By the end of 2018, Amazon is expected to control nearly
half of the e-commerce market in the United States, a staggering figure that
will make it nearly eight times bigger than the next biggest e-commerce
company.
A new report from eMarkerter says Amazon’s sales should
reach $258.2 billion this year, CNBC
reports. That would mark a nearly 30 percent jump from last year, during
which Amazon controlled 44 percent of the e-commerce market. If the projections
hold, Amazon would control 49.1 percent of the entire e-commerce market,
putting it well ahead of eBay, the second largest e-commerce company with 6.6
percent of the market. Apple (3.9 percent), Walmart (3.7 percent) and Home
Depot (1.5 percent), round out the top five.
As for how Amazon continues to increase it hold on
e-commerce, the gains are coming largely in its marketplace, where third-party
sellers sell to consumers. Sales on the marketplace will be more than double
Amazon’s direct sales by year’s end and will continue outpacing direct sales in
2019. The company’s biggest category? Consumer electronics, many of which are
likely to be on sale during
Amazon’s Prime Day bonanza.
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