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33+ Shopify Stats for Aspiring Online Sellers
Updated: March 30,2022
Shopify is one of the leading eCommerce brands in the world, with millions of stores on its platform. As a buyer, you can get just about anything from these stores, from clothes to shoes, books, and household items.
Setting up an online store can be tasking, even for those most tech-savvy among business owners. Shopify has stepped in to simplify this process, and it has helped millions of entrepreneurs sell their products to anyone, anywhere on the globe.
Shopify has grown to be a household name over the years. These Shopify stats will show you why so many people are raving about it.
General Shopify Statistics
1. Shopify currently has more than 7,000 employees.
(Shopify, Macrotrends)
Shopify has grown tremendously over the years, and so has the number of its employees.
A report by Macrotrends earlier this year showed the interactive chart of Shopify’s annual worldwide employee count from 2013 to January 2021. From the annual employee count of 632 in 2014, it grew to 1,048 in 2015 and then to 1,900 in 2016. By 2017, the annual employee count had grown by 57.89% to 3,000; thereafter, we saw a 33.33% increase to 4,000 employees in 2018, and by the end of 2019, Shopify recorded a total number of 5,000 employees. Shopify stats at the end of the last quarter of 2020 showed that the number of employees at Shopify had increased to 7,000. It continues to grow in 2021.
2. Shopify has over 1.7 million merchants selling on its platform.
(Shopify)
Over the years, we have witnessed Shopify grow to accommodate as many legit merchants as possible. Presently, there are more than 1.7 million business owners with stores on the Shopify platform.
3. More than 10,000 of the world’s innovative brands use Shopify Plus.
(Shopify)
Shopify Plus was launched in 2014 to give Shopify businesses a customizable enterprise experience without the high cost of time, money, and development. According to Shopify account stats, over 10,000 of the world’s most innovative brands like Nestle, Pepsi, and Fashion Nova, use Shopify Plus.
Shopify describes Shopify Plus as the “only omnichannel enterprise platform where you can start, grow, and scale your business - backed by an ethical pricing model.” The goal of this platform is to simplify complex business aspects of technology and create tools businesses need to scale and evolve.
4. Shopify’s merchants are located in 175 countries.
(Shopify)
Shopify, which initially started out as a Canadian startup, has grown to have millions of merchants across approximately 175 countries. The number of Shopify stores keeps increasing as more small-business owners keep signing up, thanks to its affordable pricing and user-friendliness.
5. Shopify powers over 2 million websites.
(BuiltWith)
According to a report by BuiltWith, as of June 1, 2021, 2,042,854 live websites are powered by Shopify. This number doesn’t include the websites using Shopify Plus, as those are counted separately on BuiltWith.
6. Shopify has a 19% market share in the United States.
(Statista)
According to a report by Statista in April 2021, Shopify has a market share of 19% in the US. WooCommerce Checkout tops Shopify’s market share and takes the lead with 28%, making it the most used eCommerce platform hosting the most websites in the US. This makes Shopify the second most popular eCommerce platform in the US.
7. Shopify is the most searched eCommerce solution, with an average of 72 searches weekly from May 2020 to May 2021.
(WebsiteToolTester)
Shopify is currently the most searched eCommerce platform on Google Trends. We can all agree that Google Trends serves as a reliable indicator of how popular a brand is, and based on searches from people across the globe, Shopify takes top place among the largest eCommerce platforms.
Shopify Tech Stats
8. Shopify App Store has 6,600+ apps.
(Shopify, Shopify & You, Hosting Tribunal)
According to the Shopify website, there are currently over 6,600 apps in the Shopify App Store. In comparison, in May 2020, there were about 2,400 apps in the store. Some of the most used apps in the Shopify App store include Privy, SEO Suite by Avada, Free Shipping Bar, Sales Pop, and so on.
9. 87% of merchants use apps.
(Shopify & You, Plobalapps)
As of September 2018, 87% of merchants said they rely on and use Shopify apps to run their businesses, even the top-grossing Shopify stores. On average, merchants use up to six apps, and some use them to turn their Shopify stores into mobile apps on Android or Apple iOS.
10. Shopify has 70 themes in its Theme Store.
(Shopify)
According to the Shopify website, there are 70 themes in the Shopify Theme Store. These themes are customizable, and there are several templates to choose from.
11. Shopify introduced Bluetooth-enabled card readers for brick-and-mortar retail purchases in 2017.
(Wikipedia)
Shopify understands the need to keep up with the latest technological and digital trends, so in April 2017, it introduced Bluetooth-enabled card readers for brick-and-mortar retail purchases. Shopify has subsequently released additional technology for brick-and-mortar retailers, and these Shopify tech stats wouldn’t be complete without a worthy mention of some of them, like the tappable chip card readers and a point of sale system with a dock and retail stand.
