Rather than browsing store aisles in person, consumers now prefer an endless aisle — turning to ecommerce for specific items.
Data backs this up, with eMarketer forecasting $7.88 trillion in global retail ecommerce sales worldwide by 2028.
But ecommerce growth hasn’t been distributed equally across categories. Here are the top three verticals shoppers buy online and why they gravitate to them.
According to Salsify’s “2026 Consumer Research” report, the three most popular ecommerce verticals are:
Sixty-five percent of shoppers say they have made a fashion and apparel purchase in the last year, making it the top category consumers buy online.
Food and beverage came in second, with 60% of shoppers reporting a purchase in this category over the last year.
Electronics was a close third, as 59% of shoppers bought these items over the same period, according to Salsify research.
To understand why consumers flock to these three categories, it’s important to understand their motivations for shopping online in the first place.
Salsify research found that consumers buy online rather than in-store for several reasons:
The data indicates consumers are concerned about affordability and feel they’re more likely to get competitive pricing online. This isn’t surprising considering the amount of comparison shopping, showrooming (browsing in-store and then purchasing online), and webrooming (browsing online and then purchasing in-store) that happens before shoppers finally convert.
Unsurprisingly, convenience ranked second. We live in an on-demand world, and consumers now expect to get products faster and whenever they need them.
The other reasons — availability, selection, and customer reviews and ratings — suggest shoppers not only value choice, but also crave more information to make the best purchasing decisions.
Put all these signals together, and it’s understandable why fashion and apparel, food and beverage, and electronics account for the largest share of ecommerce sales.
Product images and videos are the most important elements on the product detail page (PDP) that drive conversions (61%), and the fashion and apparel industry is visually-driven by nature.
Brands are embracing enhanced content like 360-degree videos, product spins, and virtual try-ons as stand-ins for the tactile, real-world experience consumers get in-store.
The takeaway here is that high-quality visuals, consistent, accurate product content, and a comprehensive PDP are conversion drivers in this category.
With convenience being a motivating factor for online shopping (and 57% of shoppers preferring online marketplaces as their top discovery channel), it’s not surprising that this high-frequency category is a top vertical.
Online grocery shopping in particular presents huge opportunities in the U.S. According to Capital One Shopping, “Online grocery delivery revenue totaled $327.7 billion in 2025, up 27.3% year-over-year.”
Brands that want to capture some of the food and beverage online market share should consider growing their presence on delivery platforms, if margins can support it.
Consider developing mobile-first experiences on owned channels that make it easy for consumers to see product availability and find items locally. Additionally, consider investing in subscription models and loyalty programs to encourage repeat, cross-channel purchases.
Electronics are often big-ticket purchases, so consumers rightfully do their due diligence beforehand.
Salsify research indicates 39% of shoppers review two to three channels before making an expensive purchase, while 30% use five to six channels. What’s even more interesting is that 11% of shoppers use seven to 10 channels when making a big-ticket purchase.
As previously mentioned, 33% of consumers say ratings and reviews are the top reason they buy online rather than in-store. Arguably, ratings and reviews are crucial for electronics purchases.
If a consumer is spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on a single item, they want as much unbiased information as possible and recommendations from trusted sources — whether that’s from previous buyers or online influencers they follow.
For electronics brands, the go-forward strategy is clear to grow this online category:
Salsify consumer research shows categories perform differently online than in brick-and-mortar environments.
Consumers have different motivations for making ecommerce purchases, namely price, convenience, research, and discovery.
They can get richer information online, receive a package on their doorstep in hours, and shop on their own terms and across channels, comparing and contrasting items until they settle on a decision.
All these factors are likely why fashion and apparel, food and beverage, and electronics are the top verticals. Brands in each of these categories will win on the digital shelf by aligning their campaigns to how shoppers behave and buy online and by making product content a key anchor of their omnichannel strategy.