canada.

For more market insights, check out the ESW series of blogs covering a range of emerging ecommerce markets. 

*Insights derived from ESW data, Statista, WorldBank, OECD and other industry sources.

Apparel's 2021 Global Growth Opportunity