Last updated : April 29, 2021 12:41 pm
Driven by demand in the United States, China and Britain, ecommerce sales will total an estimated $4.2 trillion this year versus $3.5 billion in 2020, says a new report by Adobe.
Global shoppers are expected to spend 20% more online in 2021 than they did last year, according to an Adobe report released this week.
Driven by demand in the United States, China and Britain, ecommerce sales will total an estimated $4.2 trillion this year versus $3.5 billion in 2020, according to Adobe, which gathers direct transaction data in over 80 countries. Online sales of items from toys and video games to furniture were $876 billion in the first quarter of this year.
The Adobe data shows that after more than a year under lockdown people have become accustomed to ordering goods via their laptops or smartphones. The firm's analysis echoes patterns predicted by retailers and vendors including Walmart, Kraft Heinz and Mondelez.
In America, online sales surged 39% to about $200 billion in the first quarter, with growth spiking in the three weeks following President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill.
The report also adds that this is likely to add pressure to supply chains as they struggle to keep up with a surge in demand. Major retailers across categories are facing the pressure of high transportation and storage costs, particularly for products like appliances, furniture and exercise equipment that are in high demand. Reportedly, stores like Walmart, Target and Amazon.com have over the past year run out of essential products that are easy to buy in bulk with one click, but hard to keep stocked.