March 2022 marks roughly two years since the coronavirus pandemic spurred many consumers to go into lockdown mode as COVID-19 spread rapidly throughout the country. Many consumers flocked online to buy their essential items, pushing ecommerce sales to new heights.
Ecommerce was growing fast before COVID-19 hit. But the pandemic pushed even more consumers online and pushed more consumers to spend more online and more frequently. Digital Commerce 360 estimates the pandemic contributed an extra $218.53 billion to ecommerce’s bottom line over the past two years. In 2020, the coronavirus added $102.08 billion in ecommerce, and it added $116.45 billion in 2021, according to Digital Commerce 360 estimates.
Overall in 2021, consumers spent $870.78 billion online with merchants, up 14.2% from $762.68 billion in 2020. If the pandemic would not have happened, Digital Commerce 360 estimates ecommerce sales would not have reached $870.78 billion for two more years, until 2023. And online sales would have only reached $754.33 billion in 2021.
