Probably the first names that come to mind when you think of e-commerce in the United States are Amazon, Walmart, and eBay. These are, of course, the mega-brands that have succeeded not only domestically but also internationally, making them well-known to consumers in nations where they are not (yet) available.
It’s not unexpected to hear that the US is a significant leader in the global e-commerce market given the broad popularity of numerous American e-commerce firms. This is largely attributable to the early adoption of e-commerce as a way for companies and retailers to reach the enormous, widely dispersed US population with their goods.
This early uptake allowed customers to gradually come around to the idea of online buying, becoming supporters and voracious online shoppers eventually, still a long time before many other nations had started to move in this direction.
Given this significant head start, it’s no surprise that Jeff Bezos’ 1994-launched Amazon is the global market leader, consistently ranking in the top three of most countries’ most popular e-commerce sites. Since Amazon was one of the very first companies to sell goods online, everyone has been trying to follow in their footsteps.
The massive population of 327.9 million people includes 312 million internet users and 209.5 million online shoppers, according to Statista data released in 2016.
E-commerce sales surpassed $517.36 billion in 2018 and are expected to reach $740 billion in retail e-commerce alone by 2023.
Online sales accounted for 14.3% percent of all US retail sales as of 2018, up from 11.6 percent in 2016. The UK and Germany, which each enjoy a bigger percentage of total retail sales, beat the US as the third most developed e-commerce market in the world as a result.
We’ve compiled the top 7 U.S. e-commerce sites, according to data from the web analytics platform SimilarWeb, as of January 2020.
The list includes Amazon, eBay, and Walmart, three obvious competitors, but it is also well-rounded with a variety of brands from a range of industries, including handcrafted goods, electronics, fashion, and home and garden.
1. Amazon
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 2.73 billion
Amazon is not only an American e-commerce leader, but it’s also the leading e-commerce site in most countries. Founded in 1994 as a humble e-commerce site selling books, Amazon has gone on to reach superstardom dominating the majority of e-commerce categories, including computers and electronics, books and literature, and even TV and movie streaming.
Amazon shoppers in the US enjoy the full variety of Amazon products making up the world’s largest portal to books, music, electronics, apparel and accessories, tools and hardware, sporting goods, and pretty much everything else one can dream of. Not to mention, US shoppers can get these products with free one-day or two-day delivery with the Amazon Prime service.
2. eBay
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 855.82 million
Founded in 1998, eBay is another e-commerce pioneer that’s had a significant headstart in the global race to e-commerce dominance. Staying true to their original purpose, eBay has been the leading online marketplace for more than 20 years, the first of its kind and the largest in the world, offering consumers an online platform to buy and sell just about anything they can think of.
Today eBay dominates categories including electronics, cars, clothes, collectibles, and more, through auctions, direct from brands, or through verified sellers, with free shipping on many items.
3. Walmart
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 468.96 million
Walmart has been a household name in the US since the 60s, establishing itself as a low-price point mega-warehouse, which has since turned into the world’s largest retail corporation, with stores in 50 states and a significant e-commerce presence in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
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Walmart’s online shoppers have access to an array of products in categories including electronics, baby products, fashion, pharmacy, and auto-parts, making it an attractive platform for customers across a wide range of profiles. Walmart in the US even offers a Walmart branded credit card for customers to save even more on their purchases.
4. Craigslist
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 342.56 million
Founded in 1995, Craigslist is the largest classifieds in the world, despite only servicing the US. On Craigslist, users can browse a variety of sections, including jobs, housing, items for sales, items wanted, services for sale, services wanted, gigs, resumes, and discussions, where they can either look to buy or sell.
With an extremely broad range of items and services posted, Craigslist holds an interesting mix of leading categories, ranging from the expected with news and media, and electronics and technology, to the questionable including adult services, and credit lending.
5. Target
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 258.34 million
Target is the second-largest department store in the US after Walmart. It operates more than 1800 stores throughout the country and boasts an extensive e-commerce solution giving customers access to the full range of target products and services online as well as in-store.
Target is a consumer goods retailer selling products from fashion items to home decoration, furniture, groceries, electronics, hygiene products and much more, with a leading position in the fashion and apparel, and home and garden categories. With the Target RedCard, they are now also a major player in banking and finance.
6. Etsy
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 266.31 million
Etsy is a US-born marketplace with a niche focus on the sale of handmade or vintage products and unique factory-manufactured items. Etsy’s e-commerce site enables people and companies to sell a wide range of goods, from art to clothing and accessories, food, bath and beauty products, as well as toys and a wealth of other unique items.
Founded in 2006, Etsy is the 19th largest marketplace in the world, a significant accomplishment considering its niche specialization. Of the categories that users seek on the platform, fashion is the largest.
7. Best Buy
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 192.70 million
Another US retailer with a long history spanning back to the 60s is Best Buy. Beginning as a consumer electronics retailer, Best Buy has grown to be a dominant brand with bricks and mortar stores across the country, as well as in Canada and Mexico.
Today, Best Buy offers customers a wide range of products, including electronics, appliances, furniture, fitness, travel, baby products, and more. Despite the wide variety, they are best known as a consumer electronics company, and they rank number 3 in the world in the computer electronics and technology e-commerce category.
