US E-commerce Hit $340.2B in Q2 2026, Census Says
The Census Bureau reports US online sales of $340.2 billion in Q2 2026, 17.1% of retail and up 12.2% on last year. What small sellers should take from it.
US online sales reached $340.2 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up 12.2% from a year earlier, according to the Census Bureau's quarterly retail e-commerce report, released in August 2026. Online made up 17.1% of total retail sales.
These are seasonally adjusted figures. The numbers are preliminary and can be revised, as the Bureau notes in its report page.
What are the headline numbers?
- Seasonally adjusted e-commerce sales: $340.2 billion, up 3.8% from the first quarter.
- Year over year: up 12.2%, while total retail sales rose 6.7% over the same span.
- Share of retail: 17.1%, compared with 17.0% in Q1 2026.
- Not seasonally adjusted: $329.5 billion, a 16.4% share.
Online growth outran total retail by roughly five and a half points. If your own growth looks flat, that gap is the benchmark you are being compared with.
What does the share number really tell you?
Going from 17.0% to 17.1% in one quarter is a small step. The more useful reading is the year-over-year gap: online keeps taking a bigger piece of a growing pie, but not overnight.
Two cautions. First, the figure covers all US retail e-commerce, including large marketplaces and big-box retailers, so it says little about a store with a few hundred orders a month. Second, this is a US number. If you sell mostly in Europe or elsewhere, check your own regional statistics.
How can a small store use it?
- Benchmark gently. If your online revenue grew less than 12% year over year, check whether the cause is traffic, conversion or average order value.
- Plan inventory with the seasonal pattern. The unadjusted Q2 figure is lower than the adjusted one in share terms (16.4% vs 17.1%), a reminder that the calendar matters when you compare quarters.
- Watch the next release. The Q3 2026 report follows later this autumn, just before the holiday rush. Check the Census release schedule for the date.
Do not read this as a promise that your own sales will rise. A strong market makes it easier to sell, not guaranteed.
If you are ready to get more eyes on your store, list it in Discover and browse the E-commerce & Retail hub for tools.
Check your own Q2 growth against 12.2%, and write down the reason for any gap.
