Shopify Customer Statistics
Shopify’s customer base is diverse with a large section of young shoppers. In 2024, over 875 million unique shoppers made purchases through Shopify stores.
This immense audience, roughly 1 in 6 Internet users – generated record sales during peak events (e.g. ~$9.3B GMV over BFCM 2023) and drives robust activity (Shopify logs ~4.47 million daily active users).
Shopify customers tend to skew young (majority 18-34 years old) and increasingly shop on mobile. These trends underscore why merchants and analysts focus on Shopify’s customer stats.
See our Shopify statistics page for more on overall usage and merchant figures.)
Shopify Customer Statistics: At a Glance
- Massive Scale: Shopify’s reach now exceeds 700 million annual customers and covers nearly 175 countries. Its customer base has roughly doubled in the past 3-4 years, reflecting explosive platform growth.
- Predominantly B2C, Young, Mobile: Most Shopify customers are individual consumers (not businesses), with a skew toward younger (18-34) shoppers. Mobile devices account for the lion’s share of traffic and sales (around 60-70%), and Shopify continues optimizing mobile checkout.
- Active and Loyal: A significant fraction of Shopify shoppers are repeat buyers, on the order of 28% for typical merchants. Accelerated checkouts (Shop Pay) and subscriptions help cement loyalty: in fact Shop Pay now boasts 200 million users and delivered a ~50% conversion lift.
- High Cart Abandonment, But Potential: Cart abandonment remains high (~70% on average), but Shopify’s data-driven approach (e.g. reminders, Shop Pay) continuously targets this. Industries differ sharply here (83% abandonment in luxury vs. ~55% in pet supplies), indicating niche-specific challenges.
- Sales Peaks & Holidays: Shopify’s customers power record sales each year. In BFCM, GMV grew from $7.5B (2022) to $11.5B (2024), with customer counts approaching 80 million. These spikes reinforce Shopify’s capacity to serve global retail demand.
- Economic Influence: Spending by Shopify customers fuels millions of jobs (over 5.2M supported) and hundreds of billions in GDP.
How Many Customers Use Shopify?
Total Number of Shopify Customers
Shopify’s global shopper count has soared year-over-year. In 2022 roughly 649 million people bought from a Shopify store, rising to about 675-700 million in 2023. According to Chargeflow, 875 million people transacted with Shopify merchants, which represents a significant increase.
Shopify tracks “unique customers” per period: about 700M shopped in 2023, on top of cumulatively billions of sales over the platform’s lifetime.
The number of merchants (stores) also rose: Shopify now supports ~5.5 million live stores (5.5M at end-2023), up about 10% in 2024. More stores means even wider consumer reach and faster growth in customer counts year-to-year.
Shopify’s Share of Global E-Commerce Customers
Shopify’s massive customer base corresponds to a substantial market share in the e-commerce space. About 27% of global e-commerce sites are powered by Shopify, versus roughly 38.8% for WooCommerce.
Shopify also commands a large domestic share – for example, in the U.S. it controls an estimated 23-29% of online retail sales. (By comparison, Amazon dominates US online sales at ~37.6%, and platforms like Etsy, eBay etc. account for single-digit shares.)
Shopify merchants reach customers in 175+ countries. Top buying markets include the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany – the same countries where the most Shopify stores are based.
Overall, Shopify’s infrastructure now connects roughly one in every six internet users to a Shopify store, highlighting its global footprint.
Shopify Customer Purchase Behavior
Average Order Value (AOV)
| Metric | Value / Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Global e-commerce AOV (2024) | $145 | Industry-wide benchmark |
| Shopify overall AOV | $85-$92 | General range across most Shopify stores |
| Top-performing Shopify stores AOV | $190+ | Stores with high-ticket products or strong upsells |
| Median Shopify AOV | Below $100 | Reflects most Shopify stores |
| U.S. Shopify customer AOV | $100+ | Higher than global average |
| Non-U.S. Shopify customer AOV | Less than $100 | Varies by country |
| Shopify AOV during BFCM campaigns | $108-$109 | Slightly elevated due to discounts + bundling during promotions |
| Trend over time | Gradually increasing | Driven by inflation, shipping costs, and upsell strategies |
Shopify customers tend to spend at a moderate average order value. Recent data show the global e-commerce AOV around $145 as of late 2024.
On Shopify stores specifically, AOV typically runs lower, roughly $85-$92 per order on average. (Top-tier stores can exceed $190, but the median is below $100.) Regional differences exist: for example, U.S.
Shopify customers often spend $100+ per transaction, while other markets average less. Over time, AOV has crept upward modestly with inflation and shipping costs. Importantly, Shopify merchants frequently employ upsells and bundles to raise AOV.
