The downfall of American stalwarts like Sears Holding Corp. (ticker: SHLD), J.C. Penney Co. (JCP), Toys R Us and others has made it obvious that a major shift is taking place in the retail world. Most successful modern retail companies must have an online sales presence to survive. Some companies have been quick to embrace the shift to digital sales, while others have fallen behind the times. For investors betting that the e-commerce boom is just getting started, here’s a look at the eight retail stocks with the biggest share of U.S. online sales, according to eMarketer.
Amazon.com (AMZN)
Amazon and its stock are the quintessential examples of the power of the internet. It should come as no surprise that Amazon holds the largest share of the U.S. e-commerce market, accounting for an estimated 49.1 percent of all U.S. online sales in 2018. Yet despite AMZN stock climbing more than 2,600 percent over the past decade, Jefferies recently estimated Amazon’s core retail business could push its stock higher by another 50 percent in the next two years and will be generating $200.7 billion in annual revenue by 2021.
eBay (EBAY)
Long before Amazon became the clear leader in U.S. online sales, the eBay online auction platform was the best place for Americans to shop online. Way back in 1996, there was $7.2 million in goods sold on eBay. In 2017, that number grew to $88 billion in gross merchandise volume. While eBay is a distant second to Amazon with only 6.6 percent market share of U.S. online sales, the company has more than 170 million active users across its namesake site and its other online businesses, including Stubhub and Half.com.
Apple (AAPL)
Apple generated $18.3 billion in online sales last year. In fact, Apple’s 24 percent growth in online sales outpaced even Amazon’s 20 percent growth. Apple will account for an estimated 3.9 percent of all U.S. online sales in 2018. If early demand for the new family of iPhones is any indication, those sales numbers could be even higher than anticipated. Surveys by Loup Ventures and RBC Capital suggest iPhone buyers are buying more high-end iPhones than ever before, and the iPhone upgrade cycle appears to be shortening.
Walmart (WMT)
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