E-Commerce revenue to shrink for the first time ever

In what would be the first time ever, e-commerce revenues are forecast to shrink y-o-y in 2022. That's according to the latest forecast from the Statista Digital Market Outlook.

As covered in the newly released second chapter of Statista's Digital Economy Compass, 'From frenzy to fall: is eCommerce back to normal?': "This always has to be seen in perspective, and many industry experts contest the comparison of today's growth figures with pre-Covid-19 data. Nevertheless, the market is now compelled to tackle substantial questions about how to go forward. Even if there is a lot of headwind at the moment, we still believe online shares will eventually increase and revenue growth will get back on track."

Still, the expected negative growth is to be taken in the context of the previous forecast for 2022, which projected $481 billion more revenue by the end of the year. Supply chain issues is the largest single weakening factor, with inflation also playing a significant part in the downwards revision. The widely expected global recession and subsequent increases in unemployment leave the e-commerce sector significant hurdles to overcome before it can finally get back on track.