{"id":81891,"date":"2026-08-23T08:27:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T12:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dralysstore.com\/blog\/double-digit-ecommerce-growth-returns-practical-ecommerce\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T16:07:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T20:07:58","slug":"double-digit-ecommerce-growth-returns-practical-ecommerce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dralysstore.com\/blog\/double-digit-ecommerce-growth-returns-practical-ecommerce\/","title":{"rendered":"Double-Digit Ecommerce Growth Returns – Practical Ecommerce"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

U.S. ecommerce sales enjoyed a second consecutive quarter of double-digit growth in 2026, resembling pre-pandemic patterns.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Census Bureau reported<\/a> last week that seasonally adjusted Q2 retail ecommerce sales were $340.2 billion, up 12.2% year over year, following Q1\u2019s YoY increase of 10.1%.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n
Quarter<\/th>\nEcommerce Sales<\/th>\nQoQ Growth<\/th>\nYoY Growth<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
2026 Q1<\/td>\n$327.9B<\/td>\n3.1%<\/td>\n10.1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2026 Q2<\/td>\n$340.2B<\/td>\n3.8%<\/td>\n12.2%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

For the first half of 2026, ecommerce sales totaled $668.1 billion, up 11.1% YoY.<\/p>\n

Pandemic<\/h3>\n

The pandemic caused a major jump in consumers\u2019 online purchases.<\/p>\n

Reports of the first Covid cases<\/a> in China occurred in late Q4 2019. U.S. retail ecommerce sales in that quarter grew 16.2% year over year, according to the Census Bureau.<\/p>\n

As the virus spread and the United States restricted or shut down in-person sales, online shopping became the only option for many consumers.<\/p>\n

U.S. ecommerce sales grew 53.5% YoY in Q2 2020 and over 40% YoY for the ensuing three quarters. Yet by Q2 2022, annual U.S. ecommerce growth had slowed to 5.1%.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Quarter<\/th>\nEcommerce Sales<\/th>\nQoQ Growth<\/th>\nYoY Growth<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
2019 Q2<\/td>\n$135.5B<\/td>\n4.10%<\/td>\n10.20%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2019 Q3<\/td>\n$144.1B<\/td>\n6.30%<\/td>\n14.60%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2019 Q4<\/td>\n$150.2B<\/td>\n4.20%<\/td>\n16.20%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2020 Q1<\/td>\n$156.9B<\/td>\n4.40%<\/td>\n20.50%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2020 Q2<\/td>\n$208.1B<\/td>\n32.60%<\/td>\n53.50%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2020 Q3<\/td>\n$212.4B<\/td>\n2.00%<\/td>\n47.30%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2020 Q4<\/td>\n$217.2B<\/td>\n2.30%<\/td>\n44.50%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021 Q1<\/td>\n$227.9B<\/td>\n5.00%<\/td>\n45.30%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021 Q2<\/td>\n$236.0B<\/td>\n3.50%<\/td>\n13.40%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021 Q3<\/td>\n$232.2B<\/td>\n-1.60%<\/td>\n9.30%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021 Q4<\/td>\n$239.8B<\/td>\n3.30%<\/td>\n10.40%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022 Q1<\/td>\n$244.0B<\/td>\n1.70%<\/td>\n7.00%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022 Q2<\/td>\n$248.0B<\/td>\n1.60%<\/td>\n5.10%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Acceleration<\/h3>\n

In 2025, online sales growth accelerated \u2014 5.0% YoY in Q2, 5.3% in Q3, and 5.9% in Q4 \u2014 before reaching double digits this year.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Quarter<\/th>\nEcommerce Sales<\/th>\nQoQ Growth<\/th>\nYoY Growth<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
2025 Q2<\/td>\n$303.3B<\/td>\n1.9%<\/td>\n5.0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2025 Q3<\/td>\n$310.8B<\/td>\n2.5%<\/td>\n5.3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2025 Q4<\/td>\n$318.0B<\/td>\n2.3%<\/td>\n5.9%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2026 Q1<\/td>\n$327.9B<\/td>\n3.1%<\/td>\n10.1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2026 Q2<\/td>\n$340.2B<\/td>\n3.8%<\/td>\n12.2%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Ecommerce continued to outpace retail overall (online plus brick-and-mortar). Total U.S. retail sales increased 6.7% YoY in Q2 2026, about half the rate of ecommerce, while ecommerce\u2019s share of retail rose to 17.1% from 16.3% a year earlier.<\/p>\n

Together, the figures suggest an ecommerce market gaining momentum rather than benefiting from higher retail spending generally.<\/p>\n

There are caveats. The Census Bureau\u2019s figures are unadjusted for inflation, meaning higher prices account for some of the increase. And Amazon moved Prime Day<\/a> into June this year, potentially shifting billions of dollars in ecommerce spending from the third quarter into the second.<\/p>\n

Product Categories<\/h3>\n

Moreover, while ecommerce overall grew 12.2% YoY in Q2, performance varied\u00a0among categories:<\/p>\n