U.S. retail ecommerce sales reached a seasonally adjusted $326.7 billion in the first quarter of 2026. That was 16.9% of total retail sales and 9.8% above the first quarter of 2025. These are the latest quarterly benchmarks published by the U.S. Census Bureau.
For ecommerce operators, the numbers are useful as a market baseline, not a store forecast. A brand's own demand still depends on its category, price point, customer mix, and promotion calendar. The Census data can show the direction and pace of the national market. It cannot set a realistic growth target for one store on its own.
U.S. ecommerce sales statistics for Q1 2026
The Census Bureau released its first quarter 2026 report on May 18, 2026. The adjusted estimates account for seasonal variation but not price changes. The unadjusted estimates show the quarter as it occurred, including normal holiday season effects.
| Q1 2026 benchmark | Seasonally adjusted | Not adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. retail ecommerce sales | $326.7 billion | $302.3 billion |
| Total U.S. retail sales | $1,929.0 billion | Not stated in the release summary |
| Ecommerce share of total retail | 16.9% | 16.8% |
| Change from Q4 2025 | +2.7% (±0.5%) | -17.2% (±0.5%) |
| Change from Q1 2025 | +9.8% (±1.8%) | +9.7% (±1.8%) |
| Total retail change from Q4 2025 | +1.5% (±0.2%) | Not stated in the release summary |
| Total retail change from Q1 2025 | +3.9% (±0.5%) | +4.0% (±0.5%) |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, First Quarter 2026, released May 18, 2026.
The 17.2% unadjusted decline from Q4 2025 is not evidence of a sudden market contraction. The comparison starts with the holiday quarter. The adjusted series removes that recurring seasonal effect and shows a 2.7% increase.
What the benchmarks say about market growth
Ecommerce grew faster than retail overall in both comparisons reported by Census. Adjusted ecommerce sales rose 2.7% from the prior quarter while total retail sales rose 1.5%. Compared with Q1 2025, ecommerce rose 9.8% and total retail rose 3.9%.
The gap matters for planning, but it does not mean every online seller should expect 9.8% growth. Census measures the national retail market. It does not publish this quarterly ecommerce figure by state, store size, or individual product category.
The 16.9% share also has a precise meaning. It is ecommerce sales as a percentage of the retail sales covered by the report. It is not the percentage of all consumer spending that happens online.
How Census defines an ecommerce sale
Census counts a sale as ecommerce when the buyer places the order, or negotiates the price and terms, through an internet, mobile, extranet, Electronic Data Interchange, email, or comparable online system. Payment does not have to happen online.
The Quarterly Retail E-Commerce release uses data collected through the Monthly Retail Trade Survey. Firms report ecommerce sales on the same questionnaire used for total retail sales. Census sums benchmarked monthly estimates to produce the quarter.
The survey covers retail establishments, including traditional retailers that sell online and companies that sell goods only online. It excludes nonretail activity such as travel, ticketing, and financial services. The report is designed for national estimates, not state or local statistics.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, E-Commerce methodology and FAQs, accessed July 30, 2026 and Monthly Retail Trade methodology, accessed July 30, 2026.
What is preliminary and what may change
Census identifies the most recent quarterly estimate as preliminary and subject to revision. The report also says the estimates are adjusted for seasonal variation but not for price changes. A sales increase can therefore reflect changes in unit volume, prices, or both.
The percentage changes include 90% confidence intervals. For example, the reported 9.8% year-over-year ecommerce increase has an interval of ±1.8 percentage points. Operators should keep those margins attached to the statistics when using them in board materials or forecasts.
The Census economic indicator calendar lists release dates for its retail reports. Teams that maintain market dashboards should check the official release schedule rather than relying on a fixed day of the month.
How operators can use these ecommerce benchmarks
Start with the adjusted year-over-year rate when you want a broad market comparison. If a store grew 7% in Q1 2026, the national ecommerce estimate provides context, but the gap does not diagnose the cause. Category demand, acquisition spend, conversion, repeat purchase behavior, and inventory availability still need separate review.
The quarter-over-quarter rate is more useful for recent momentum after seasonal adjustment. Use the unadjusted series when planning the actual workload a support or fulfillment team experienced. That series retains the holiday spike and the normal Q1 step down.
A simple operating review can separate four questions:
- Did store revenue grow faster or slower than the 9.8% national ecommerce estimate?
- Did order volume move at the same rate as revenue, or did price and product mix account for the difference?
- Did support contacts, campaign production, and fulfillment exceptions grow with orders?
- Which workload changes are recurring enough to document and delegate?
Teams working in Klaviyo can use the Klaviyo operations playbook for lean teams to turn campaign volume into a repeatable workflow. The small-business marketing analytics guide covers the dashboard layer.
Planning support workload from sales growth
National sales growth does not translate directly into staffing hours. A store needs its own ratios. Track support contacts per 100 orders, refund requests per 100 orders, campaigns sent per month, and hours spent on recurring catalog or CRM work. Apply those rates to the store's order forecast.
This approach makes the Census benchmark a reasonableness check. The store forecast remains grounded in its actual workload. If recurring ecommerce operations are taking time away from growth work, review the scope of an ecommerce virtual assistant before adding capacity.
Frequently asked questions
How large were U.S. ecommerce sales in Q1 2026?
Seasonally adjusted U.S. retail ecommerce sales were $326.7 billion in Q1 2026. The unadjusted estimate was $302.3 billion.
What percentage of U.S. retail sales happened through ecommerce?
Ecommerce accounted for 16.9% of seasonally adjusted retail sales in Q1 2026. The unadjusted share was 16.8%.
How fast did U.S. ecommerce sales grow in Q1 2026?
Adjusted ecommerce sales grew 2.7% from Q4 2025 and 9.8% from Q1 2025. The reported 90% confidence intervals were ±0.5 and ±1.8 percentage points, respectively.
Are the Q1 2026 ecommerce figures final?
No. Census labels the latest quarter preliminary and says it is subject to revision.
Does the Census ecommerce report include online services?
The quarterly retail report covers retail sales. Census says it excludes nonretail operations such as travel, ticketing, and financial services.
Can I use the national growth rate as my store forecast?
Use it as context, not as the forecast itself. A store-level plan should account for category demand, pricing, promotions, traffic, conversion, retention, and inventory.
Related research
Sources and update notes
- U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, First Quarter 2026, released May 18, 2026. Statistics checked July 30, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, E-Commerce methodology and FAQs, accessed July 30, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Retail Trade methodology, accessed July 30, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Indicator Release Schedule, accessed July 30, 2026.
This page will be reviewed after the next quarterly release or if Census revises the current series.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, First Quarter 2026, released May 18, 2026: https://www.census.gov/retail/eCommerce.html
- U.S. Census Bureau, E-Commerce methodology and FAQs, accessed July 30, 2026: https://www.census.gov/library/publications/time-series/e-commerce.html
- U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Retail Trade methodology, accessed July 30, 2026: https://www.census.gov/retail/how_surveys_are_collected.html
- U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Indicator Release Schedule, accessed July 30, 2026: https://www.census.gov/economic-indicators/calendar-listview.html