Read on for our top e-commerce stories of 2018.

It’s that time of year again! A time for eggnog and carols and top story lists from your favorite news outlets. Here are the news stories and data analysis content that got the most attention on Digital Commerce 360 this year.

U.S. e-commerce sales grow

A perennial story leader, Internet Retailer’s full-year review and analysis of U.S. e-retail sales growth, based on U.S. Commerce Department figures, was Internet Retailer and Digital Commerce 360’s most-viewed story of the year.

Amazon reigns

Amazon.com Inc. leads e-commerce in North America and most other markets where it is active, and Amazon stories always draw readers and incite debate. This summary of Amazon’s fiscal year was our No. 2 story of the year, and an infographic that maps out Amazon’s acquisitions over time drew lots of shares on social media.

A trillion dollar market

E-commerce sales in China passed the $1 trillion mark in 2017, making it more than twice the size of the U.S. e-commerce market, and this story was Internet Retailer’s No. 3 story of 2018. Many U.S. merchants, to varying degrees of success, are working to draw sales from Chinese online shoppers, but have a lot of work ahead.

Painting a picture

Internet Retailer’s research department created dozens of infographics featuring Internet Retailer’s unique industry data and illustrating industry trends. These were the most popular (create a free strategy account to view):

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Growth industries

Readers of Internet Retailer and DigitalCommerce360.com know online sales are growing steadily, but hot opportunities for growth continue to emerge, especially for entrepreneurs willing to take a few risks. Two attention-getting stories and product categories of 2018 were cannabis and alcohol. In January 2018, we did a deep dive on how weed and cannabis products can be and are being sold online, and in March examined how and why online sales of alcohol are growing at 33% per year—well over twice the pace of e-commerce growth.

The tax man cometh

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn precedent concerning sales tax collection for goods sold online to consumers in states where the seller has no physical presence threw many e-retailers into chaos in 2018, and made Internet Retailer’s coverage of this complex issue among our most-viewed content of 2018. Check out our complete archive on the issue.

The Hot 100

Finally, the innovative online retailers and brands selected for Internet Retailer’s annual Hot 100 list always generate a lot of interest. These are the companies you’ll be hearing about a lot in 2019. If you missed the latest edition—released in November—you can download the complete list and the accompanying profiles by clicking below.

 

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