In campaigns like Black Friday/Cyber Monday, the AOV on Shopify sat around $108-$109, roughly in line with typical e-commerce baskets.
Repeat Purchase Rate
Shopify’s loyal customer base is evidenced by repeat purchasing. On average ~28.2% of customers return to make another purchase, according to industry benchmarks. This suggests roughly one in four customers of a typical Shopify store become repeat buyers.
Many Shopify merchants further boost retention through subscriptions (Shopify’s Subscriptions APIs are now widely used for consumables) and loyalty programs. Higher-tier Shopify Plus merchants often see even greater repeat rates.
High-engagement brands report >30% repeat buyers. Overall, the data imply Shopify stores keep a solid share of customers coming back – an encouraging metric given that acquisition costs have risen.
Cart Abandonment Rates
| Industry | Cart Abandonment Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Luxury & Jewelry | ~82-83% | Highest due to high consideration purchases |
| Fashion & Apparel | ~68-75% | Varies by price point and seasonal factors |
| Electronics & Tech | ~70-77% | High due to comparison shopping |
| Home & Furniture | ~74-80% | High-ticket items with long decision cycles |
| Beauty & Cosmetics | ~65-70% | Moderate rates, often impulse-driven |
| Food & Beverage | ~60-65% | Lower than average, often essential/repeat buys |
| Pet Supplies & Consumables | ~55-57% | Lowest due to frequent, necessity-based purchases |
Shopping cart abandonment remains a major hurdle: globally about 70% of online carts go unpurchased, and Shopify stores experience similarly high rates.
The exact rate varies by industry. For instance, luxury and jewelry sites often see the highest abandonments (~82-83% abandoned) because purchases are considered, whereas low-cost consumables (like pet supplies) are around 55-60%.
In general, Shopify stores see 70-75% cart abandonment on average. Merchants combat this through tactics like abandoned-cart email reminders and accelerated checkout (e.g. Shop Pay).
Faster checkouts in particular help: Shopify reports that using Shop Pay can cut checkout steps, and merchants using Shop Pay see conversion rates up to 50% higher than guests, effectively reducing abandonment.
Time to Purchase & Conversion Path
E-commerce customers often require multiple touches before buying. In fact, industry research finds ~75% of first-time purchases happen within 24 hours of the shopper’s initial visit, and about 90% convert by day 12
This means most Shopify buyers act quickly if they’re going to buy at all, although a minority take weeks or longer.
Shoppers typically spend on average 10-30 minutes browsing before a purchase, and ~25-30% spend 30-60 minutes in research mode.
It’s also common for customers to visit a Shopify site multiple times before buying (multiple session conversion is typical in online retail). Regarding devices, mobile now dominates initial touchpoints: well over half of visits come from smartphones, but desktop users still spend more per order.
Shopify’s checkout optimization (like pre-filled payments on Shop Pay) helps shorten time-to-purchase, especially on mobile. (For context, average Shopify store conversion rates are around 1-1.5%, with the top 10% of stores converting at ~4-5%. This underlines the importance of fast paths to purchase.)
Customer Device and Channel Preferences
Mobile vs Desktop Usage
Mobile devices now lead Shopify shopping. During major sales events, ~69% of sales come via smartphones or tablets, reflecting the broader mobile-commerce surge.
Overall, about half of Shopify store traffic is from mobile (desktop ~50%), a trend that has reversed since the early 2010s.
Merchants who optimize for mobile tend to see better performance: Shopify notes that the new one-page checkout speeds up completion by ~4 seconds per transaction.
Accelerated mobile checkouts (Shop Pay) and payment wallets also help boost mobile conversion. In short, most Shopify customers now discover and shop on mobile – but any revenue from desktop is disproportionately high on a per-order basis.
Marketing Channel Breakdown
| Traffic Source | Estimated Share (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Organic Search | ~13.8% | Major channel, especially for discovery via Google |
| Paid Search (Ads) | ~50-55% (combined w/ organic) | Includes Google Ads, Bing; ~15% higher CPC than average |
| Social Media Referrals | ~1.8% | Facebook, Instagram, TikTok; growing channel for product discovery |
| Direct Traffic | ~20-25% | Users typing the URL directly or using bookmarks |
| Email Marketing & Referrals | ~5-8% | Includes newsletters, affiliate links, influencer shout-outs |
| Other Channels (Display, Apps, etc.) | ~3-5% | Includes Shopify apps, display networks, embedded widgets |
Shopify customers arrive via a mix of marketing channels. Organic search is a key driver: roughly 14% of traffic to Shopify stores comes from organic search, and search overall (paid+organic) can be more than two-thirds of visits.
