Walmart Online Sales (2017–2021)
US-based Walmart is currently the top retail company worldwide. It may be known to some for its chain of hypermarkets, but the company is also doing particularly well in ecommerce. Not only is it ranked as the best online grocery store in the US, it’s also one of the most-visited ecommerce sites, and its shopping app is also extremely popular among smartphone users.
To understand the performance of Walmart’s online sales, let’s have a look at recent data on its ecommerce performance in recent years.
Walmart ecommerce sales
According to recent data, Walmart’s online sales (including ecommerce sales from its wholesale wing, Sam’s Club) hit $67.39 billion in 2021, the highest ever recorded. This also makes up 7.2% of the total US ecommerce sales in 2021.
The company has seen substantial growth in its online revenue over the past few years. In 2017, Walmart’s ecommerce sales totaled just $16.29 billion—around one-quarter of 2021’s figures.
Walmart’s online revenue increased to $22.11 billion in 2018, and further to $30.28 billion the following year. In 2020, its ecommerce sales revenue exceeded $50 billion, to hit $53.3 billion.
Walmart ecommerce growth
The $67.39 billion Walmart generated in ecommerce sales in 2021 is a 26.4% increase on the previous year’s numbers. Impressive as this is, it’s actually the slowest rate at which Walmart’s online sales have increased between 2017 and 2021, and it’s one-third of 2020’s growth rate.
The biggest increase in Walmart’s online revenue in this period was in 2020 when the company’s ecommerce sales skyrocketed 76% year-over-year. Market analysts attribute this surge to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced consumers to stay home and many brick-and-mortar stores to shut. With not many other options available, most went online for their shopping needs.
From 2017 to 2021, the average annual growth rate of Walmart’s ecommerce sales was 44.34%. According to experts, online groceries and Walmart’s curbside pickup service spurred the company’s ecommerce sales.
Walmart online sales: 2022 forecast
Looking ahead, we can expect to see Walmart’s online sales figures hit new highs in 2022. Plans for more fulfillment centers and improvements to its supply chain are underway. Recent reports also show that for the fiscal year ending January 31, 2022, Walmart’s ecommerce sales growth rose 11% year-over-year.