Top 10 e-commerce sites in the US 2021

The world’s most developed market for online shopping, by far, the US is the global standard for e-commerce. Many of its greatest e-commerce companies are in leading positions in other countries, setting the pace and creating the trends that shape the rest of the world’s online shopping.

The domination of the US on the internet and e-commerce comes from its massive 298 million internet users, affluent population, and well-spread habit of relying upon online shopping. Using both computers and mobile devices to access digital services, American online consumers are used to engaging in commercial transactions to purchase a wide array of goods and services.

Since the American market is so developed and solvable, it is no surprise that the competition between e-commerce players is fierce. Large platforms that operate through many segments, like Amazon and eBay, are dominating, but traditional brick-and-mortar distributors are still managing to take a share of the market.

However, some new entrants have been able to take a share of the market by owning specific categories, such as Etsy with homemade products. Others have found ways to grab a share of the American market (as well as in many other countries) by riding the wave of changing shopping habits through mobile devices and social media.

For more information on other world-leading e-commerce actors, check our series of posts on Top E-commerce Sites, and for more information on the country, read our articles on Top Business Resources for the US.

List of the top 10 American e-commerce platforms by monthly traffic

To give you more perspective of the large volumes and the competition in the American e-commerce landscape, here are the current top 10 leaders of e-commerce platforms in the US in 2021 and their estimated monthly traffic from SimilarWeb, as of June 2021.

10. Costco

Costco Wholesale Corporation, simply known as Costco, is a chain of warehouse clubs. It sells a wide range of products including electronics, computers, furniture, outdoor living, appliances, jewelry, and more in more than 750 warehouses in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Spain, Iceland, and France, and on its e-commerce store.

Website: costco.com – Estimated monthly traffic: 83 Million visits

9. Wayfair

Wayfair is an e-commerce company specialized in furniture and home-goods. Founded in 2002 as CSN Stores, Wayfair provides an open marketplace where more than 10,000 global suppliers sell millions of products directly to digital customers. To support its digital activities, Wayfair has developed offices and warehouses throughout the United States, and it has also expanded its operations abroad in Canada, Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Website: wayfair.com – Estimated monthly traffic: 126 Million visits

8. Best Buy

Best Buy is a leading retailer specializing in consumer electronics, computers, appliances, cell phones, video games, tech, and gadgets in the United States, also operating in Canada and Mexico, and China through a subsidiary. Having developed its e-commerce shop, Best Buy sells its electronics and home appliances online to American digital customers.

Website: bestbuy.com – Estimated monthly traffic:  135 Million visits

7. Lowe’s

Lowe’s is the second-largest home improvement and hardware chain in the United States, with more than 2,000 stores throughout the country. Besides its brick-and-mortar locations, Lowe’s also sells a wide range of construction materials, home and garden equipment, furniture, and tools online through its own e-commerce platform.

Website: lowes.com – Estimated monthly traffic: 146.5 Million visits

6. Target

The second-largest department store retailer behind Walmart, Target operates more than 1,800 stores throughout the United States. Also proposing a diversified online store, Target sells products ranging from fashion to home decoration and furniture, from groceries to electronics and hygiene products.

Website: target.com – Estimated monthly traffic: 182 Million visits

5. Home Depot

Home Depot is the largest hardware and home improvement supplies retailing company in the United States, with more than 2,200 stores throughout the country. In its brick-and-mortar shops and online store, Home Depot sells tools, construction products, home and garden equipment furniture, and associated services. Home Depot also operates in Canada and Mexico.

Website: homedepot.com – Estimated monthly traffic: 233 Million visits

4. Etsy

Etsy is a marketplace focusing on handmade or vintage products and unique factory-manufactured items. It enables people and companies to sell directly to the website’s users a wide range of art and photography products, clothing and accessories, food, bath and beauty products, toys, and diverse other items.

Website: etsy.com – Estimated monthly traffic: 392 Million visits

3. Walmart

Walmart is the world’s largest retail corporation, operating hypermarkets, department stores, and grocery stores. A leader in the United States, it is also engaged in Canada, Mexico, and a number of other countries through subsidiaries. Its online shop sells a diversified range of products, from food to electronics, from fashion to pharmacy, from home equipment to auto-parts.

Website: walmart.com – Estimated monthly traffic: 410.5 Million visits

2. eBay

A pioneer of e-commerce, eBay is an online marketplace that allows people and businesses to sell directly through its online auction platform. Founded in 1995, eBay has expanded to more than 20 countries, organizing the sale of products ranging from cars and vehicles to electronics and fashion, home and garden to sports and toys, and even business and industrial products.

Website: ebay.com – Estimated monthly traffic: 885.5 Million visits

1. Amazon

Founded in the US in 1994, Amazon started as an online bookstore that later diversified to products including media, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys, and jewelry. Having expanded to many countries, including the UK, Amazon has become the uncontested global leader of e-commerce with the world’s largest sales and profits. It develops further into brick-and-mortar retail with the acquisition of Whole Foods Market, as well as in publishing, electronics, cloud computing, video streaming, and a number of other businesses.

Website: amazon.com – Estimated monthly traffic: 2.449 Billion visits

Top e-commerce websites in the United States compared by monthly traffic

The estimated monthly traffic from the top 10 e-commerce platforms previously listed demonstrates the clear lead of Amazon and the firm second place of eBay, respectively at 2.45 billion and 885 million visits per month. Their followers are well established in volumes of seventy to a few hundred million visits per month.

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Top brands conducting business through e-commerce in the United States

Besides these platforms that are engaged in a wide array of products, some brands can also be highlighted for their heavy impact. Even though they are not open platforms for multiple products, brands, and categories, these companies are still online powerhouses that manage to sell their products exclusively and reach massive audiences.

Apple, of course, is a leader among these brands. Even though its website and mobile platform have a global reach, with half a billion monthly visitors globally, Apple still has hundreds of millions of visitors in the US. Thanks to its website, iTunes, and app store, Apple sells enormous amounts of both hardware and software products, making it one of the largest companies in the US and the world.

Various other brands can also be remarked, including Steam, the online gaming store and service provider, AT&T, the number one American telecommunication company online selling a range of mobile, media and services through its website, or Ikea, the home decoration and furniture company succeeding globally and in the US.

Here are the top e-commerce platforms in the US. Have you ever bought goods or services from them? How was the experience, is the price cheaper and the delivery convenient? Let us know in the comments below!