Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the world of eCommerce has continued to experience uninterrupted growth. Although daily life outside the home returned with force, the reality is that people have grown accustomed to the convenience of reducing their purchases to just a few clicks, offering them comfort, safety, and less physical effort.
The study Digital 2026 conducted by We Are Social and Meltwater presents the most relevant data regarding the global penetration of eCommerce and identifies the leading categories within online commerce.
Upon analyzing this report, we can conclude that global revenues tied to online purchases of consumer goods totaled $3.66 trillion (approximately €3.16 trillion), a figure that represents a 13% increase compared to 2024, when $3.24 trillion was recorded.
The average spend per consumer also increased. The study reveals that each individual spent on average $1,127 (approximately €975.5) over the past year.
This year, fashion leads as the most popular consumer goods category, with estimated annual spending of $920 billion. In second place is the food category ($838 billion), followed by DIY & hardware ($370 billion), electronics ($342 billion), and furniture ($263 billion).
Completing the top 10: beverages ($222 billion); beauty and personal care ($203 billion); tobacco ($144 billion); home ($124 billion); and toys and hobbies ($99.6 billion).
The main drivers of purchase for consumers worldwide are free shipping (50.7%) and coupons and discounts (38.9%), which have maintained these positions since 2022. These are followed by reviews from other consumers, at 32.2%; flexible return policies, at 31.7%; and next-day shipping, at 28%.
Considering that the data refers to the online population over 16 years of age, the percentage of global consumers who make online purchases each week stands at 56.5% in 2025. Nigeria ranks as the country with the highest percentage of online shoppers making purchases on a weekly basis, at 71.3%. It is followed by Thailand at 68.6%, and in third place is Turkey with 62.5%.
However, it should be noted that these figures are percentages based on internet users over 16 years of age in each country. This means that although the penetration rate may be higher in one territory than another, it does not necessarily guarantee that the exact number of people making weekly online purchases in that country is higher than in another. Let us examine the cases of the countries at the top of the list:
Nigeria, for its part, has a population of 239 million, of whom 109 million are internet users (representing 45.5% of the population). Of these internet users, 71.3% make online purchases on a weekly basis—that is to say, 77 million people.
In Thailand, 67.8 million people use the internet, representing 94.7% of the total population (71.6 million people). Knowing that 68.6% of these internet users make online purchases weekly, this equates to 46.5 million people.
Turning to the national landscape, Spain is below the global average, officially ranking 35th position with 46.6%. This means that 21.4 million Spanish internet users purchase online on a weekly basis.
Although the analysis established a global average spend per consumer, the reality is that there are countries where consumers spent more annually than others. The United States is the country with the highest spending per capita, with an average of $3,948. Following the United States are: The Netherlands ($2,617); United Kingdom ($2,529); Italy ($2,336); and Canada ($2,204).
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