43 Omnichannel Statistics for Retailers in 2023
This article is part of a larger series on Retail Management.
It’s more important than ever to consider your omnichannel retail strategy, which is the seamless integration of every customer touchpoint, both in person and online. As you’ll see with the omnichannel trends outlined below, consumers already engage in omnichannel shopping behaviors, and retailers are investing in technology that enables it.
Omnichannel Statistics: Key Takeaways
- In-store shopping is going strong post-pandemic, and is likely to remain highly relevant.
- Customers consider both online and in-store experiences important, and often combine them while shopping.
- More and more consumer spending is happening online.
- Fast (two-day) product delivery is important to many buyers.
- Social commerce, livestream commerce, and mobile commerce are on strong upward trends.
- Automated marketing, such as push messages, often delivers massive returns on investment.
Omnichannel Statistics Overview
1. More than 80% of retailers believe that physical stores will remain highly relevant in commerce
Despite the increased emphasis on online shopping and interactions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, physical retail never lost its grip on the market. Once pandemic restrictions began to loosen in 2021, physical retail grew even more strongly than ecommerce. In fact, more than 80% of retailers believe that physical shopping isn’t going away or dropping in relevance anytime soon.
2. More than 60% of consumers participate in omnichannel shopping
McKinsey reports that 60%–70% of consumers consider online browsing or social media shopping to be the new way to search for and buy things. This trend is likely to intensify given the continued rise of smartphones and tablets, as well as people’s growing trust in social media influencers when it comes to recommending products.
3. The metaverse may create $5 trillion in added value by 2030
McKinsey predicts that the metaverse might add $5 trillion of value in less than a decade, with specific impacts varying based on the industry. Ecommerce in particular might see an estimated impact of $2 trillion to $2.6 trillion.
4. Using 3+ channels increases order rate by 494%
Marketing campaigns that exist on multiple platforms with a synergetic omnichannel approach are significantly more effective than single-channel campaigns. Omnisend reports a 494% higher order rate (0.83% vs 0.14%) for marketing campaigns that use at least three channels, as compared to those launched on just one channel.
5. More shoppers are using digital searches to find shops close to them
Over the past two years, the number of people using online searches to find nearby retail locations has tripled. This is a great example of how an equal focus on digital and physical store presence can drive traffic to your business.
6. 59% of consumers are likely to browse products online and then buy in the physical store
Shopify found that nearly three out of five consumers will first browse items online and then buy them in-store, which is known as webrooming. This goes to show that different sales channels really do affect each other, as well as showing that showcasing your products on a website or online store can increase sales or foot traffic in your physical store.
7. 54% of shoppers will look at a product in-store and then buy online
On the flip side, Shopify also found that more than 50% of consumers tend to do things the other way around: browse in-store and then buy online later (this is called showrooming). Product research happens online and in stores; that’s why it’s important for businesses to show up online and in person so you can meet shoppers wherever they are. Check out our guide to showrooming vs webrooming for more information.
8. 40% of shoppers start their buying journey with a broad search
When consumers begin their product research, they don’t all head straight for your website or even Amazon to search. In fact, 40% of consumers start broad with online browsing and then narrow in on channels like Amazon or Facebook.
Learn how to appear in shoppers’ search results in our guide to ecommerce search engine optimization (SEO).
9. 24% of consumers want to interact with products before buying them
The fact that about a quarter of consumers want to see or feel a product before buying tells us two things: Physical presence and interaction are important for pushing customers to make purchases, and there’s more to a good retail store than simply transactions. Creating a comprehensive positive experience for customers in-store goes a long way toward closing sales.
10. Nearly 60% of spending done by women is online
A 2022 report by Wunderman Thompson showed that 59% of spending done by women is being done online, compared to 55% of men’s spending. Businesses that do targeted online marketing for products attractive to women potentially stand to generate a lot of revenue from this trend.
In-store Shopping
11. Offline retail sales in the US hit $3.6 trillion in 2022, and are projected to reach $4.2 trillion by 2028
Business and technology research organization Forrester found that in-store retail in the US is still on the rise: total sales exceeded $3.5 trillion in 2022, and are expected to exceed $4 trillion by 2028. While ecommerce is increasing in popularity as well, business owners would be wise not to ignore the power of maintaining physical stores.
12. Almost half of customers browsing online will visit a website’s search page after landing on the homepage
Customers display varied behavior when browsing online, with some visiting a product detail page after landing on a brand website’s homepage. However, 45% visit a search page instead, showing that many online shoppers instinctively do a specific search for desired products.