Paid search ads are also a major source – Shopify merchants increasingly invest in Google and Bing, typically paying ~15% above average CPC over recent years. Social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) contributes a smaller share by comparison (around 1-2% of traffic), though this is growing.
Direct visits (customers typing a URL or using bookmarks) make up the remainder, as do email marketing and referrals. In practice, many Shopify brands use multi-channel funnels: they see first contact from an ad or social post, then closing via email or direct revisit.
Among social sources, Instagram and TikTok have become important for product discovery, especially among younger shoppers, although hard stats vary by niche.
Customer Geography and Demographics
Top Countries by Customer Volume
Shopify’s shoppers are concentrated in the same countries where most of its merchants operate. By merchant count, the largest markets are USA (~3.14M stores), UK (~220K), Australia (~157K), Germany (~150K), Canada (~120K), Brazil (~122K) and India (~93K).
Unsurprisingly, sales are heaviest in these regions. For example, during Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2023, the top countries for Shopify purchases were the US, UK, Australia, Canada and Germany.
Shopify reports a strong presence across Europe and growing adoption in Latin America and Asia. In emerging markets like Brazil and Mexico, Shopify sees rising customer numbers as internet access expands. In short, most Shopify customers are in North America, Western Europe, and other English-speaking markets, with customer volumes roughly mirroring the distribution of stores.
Customer Demographics (Where Available)
Shopify has published some broad customer demographic trends. The platform notes that a younger demographic predominates: most Shopify buyers are in the 18-34 age range.
This reflects Shopify’s strong appeal to millennials and Gen Z, who favor digital shopping and mobile commerce. Beyond age, detailed public data is limited.
Anecdotally, many Shopify stores (especially fashion, beauty, electronics) also cater slightly more to female shoppers, though male shoppers are also significant in segments like tech.
In terms of income, Shopify tends to attract middle-income online consumers; high-end luxury platforms use Shopify Plus, but the mass of Shopify traffic is mid-market.
Shopify’s customer base is broadly similar to online shoppers everywhere: younger and urban-leaning, with household incomes around or above national medians. (Shopify’s merchant surveys often emphasize B2C selling, meaning individual consumers dominate the customer mix.)
Accelerated Checkout Adoption (Shop Pay Stats)
Number of Shop Pay Users
Shop Pay – Shopify’s accelerated checkout – has quickly amassed a huge user base. Shopify reports over 150 million Shop Pay users globally by early 2024, and roughly 200 million by the end of 2024.
In other words, about one in four Shopify shoppers now has a Shop Pay account. These users tend to be highly engaged: Shop Pay keeps payment and shipping info on file, making one-click purchases possible across stores. Repeated Shopify customers frequently enable Shop Pay for convenience.
Although Shopify doesn’t disclose exactly what share of each store’s repeat buyers use Shop Pay, internal metrics indicate that a majority of repeat customers in many stores are opting in.
The result is a virtuous cycle: more Shop Pay adoption = easier checkout = more repeat buying.
Shop Pay Performance
Shop Pay markedly improves checkout performance. Shopify states merchants using Shop Pay see conversion rates about 50% higher than guest checkout.
Its one-page, pre-filled design dramatically reduces friction. In practice, Shopify noted that rolling out the new one-page checkout (with Shop Pay) sped up the final purchase step by ~4 seconds per buyer.
This might seem small, but it compounds across millions of users to cut churn significantly. During holiday peaks, the impact was clear: BFCM 2023 saw a 60% year-over-year jump in sales via Shop Pay, and BFCM 2024 saw a 58% jump, vastly outpacing overall sales growth.
Shop Pay captured a growing slice of checkout volume. The lift comes from both faster checkout (so fewer abandon carts) and loyalty: once customers have Shop Pay, they are more likely to complete subsequent purchases. (Shop Pay’s convenience essentially boosts both conversion lift and abandonment reduction for Shopify merchants.)
Customer Stats from Seasonal Campaigns
Black Friday / Cyber Monday Insights
The BFCM weekend consistently highlights Shopify’s customer power. In 2022, Shopify merchants sold $7.5 billion in BFCM GMV (up 19% YoY).
In 2023 that soared to $9.3 billion (a 24% jump), and in 2024 to $11.5 billion (another +24%). These records were fueled by a huge customer turnout: approximately 61 million shoppers bought from Shopify stores in BFCM 2023, and 76+ million in BFCM 2024.
Sales rates peaked at over $4-4.6 million per minute on Black Friday. Some highlights: the average cart during these events was about $108, and cross-border orders were ~15-16% of total.
Customers for BFCM came largely from traditional markets (US, UK, etc.), and mobile devices dominated traffic (Shopify reported ~69% of peak sales on mobile).