12. More than 20,000 app developers create apps on the Shopify Application Programming Interface platform.
(Wikipedia)
Shopify launched an API platform in June 2009. It allows developers to create applications for Shopify online stores and sell them on the Shopify App Store, which was also launched the same year.
Shopify Revenue Statistics
13. Shopify’s net income in 2020 was about $319 million.
(Statista)
From the fiscal year 2015 to 2019, Shopify sustained more net losses than it had income. Then came 2020, and the company earned over $319 million. The amount of loss Shopify incurred from 2015 to 2019 respectively is $18.79 million, $35.36 million, $40 million, $64.55 million, and $124.84 million. The company’s rapid growth in 2020 made it the first year where it witnessed a net income, instead of the net losses it took in the previous years.
14. Shopify had total revenue of $2.9 billion in 2020.
(Statista)
There is no better way to measure the growth of a company than its revenue. Shopify’s annual revenue has shown rapid growth over the years: From a total revenue of $205 million in the fiscal year 2015, it grew to $389 million in 2016 and $673 million in 2017. By the end of 2018, we saw a massive increase to $1 billion, and in 2019, it increased to $1.5 billion. By the end of the fiscal year 2020, Shopify generated total revenue of $2.9 billion.
15. Shopify is worth $68.28 billion more than eBay.
(WebsiteToolTester)
In September 2020, Shopify was worth $124.88 billion. In comparison, eBay was worth $56.6 billion. This makes Shopify the second-largest online retailer in the world, after Amazon.
16. Shopify raised $131 million in its initial public offering.
(Wikipedia)
According to the Shopify statistics on Wikipedia, in May 2015, Shopify went public on the New York Stock Exchange, selling its shares at $28, which was higher than its IPO of $17. Shopify raised about $131 million from its IPO, and today, a share costs about $1,243.
17. Shopify stocks have been predicted to grow in value by 21.9% in 2025.
(Statista)
According to a survey published by Statista Research Department in October 2020, the US eCommerce stocks expected to increase the most are Amazon (50.7%), Shopify (21.9%), Etsy (14.7%), Overstock (7.4%), and Wayfair (5.2%).
18. Shopify plans to invest $1 billion over five years in its fulfillment network.
(The Wall Street Journal)
Shopify announced the launch of the Shopify Fulfillment Network in 2019. Shopify Fulfillment stats amply show that the solution, which promises to efficiently deliver orders to the customers on time and in good shape, is in high demand. Fulfillment centers are currently available in Canada and the US.
19. Shopify’s gross merchandise value for Q1 2020 was $119.6 billion.
(Shopify)
According to the Shopify financial report for 2020, the GMV for Q1 of the year - which represents the total value of orders made via the Shopify platform in those three months - was $119.6 billion.
20. Shopify’s gross profit increased by 78% in 2020.
(Shopify)
One of the Shopify stats that best illustrate the company’s explosive growth tells us that, in 2020, Shopify’s gross profit grew by 78% to about $1.5 billion. When compared to the $865.6 million gross profit of 2019, it’s clear that 2020 was the year that marked the start of the company’s dramatic expansion.
21. Shopify’s merchants have contributed more than $307 billion in global economic activity.
(Shopify)
If all Shopify’s merchants were one company, it would be the seventh-largest enterprise in the world in terms of revenue - larger than Apple.
Shopify Sales Statistics
22. The 2020 Shopify “Black Friday to Cyber Monday” generated over $5.1 billion in sales across 175 countries.
(Shopify)
During the 2020 BFCM, Shopify recorded sales worth $5.1 billion. This figure is a tremendous increase compared to the $2.9 billion in GMV recorded during the 2019 BFCM.
23. More than 44 million customers bought from Shopify during the 2020 BFCM period.
(Shopify & You)
During the 2020 BFCM weekend, over 44 million customers bought items from the Shopify platform. The average cart price recorded during this period was $89.20.
24. 57% of shoppers purchase from overseas retailers.
(ShopifyPlus, Acquire Convert)
According to US retail sales statistics published by Shopify in 2019, the US eCommerce market is expected to reach $843 billion in 2021, which makes it the second-largest market after China. The report also showed that Asia ranked first on the eCommerce global market chart, accounting for nearly 63% of all online sales.
25. Shopify recorded its billionth order in 2018.
(Shopify&You)
One of the proudest moments for Shopify was when it recorded its billionth order in Q2 of 2018.
Shopify Traffic Stats
27. Shopify websites had over 57 million visits from November 2020 to April 2021.
(Similar Web)
The stats showed the US had the highest percentage of visitors with 36.06%, followed by the UK with 6.29%, and Canada, Australia, and India with 5.41%, 3.76%, and 3.37%, respectively.
28. The average Shopify visit lasts for 3 minutes 30 seconds.
(Similar Web)
This represents the time a person spends on the Shopify platform browsing through stores and items. Most of these visits came from Direct sources (42.37%), Referrals (25.32%), and Searches (27.01%), while the other sources of traffic include Social (2.63%), Mail (2.37%), and Display (0.30%).