13. 46% of retailers planned to prioritize showrooming in 2022
According to Shopify research, 46% of surveyed merchants planned to make showrooming a priority in 2022. The purpose was to maximize available space, build closer relationships with customers, and better understand those customers.
BOPIS/Click & Collect
14. When shoppers go to a store to pick up an item they ordered, 47% of them purchase additional products inside the store
Buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS), referred to as click and collect, can also help boost sales and average order value (AOV). The 2022 Global Digital Shopping Playbook reports that nearly half of shoppers who enter a store to pick up a previously ordered item end up buying more while in the store.
15. In 2022, American shoppers spent more than $95 billion in BOPIS purchases
This massive $95+ billion spend totaled 9% of all ecommerce sales in 2022. The overall value of BOPIS spending is expected to go up over the next few years, exceeding $154 billion by 2025.
16. More than 80% of the top 500 ecommerce retailers use BOPIS services
Digital Commerce 360 found that among the 500 leading ecommerce retailers, BOPIS services reached an 82.7% penetration in 2023. This is an increase from the 76.3% penetration the year before.
See more statistics on this topic in our list of BOPIS statistics for businesses.
Ecommerce Omnichannel Statistics
17. Ecommerce grew by 7.7% in 2022 year over year
Ecommerce sales value in the US has been increasing consistently for over half a decade, reaching a value of $1.03 trillion in 2022. Despite the steady growth, it’s worth noting that this 7.7% is the slowest recorded growth since 2009.
18. By 2033, 64% of spending will take place online
In 10 years, nearly two-thirds of all consumer spending will happen in the digital space. With 58% of all consumer spending currently taking place online, this shows a steady upward trend for digital shopping.
19. Ecommerce returns will fall to 14.7% by 2026
The percentage of online purchases that get returned has fallen since peaking at 21.7% in 2021. The number dropped to 19.3% in 2022, and will drop again to 18.2% in 2023. By 2026, it is projected to hit 14.7%. According to Insider Intelligence, this is partly due to more people returning to physical stores.
20. For online shopping, clothing is the most frequently returned product category in the US
Clothing is the most returned product type, with 26% of respondents in a 2023 survey saying they’ve returned items in that category. This is greater than the returns for consumer electronics (11%) and household appliances (9%).
21. 22% of online buyers shop once a week
The International Post Corporation found that almost a quarter of online buyers shop once per week. While this number doesn’t seem very high, the frequency of shopping is consistent. The number rises when looking at buying frequency per month: 29% of online buyers shop once a month.
22. Almost two-thirds of consumers globally expect product delivery within 2 days of ordering
Despite supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other events in recent years, consumers still have high delivery expectations. Some 60% expect that the products they order online will be delivered within two days at most.
Mobile Omnichannel Retail Statistics
23. By 2028, there may be more than 7 billion smartphone subscriptions worldwide
Mobile phone usage continues to climb globally. Ericsson predicts that by 2028, more than 7 billion people worldwide will have smartphone subscriptions.
24. Mobile devices make up more than 60% of global market share of device usage
As of December 2022, there were far more users (~60% of total) of mobile devices vs desktop computers (~37%) or tablets (~2%). Coupled with the number of projected smartphone subscriptions we saw above, this will inevitably result in more people shopping online via their mobile devices.
25. Mobile sales will be 10.4% of all retail transactions by 2025
eMarketer forecasts total mobile sales to continue to increase each year, making up 10.4% of total retail transactions by 2025.
26. Mcommerce sales are expected to make up 40.4% of ecommerce sales by 2024
This 40.4% would amount to a staggering $534.18 billion, due largely to the ever-increasing usage of smartphones and tablets from which more and more people do their online shopping.
27. Push campaigns on mobile result in a higher percentage of opt-in subscriptions (60%) compared to desktop (30%)
While push campaigns on both types of devices returned subscription results, campaigns on mobile devices performed about twice as well as those on desktop computers. The remaining percentage points went to campaigns geared toward tablet users.
28. Automated push messages in an omnichannel campaign result in a 825% higher click rate
Automated emails have long been successful in increasing conversion rates, but automated push messages can also achieve staggering results. Omninsend finds they result in over 800% more clicks from consumers.
Social Commerce
29. Social commerce is predicted to grow to a $1.2 trillion value by 2025
A report by Accenture predicts that social commerce—a form of commerce that leverages social media (and online social experiences in general) to encourage buyers to purchase—will hit $1.2 trillion in value by 2025.
