The top 10 U.S. online retailers are…

7/13/2018
When it comes to the U.S. e-commerce market, one retailer is leaving the competition in the dust.

Amazon is on pace to capture 49.1% of the market, up from a 43.5% share last year, according to eMarketer’s latest forecast on the top 10 U.S. e-commerce retailers.

Amazon’s closest competitor is eBay, with 6.6% of the market, followed by Apple (3.9%) and Walmart (3.7%). The Home Depot (1.5%), Best Buy (1.3%), QVC Group, Macy’s and Costco (1.2%, respectively), and Wayfair (1.1%) round out the top 10.

According to data, Amazon now controls nearly 5% of the total U.S. retail market (online and offline), and will generate $258.22 billion in U.S. retail e-commerce sales this year, up 29.2% over last year.

Amazon’s Marketplace sales represent an increasingly dominant portion of its e-commerce business — 68.0% this year, compared with 32.0% for Amazon direct sales. By the end of 2018, sales generated from Amazon’s Marketplace will be more than double that of Amazon’s direct sales in the U.S., according to the study.

Computer and consumer electronics generate most of Amazon’s sales this year. Volume hit $65.82 billion in the country this year, representing more than a quarter of its retail e-commerce business.

In 2017, apparel and accessories surpassed books and music to become Amazon’s second largest category, and this growth is continuing. Apparel sales will grow more than 38% this year to reach $39.88 billion in the nation. This category will represent 15.4% of Amazon’s e-commerce business, and 38.5% of all online apparel sales in the U.S.

Another fast-growing category for Amazon is food and beverage, which will grow more than 40% this year. These sales include Whole Foods Market private-label products purchased through the e-retailer. However, this figure does not include sales from Whole Foods’ in-store purchases.

“Amazon’s strategy for food and beverage is no different, in some respects, than it was for books — dominate the category,” said eMarketer senior analyst Patricia Orsini.

“However, e-commerce in the grocery sector is a challenge. Share of online sales in this category is low because most people, for a host of reasons, prefer to buy food in brick-and-mortar stores,” she said. “Amazon has an advantage because its shopper base is comfortable with shopping online. Along with insights gathered about Whole Foods shoppers, Amazon probably has the best chance of converting in-store grocery buyers to online grocery buyers.”

Other fast-growing categories include health, personal care and beauty. While these categories will jump nearly 38%, both represent just a small portion of Amazon’s U.S. retail e-commerce sales.
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