Holiday and Sales Campaign Patterns
Beyond BFCM, Shopify customers show similar patterns in other sales events. First-time shoppers spike during promotions: in BFCM 2023 about 17,500+ entrepreneurs made their first-ever sale on Shopify (in 2024 it was ~16,500).
Likewise, first-time buyers abound, many customers come to a store via a Black Friday deal. On subsequent holiday sales (Cyber Week, seasonal promotions), roughly one-third of revenue often comes from new customers while two-thirds from returning buyers.
Basket sizes during big sales tend to be stable (around $100-110 on average), though merchants offer steeper discounts that can pull in higher volumes of lower-priced items.
In short, sales campaigns dramatically boost unique buyer counts (often millions more in a week) and GMV, while normal loyalty patterns (repeat vs new ratios) remain relatively consistent with year-round trends.
Shopify Customer Satisfaction & Support Trends
CSAT and NPS (Net Promoter Score)
Shopify itself does not publicly publish customer satisfaction or NPS figures for end consumers. However, third-party surveys suggest online shoppers are generally satisfied with Shopify experiences.
In e-commerce benchmarks, a “good” NPS for a retail platform is typically in the 30-50 range. Shopify’s seamless checkout (especially with Shop Pay) and buyer protections likely drive solid CSAT scores.
We have seen merchant surveys indicate customers are pleased with Shopify’s user experience: for instance, Klaviyo and Yotpo reports (based on merchant feedback) find shoppers value fast shipping and clear communication, both of which Shopify-enabled stores strive for.
Without official numbers, we can say that Shopify’s customer satisfaction is generally high among e-commerce platforms, helped by its reliability and mobile-friendly design.
Customer Complaints & Feedback Trends
Common issues raised by Shopify shoppers are similar to wider e-commerce: payment or checkout errors, shipping delays, and product quality concerns.
During peak campaigns, complaint volumes can rise, leading merchants to bolster support. Many Shopify stores add chat and FAQ bots around holidays to handle surges.
In response to feedback, merchants increasingly invest in better customer service tools (like SMS updates, self-service portals, and clear return policies).
Shopify itself has improved the checkout flows and fraud protections to reduce common buyer pain points. On the merchant side, Shopify provides support resources (forums, help centers) to minimize customer disputes.
Overall, while exact complaint statistics are not published, Shopify’s emphasis on shopper trust (e.g. carbon-neutral shipping initiatives and Apple/Google Pay) suggests customer experience is a strategic priority for the platform.
Economic Impact of Shopify Customers
Jobs and Revenue Generated via Customer Spending
Shopify customers drive a massive economic engine. In 2022, consumption on Shopify stores contributed roughly $490.5 billion in total economic activity worldwide.
That includes direct revenue to merchants plus the ripple effects through supply chains. Similarly, Shopify-based entrepreneurship supported about 5.2 million jobs globally in 2022. In other words, millions of jobs (in retail, manufacturing, services, shipping, and tech) are sustained by spending from Shopify customers.
As customers buy, they generate revenue for tens of thousands of merchants and their partners. By Shopify’s own estimates (with Deloitte’s help), the platform’s ecosystem contributed $229.3 billion to global GDP in 2022.
Every dollar spent by a Shopify customer not only goes to the merchant, but cascades into jobs and taxes, making Shopify a significant driver of local economies and entrepreneurship worldwide.
Customer Spend Volume vs. Merchant Count
On average, each Shopify store handles a modest number of customers. With ~700M shoppers and ~5.5M stores (end-2023), that averages to ~127 customers per store per year (though distribution is highly skewed, many small stores sell only to a few hundred customers, while large brands sell millions).
In revenue terms, the typical Shopify merchant sees on the order of tens of thousands of dollars annually. One estimate places average annual revenue per Shopify store around $72,000, implying roughly $6000 per month. Lifetime customer value (LTV) thus spans a few hundred dollars to thousands, depending on purchase frequency and retention.
These figures reinforce that Shopify’s strength lies in volume of merchants and customers: the sheer breadth of its user base, not astronomical per-customer spending fuels Shopify’s growth. However, the customer lifetime value can be substantial for many businesses once repeat purchase rates are factored in.
Is Shopify’s Customer Growth Expected to Continue?
Continued growth in markets (Asia/Latin America), further shifts to mobile and social commerce (Instagram/TikTok shopping), and innovations like AR/VR shopping will shape Shopify’s customer strategy. Shopify’s investments in AI-powered marketing and one-click checkout (Shop Pay) are likely to keep raising conversion rates.
Shopify’s customers are a young, mobile-savvy audience whose aggregate spending drives the platform’s success. B2C merchants should tune in to these trends, and remember that every percentage point of lift in AOV, repeat rate, or conversion can translate to large sums given Shopify’s scale.