Key takeaways
- U.S. e-commerce sales reached $340.2 billion in Q2 2026, rising 12.2% from a year earlier and outpacing total retail growth.
- E-commerce accounted for 17.1% of total U.S. retail sales in Q2 2026, showing online sales continue to gain share.
In the second quarter of 2026, e-commerce continues to gain their share of retails sales to now account for 17.1% of total U.S sales.
U.S. retail e-commerce sales rose to $340.2 billion in the second quarter of 2026, an increase of 3.8% from the first quarter, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales report. The figure is adjusted for seasonal variation but not for price changes.
Total retail sales for the quarter reached nearly $2.0 trillion, up 2.9% from the first quarter. Compared with the second quarter of 2025, e-commerce sales climbed 12.2%. E-commerce continued to expand faster than the broader retail sector as total retail sales grew 6.7% over the same span.
The gap held on a not-adjusted basis as well. Unadjusted e-commerce sales totaled $329.5 billion, an increase of 9.4% from the first quarter and 12.4% from the second quarter of 2025. On this basis, e-commerce made up 16.4% of total sales.
A Rising Share of Retail
Data from the report show e-commerce taking a larger share of total retail sales over the past year. On an adjusted basis, e-commerce accounted for 17.1% of total sales in the second quarter of 2026, up from 17.0% in the first quarter and up 16.3% year-over-year.
The dollar figures show the same pattern. Adjusted e-commerce sales totaled $340.2 billion in the second quarter of 2026, compared with $327.9 billion in the first quarter, and $303.3 billion in the second quarter of 2025.
Total retail sales rose over the same period, reaching $2.0 trillion in the second quarter of 2026, rising from $1.9 trillion in the first quarter and $1.8 trillion a year eralier.
Quarter-Over-Quarter Comparison
The 3.8% adjusted gain in e-commerce in the second quarter of 2026 was the strongest quarter-over-quarter increase in the five quarters covered by the report, jumping from a 3.1% increase in the first quarter of 2026.
The unadjusted numbers show even wider seasonal swings. Unadjusted e-commerce sales rose 9.4% in the second quarter of 2026 after falling 17.5% in the first quarter from the fourth quarter of 2025.
The e-commerce figures come from the Monthly Retail Trade Survey, which draws on a sample of about 10,800 retail firms. E-commerce sales cover orders placed online, by mobile device or through comparable electronic systems, whether or not payment is made online. Responding firms accounted for about 68% of the e-commerce estimate. The Census Bureau plans to release its third-quarter 2026 estimate on Nov. 19, 2026.