30. More than half of buyers would be more likely to purchase from a small business when shopping through social commerce
Social commerce shopping would significantly influence 59% of buyers to purchase something from a small business. Additionally, 44% would be more likely to buy from an unfamiliar brand if they came across it while shopping through social commerce.
31. Brands that provide positive social media experiences for customers get a large marketing boost
If customers experience a positive social media interaction with a brand, 71% of them are more likely to recommend that brand to others. This shows that optimizing your business’ social media presence and prioritizing customer satisfaction online goes a long way toward spreading brand awareness.
Livestream Commerce
32. Livestream commerce works particularly well for selling clothes, shoes, and accessories
A McKinsey report shows that in the United States, 44% of livestream viewers buy three to four clothing, show, and accessory products per show. This could be due to the overall popularity of this product category, as well as the ability to cross-sell between these categories.
33. The livestream market is forecast to be worth $35 billion in the US by 2024
Retail Touchpoints reports that a study from Coresight Research estimates the US livestreaming market will be worth $35 billion in sales (3.3% of all US ecommerce). McKinsey & Company also reports the livestream market in the US could make up as much as 20% of all ecommerce sales by 2026.
34. Over half of retail companies pursuing livestreaming strategies focused on improving the shopping experience
In 2022, 52% of retailers that leveraged livestream commerce cited an “improved shopping experience” as a main goal. This was a more common goal than simply generating revenue, which only 48% of retailers cited as a main goal.
35. Livestream shopping converts at a 10x higher rate than traditional ecommerce
Livestream shoppers are more likely to buy than people shopping through traditional ecommerce. Retailers that leverage livestream selling get conversion rates up to nearly 30%—10 times higher than ecommerce.
36. Facebook Live was the most popular platform for livestream shopping in 2022
In 2022, 26% of US adults considered Facebook Live the top choice for livestream shopping. Facebook Live was more popular than Instagram Live (19%), TikTok Live (18%), and Amazon Live (18%).
Omnichannel Case Studies
37. Walmart’s focus on omnichannel strategy resulted in ecommerce sales growth of 12% in Q2 2023
Walmart has been working on automating its supply chain and fulfillment centers, allowing for greater customization of ecommerce orders. The retail giant has also been reorganizing to prevent siloing between its in-store and online shopping experiences, making things more seamless for buyers. These efforts resulted in 12% growth for ecommerce sales in just one quarter of 2023.
38. At Target, multichannel customers spend 10 times more than digital-only customers
During Target’s successful Q2 2020, it boosted sales by nearly 25%, with digital sales climbing 195%. The retailer prioritized omnichannel to integrate digital and physical retail. As a result, shoppers who used multiple channels to buy from the retailer spent 10 times more than online-only shoppers and four times more than shoppers who only buy in store.
39. Omnichannel adoption boosted Zara’s digital sales by 74%
Fashion retailer Zara integrated digital and physical retail with omnichannel in Q2 2020 as well. As a result, the brand grew online sales by nearly three quarters in the first half of the year.
40. Adidas had 1,000 weekly orders when it launched click and collect
When Adidas first entered the click and collect market, it forecast few sales. However, the sports and fashion brand received 1,000 orders in its debut week. The retailer couldn’t keep up with initial demand and had to pause and relaunch the program a few years later.
41. Sephora doubled its mobile orders by blending in-store and online customer experiences
Makeup brand Sephora masterfully blends physical and digital experiences by offering online customer accounts with product tracking, item scanning while in-store, tutorials, loyalty features, and even a virtual try-on feature for their makeup products. This comprehensive approach to customer satisfaction allowed Sephora to double its volume of mobile orders.
42. Marks & Spencer’s live shopping service contributed to a 50.8% increase in online sales
M&S Live, the brand’s online live shopping service, allows customers to join live broadcasts, interact with experts, view product demonstrations, buy items, and more. This initiative helped boost online sales by more than 50% for the brand.
43. Lively saw customers spend up to 80% more if they booked initial fitting sessions online
Lingerie and sports clothing brand Lively earned 60%–80% more revenue from customers who had first booked fitting sessions online. Although other factors certainly played a part, the message is positive for blending offline and online channels. It can yield dramatic results.
Bottom Line
Omnichannel retail is here to stay, and customers are increasingly opting to shop with retailers that offer synonymous shopping experiences across different channels, with livestream shopping and omnichannel support being of particular importance. With today’s small business tools and technology, retailers of all sizes can implement omnichannel strategies in their businesses. The early adopters will set themselves up for success now and years to come.
