• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, 5 hours ago

Ecommerce orders across all channels in the United States jumped by 147% YoY in 2025 -- but that growth was far from even. 

The top 5% of brands generated 54% of total order growth. Gains were concentrated among a relatively small group of high-performing businesses, according to Omnisend’s 2026 ecommerce report. 

One reason for this was a shift in buyer intent. Consumers interacted less often with marketing, but showed a higher buying intent when they did.

"What we saw in 2025 reflects the broader U.S. economy – growth came back, but it didn't reach everyone," says Marty Bauer, ecommerce expert at Omnisend. "After years of inflation and uncertainty, people were still willing to spend, but they were much more intentional about where they spent their money. Brands that were able to react quickly to customer behavior had a clear advantage, while others found it harder to keep up."

Thus, shoppers engaged with marketing less often, but bought more when they did The average order value increased by 22% YoY to $182.

Bauer said that while ”clicks became harder to get in 2025, they also became more valuable. Shoppers were more selective, but when they did engage, they were ready to spend more.”

Thus, each click carried more intent than it previously had. The shift “rewarded brands that focused on efficiency and relevance, rather than volume,” Bauer adds.

Moreover, behavior-based marketing brought in a disproportionate share of revenue. 

Automated emails generated 25% of total email revenue, but only 1.7% of email sends. Breaking it down, revenue per automated email sent was $2.01, while scheduled emails pulled $0.10.

Automated messages delivered a 27.05% click-to-conversion rate, versus 7.69% for scheduled emails. 

"Brands that relied on automation weren't trying to convince people to buy – they were responding when customers had already shown intent," Bauer adds. "In a year when attention was limited and shoppers had more options than ever, that approach worked better. Automated messages performed well because they fit naturally into how people shop today, rather than interrupting them."

This report is based on ecommerce performance across 150,000 brands, based on 27 billion emails, 321 million SMS messages, and 458 million push notifications sent using Omnisend in 2025.