In 2020, a decade of e-commerce growth happened in a matter of months. Nearly 16% of U.S. retail spending shifted online overnight, not by choice, but by necessity. For a moment, it felt like we had hit fast forward on the digital future.
Then came the reset. Growth cooled. Warehouses sat half empty. Giants like Amazon and Shopify over-hired, assuming the surge was permanent, only to backtrack. By 2022, online growth slowed to its weakest pace in years, while brick-and-mortar was thriving again. For skeptics, the narrative was clear: the “digital shift” had been exaggerated.
Fast forward to now, e-commerce has finally returned to that 16% share of retail, but the key difference is that this time it’s happening on purpose.
From Crisis Habit to Lasting Loyalty
During lockdowns, consumers shopped online out of necessity. Today, they’re choosing digital even with stores fully open. That choice signals strength. E-commerce isn’t being propped up by a crisis, and it’s being reinforced by habit.
And that makes this comeback far more durable than the spike we saw four years ago.
Omnichannel is the Real Growth Story
The easy narrative is that “online wins and stores lose,” but the reality is that both are thriving. U.S. retail overall has grown from about $5 trillion pre-COVID to more than $7 trillion today, malls are busy, stores are opening, and in-person shopping continues to matter. E-commerce’s return to peak share doesn’t signal the end of brick-and-mortar; it shows that digital has carved out a permanent lane in a much bigger market.
Experience is the Differentiator
No doubt, a big part of this rebound comes from the work retailers have been doing behind the scenes.
- Better UX: cleaner mobile apps, faster checkouts, one-click payments.
- Better fulfillment: tighter shipping windows, reliable delivery, and smarter inventory.
- Better integration: loyalty programs that connect in-store and online experiences.
These aren’t flashy headlines, but they’re sticky improvements. Every time a consumer has a smoother experience online, it makes digital shopping feel less like a fallback and more like a default.
Why Sustainable Growth Beats Spikes
The pandemic fooled even the biggest players. Amazon hired nearly half a million workers in less than a year. Shopify doubled its workforce. Both had to course-correct. The mistake was treating a spike as a new baseline.
The reality is that transformation is rarely explosive. The real story is what sticks after the hype fades.
From Campaigns to Credibility
Engagement on Reddit does not operate as a one-off tactic. The platform’s influence persists through search, conversation, and cultural relevance, creating a ripple effect that extends well beyond a single campaign. Brands that understand this dynamic build more than awareness or conversions they build credibility, and credibility, once established within trusted communities, compounds across the wider digital landscape.
Where the Next Share Point Will Be Won
E-commerce isn’t sprinting anymore and, instead, it’s pacing itself. Growth will come in incremental percentage points, not leaps, but in a $7T+ retail market, those small percentage gains are enormous. The next phase won’t be defined by panic buying. It’ll be built on experience, fulfillment, and trust. That’s how digital earns the next share point and the one after that.
If you’d like to explore how Direct Agents can help your brand capture the next share point of growth, please contact us at [email protected].