Americans’ online shopping behavior is shifting, according to a new report from Finances Online. New numbers show that Americans are spending less time shopping than 15 years ago. The report also found that consumers are using online shopping at an increasing rate, driven by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, online sales rose 25 percent as consumers faced long periods of lockdown and short supply of goods. 

The report found that global online sales revenue is expected to reach $6.54 trillion by 2023. Men tend to be more likely to use online shopping at a rate of 30 percent versus 24 percent for women. Men also report increasing the frequency of online shopping during the pandemic by 44 percent and men aged 18 to 34 would prefer to buy all their goods online, while women only wanted to purchase their goods online at a rate of 33 percent. 

Millennials continue to remain the largest group of online shoppers. They also use the internet at a higher rate than any other age bracket, with nearly 100 percent reporting that they use the internet every day. 

Millennials account for 37.4 percent of all American digital buyers in 2020, followed by Generation X (30.1 percent), Gen Zers (18.2 percent), and Baby Boomers (14.6 percent).

Americans clearly prefer to do their online shopping on their digital devices, with 63 percent using their mobile device, 13 percent using their computer, 2 percent using a public computer and 2 percent using a work computer. 

The drive to shop online has pushed retailers to come up with new and innovative ways to market and communicate their products. More than 50 percent of shoppers say they prefer a personalized e-commerce experience. This push for personalization has spurred a response from e-commerce leaders, of which 43 percent report they are working on improving their personalization efforts.