E-commerce can help a business reach online customers and sell beyond a physical storefront, but it does not guarantee more demand, lower costs, or higher profit. Its advantages are buyer convenience, broad online access, and the ability to add another sales channel. Its demands include a reliable website, accurate order handling, delivery performance, and security. Whether online sales suit a business depends on its customers, products, and ability to operate the channel well.
What counts as e-commerce?
E-commerce is defined by how an order is placed or its terms are negotiated—not by whether the customer pays online. The U.S. Census Bureau includes orders arranged through the internet, mobile devices, extranet, electronic data interchange (EDI), email, or comparable systems; as the Bureau puts it, “Payment may or may not be made online.” Its Quarterly E-Commerce Report covers U.S. retail trade in NAICS sectors 44–45 and produces national estimates, not state-level figures. The estimates are based on a sample and may differ from the unknown values for the full population. U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly E-Commerce Report – General FAQs.
That definition covers more than a standalone online shop. A business may sell through its own website or app, a marketplace, or online channels alongside a physical store. Eurostat describes the channel opportunity as a way to “reach online customers” and “complement or replace traditional sales channels such as in-store selling.” That is a possible configuration, not a guarantee that online sales will suit every business. Eurostat, Digitalisation in Europe – 2026 edition.
What are the advantages of e-commerce for a business?
It can add access to online customers
An online channel gives a business another way to reach customers. It can complement a shop, serve customers who do not visit in person, or be the primary sales route. The right choice depends on the market and the business’s ability to attract and serve online buyers; channel access alone does not establish that enough customers will find or buy from a particular seller.
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It offers convenience and availability to buyers
Online shoppers can browse from home and visit shops at any hour. Eurostat also identifies wider choice and easier price comparison as advantages of buying online. These are potential customer benefits, not a promise that a specific seller will offer lower prices or a broader range than its competitors. Eurostat, Digitalisation in Europe – 2026 edition.
Online sales are a meaningful channel for many businesses
Eurostat’s 2026 edition reports that 24% of EU businesses conducted e-sales in 2025, up from 19% in 2015. The e-sales reference year is 2024—the calendar year before the 2025 survey. Among businesses in the survey, participation differed by size: 48% of large businesses and 23% of SMEs conducted e-sales. The enterprise survey covers businesses with at least 10 employees; SMEs have 10–249 employees, and large businesses have 250 or more.
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Eurostat reports that e-sales accounted for 19% of EU business turnover in 2025, compared with 16% in 2015; the reported share was 24% at large businesses and 12% at SMEs. Turnover is revenue, not profit, and these EU-wide figures do not predict what an individual business will earn. They also should not be treated as outcomes for businesses with fewer than 10 employees, which are outside the survey’s stated coverage. Eurostat, Digitalisation in Europe – 2026 edition.
What are the disadvantages and operating demands?
Delivery promises have to match reality
For businesses selling physical goods, the order is only part of the customer experience; getting it to the buyer as promised matters too. In 2025, 20% of EU people who had purchased online in the previous three months reported delivery taking longer than indicated. This is a buyer-reported problem, not a measure of seller costs or losses, but it shows why delivery estimates and fulfillment arrangements deserve attention. Eurostat, Digitalisation in Europe – 2026 edition.
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The storefront needs to work clearly and reliably
A confusing or malfunctioning website can get in the way of a sale and frustrate customers. In 2025, 11% of recent EU online buyers reported that a website was too difficult to use or did not work satisfactorily. The figure does not estimate the cost of building or maintaining a storefront, but it underlines that a usable buying experience is an operating requirement, not merely a design preference. Eurostat, Digitalisation in Europe – 2026 edition.
Listings, handling, and packaging affect the order experience
In 2025, 10% of recent EU online buyers reported receiving wrong or damaged goods or services. For a goods seller, clear product information, accurate picking and packing, and suitable packaging are practical areas to manage. Eurostat’s buyer survey identifies the problem; it does not establish which specific intervention prevents it or how much one will cost. Eurostat, Digitalisation in Europe – 2026 edition.
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Security is part of running the business
Online operations rely on information and communications technology, so access controls, password practices, and backups warrant attention. Eurostat reports that 22% of EU businesses experienced ICT security incidents in 2024, while 93% used at least one ICT security measure. The most commonly listed measures included strong password authentication (84%), backup to a separate location or cloud (79%), and network access control (65%). These are figures for businesses generally, not ecommerce operators alone, and they do not quantify ecommerce-specific losses. Eurostat, Digitalisation in Europe – 2026 edition.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to decide whether online sales fit your business
Start with the job the channel needs to do. Is it meant to complement an existing shop, reach customers who cannot visit, or replace in-person sales? Then assess the operational work and economics for your own products and market. The official figures show that e-sales are used and contribute to turnover across EU businesses, but they do not establish average startup costs, operating margins, customer-acquisition costs, or profitability. They also do not show that selling online is inherently cheaper or more profitable than selling in person.
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- Demand: Identify the customers you expect to reach online and how they will find the offer. Do not treat general online-shopping figures as proof of demand for your business.
- Customer experience: Consider whether you can maintain clear listings, a straightforward checkout, accurate order handling, and delivery estimates you can meet.
- Work and cost: Estimate setup and ongoing work for the storefront, payment and order processes, fulfillment, customer service, and security. Use your own quotes and assumptions; the cited sources do not provide a general cost benchmark.
- Channel choice: Compare an own website or app with a marketplace on setup and upkeep, fees, customer discovery, control over the storefront, access to customer relationships and data, fulfillment responsibilities, and resilience if one channel underperforms. These are questions to investigate for your situation; the available figures do not compare the channels on those measures.
- Fit with in-person sales: Decide whether online selling should supplement or replace a physical channel. Neither configuration is established as universally better.
Eurostat reports that 21% of EU businesses used websites or apps for sales, including 8% using their own website or app and 9% using an ecommerce marketplace. These reported categories are presented as Eurostat reports them; they should not be added together as if they captured all e-sales activity. The data confirm that both routes are used, but do not establish which is more profitable or effective for a particular seller. Eurostat, Digitalisation in Europe – 2026 edition.
What the online-shopping figures do—and do not—say
Eurostat reports that 78% of people aged 16–74 in the EU bought or ordered goods or services online in 2025, compared with 62% in 2015. That indicates online purchasing is common in this population; it does not mean that 78% of people are potential customers for any one business. In the same publication, 35% of EU people who bought online in the previous three months encountered a problem. The listed issues included slower-than-indicated delivery (20%), a difficult or unsatisfactory website (11%), and wrong or damaged goods or services (10%). These are buyer-reported experiences, not seller cost, complaint, or loss rates. Eurostat, Digitalisation in Europe – 2026 edition.
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