29. According to Shopify traffic stats, 2.63% of traffic comes from social media.
(Similar Web)
Social media brings in only about 2.63% of all Shopify visits. Facebook brought in the most traffic from social media - 31.14%. YouTube accounts for 29.14% of traffic, while Reddit, Pinterest, and LinkedIn had 16.40%, 6.34%, and 4.35%, respectively.
30. 93.29% of Shopify traffic from searches is organic.
(Similar Web)
Stats show that 93.29% of traffic came from organic searches. Top five organic keywords (out of 17,341) were Shopify (12.86%), Shopify Login (7.66%), Logo maker (0.80%), Shopify App Store (0.72%), and Shopify partners (0.68%).
31. Shopify’s average conversion rate in 2020 was 1.6%.
(Website Builder)
According to Website Builder, Shopify had an average conversion rate of 1.6% in 2020. Stats show that, as a Shopify merchant, you need to have an average conversion rate of 3.6% or higher to be among top Shopify stores.
32. Shopify has a bounce rate of 56.25%.
(Similar Web)
From previous stats, we saw that Shopify gets a lot of website visits. However, between November 2020 and April 2021, Shopify recorded a bounce rate of 56.25%, which is around the average.
33. Shopify stats on mobile usage tell us that 79% of traffic on the platform in 2019 came from mobile devices.
(Shopify&You, Website Builder)
Stats show that most traffic on the Shopify platform comes from mobile devices. In Q3 of 2019, 79% of traffic came from mobile phone users. This comes as no surprise, as we live in a time where 90% of consumers make buying decisions from their mobile devices, according to Website Builder’s mobile marketing statistics.
Top-Grossing Shopify Stores
Shopify is home to businesses ranging from small local shops to renowned household brands. Anyone can utilize the platform to attempt to reach millions of customers from all over the world. While not all businesses on the platform scale through, as mentioned earlier, some brands are so successful that they make millions in revenue yearly.
According to stats from the Hosting Tribunal, below are some of the most successful Shopify stores of 2019.
- Budweiser: With over $7 billion in sales, Budweiser recorded annual revenue of $11+ billion.
- Tesla Inc: Tesla also recorded over $11 billion in revenue.
- Red Bull: $7 billion in revenue.
- Gymshark: $128 million in revenue.
- Rebecca Minkoff: $91+ million in revenue.
Other most successful, top-grossing Shopify stores include Fashion Nova, Penguin Books, New York Times, Pepsi, Nestle, Leesa Mattress, Sunday Somewhere, WaterAid, and others.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ
According to a Little Data survey of 1,407 stores in May 2020, the average revenue per customer for Shopify was $72. However, the average income a store generates from Shopify sales is not the best indicator of success since what a specific store can make varies greatly from the average, depending on factors such as marketing strategy, the type of merchandise, the quality of the products, choice of store theme, the niche or industry, cost of investments, your determination, and so on.
Looking at all these positive numbers from our article, one can easily assume that the Shopify success rate for stores would be high. Ironically, only 5% of the stores on Shopify end up being successful. The other 95% fail and end up shutting down due to lack of sales or poor conversion tactics, poor customer service, subpar products, low customer retention, and so on.
To be among the 5% of successful stores, you might want to work on a few things like optimizing your store themes, developing a great marketing strategy, offering quality products, excellent customer service, improving your product margin, and giving every customer a memorable experience to ensure they always come back.
A report by Ecommerce Platforms in April 2021 states that there are currently over 500,000 Shopify stores on the platform.
Shopify is unarguably one of the largest online retailers or eCommerce platforms of our time. It makes millions of sales yearly, and being a merchant on the platform, you can earn substantial income by selling your merchandise to customers from all over the world.
However, Shopify’s platform is just a tool for merchants to reach their customers. Whether you’ll become wealthy from selling your goods via Shopify will ultimately depend on how good your products and customer service are, how much time and money you invest in marketing, and numerous other factors. And all this is not easy: The Shopify success rate is just 5%, which means that, out of 20 Shopify stores, 19 will, unfortunately, fail.
If our statistics are anything to go by, we can say that Shopify is rapidly growing and has shown potential to grow even more in the coming years. If you carry out your market research and build your store accordingly, selling on Shopify will definitely be worth it, as the company is still advancing and steadily bringing up innovative ideas to improve user experience.
Besides these Shopify stats we’ve shared, it’s important to also bear in mind that some Shopify stores close due to lack of sales after several months, so expect you’ll have to put your nose to the grindstone if you want your shop to succeed.
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With a degree in humanities and a knack for the history of tech, Jovan was always interested in how technology shapes both us as human beings and our social landscapes. When he isn't binging on news and trying to predict the latest tech fads, you may find him trapped within the covers of a generic 80s cyberpunk thriller.