Omnisend data shows U.S. ecommerce orders surged in 2025, but over half of that growth came from just 5% of brands.
U.S. ecommerce order volume surged 147% year over year in 2025—but the rebound was far from evenly distributed. According to a new study from Omnisend, the top 5% of U.S.-based ecommerce brands accounted for 54% of total order growth, underscoring how demand is concentrated among a relatively small group of winners.
The analysis, based on tens of thousands of small and mid-sized ecommerce brands, suggests that while consumer spending recovered, attention did not. Shoppers clicked on marketing messages less frequently, but when they did engage, they were more likely to buy—and to spend more.
Fewer Clicks, Higher Intent
Omnisend’s data points to a shift in consumer behavior toward greater selectivity. Brands faced fewer opportunities to reach customers, but each interaction carried more intent.
Year over year in 2025:
- Average order value rose 22%, from $149 to $182
- Average revenue per email increased 17%, from $0.08 to $0.10
- Email click-to-conversion rates climbed 51%, from 5.0% to 7.69%
- Email click rates fell 33%
The result: higher revenue generated from fewer engagements.
“What we saw in 2025 reflects the broader U.S. economy—growth came back, but it didn’t reach everyone,” said Marty Bauer, ecommerce expert at Omnisend. “Consumers were still willing to spend, but they were far more intentional about where they spent their money.”
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Automation Captures an Outsized Share
Brands that performed best, the report finds, were those able to respond quickly to customer behavior. Behavior-based automated messages—triggered by actions such as browsing or cart abandonment—generated a disproportionate share of revenue despite representing a tiny fraction of total sends.
Key findings include:
- Automated emails produced 25% of total email revenue from just 1.7% of sends
- Revenue per automated email: $2.01
- Revenue per scheduled email: $0.10
Conversion efficiency also skewed heavily toward automation:
- Email click-to-conversion: 27.05% (automated) vs. 7.69% (scheduled)
- SMS click-to-conversion: 3.61% vs. 0.89%
- Push notification click-to-conversion: 17.88% vs. 3.22%
“Brands that leaned on automation weren’t trying to persuade shoppers—they were responding to intent that was already there,” Bauer said. “In a year when attention was scarce and choice was abundant, relevance and timing mattered more than volume.”
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A Market That Rewarded Speed
The findings suggest that 2025 was not simply a year of ecommerce growth, but one of consolidation. Brands that could react in real time to customer behavior gained ground, while others struggled to keep pace.
As consumer attention grows more fragmented, the report points to a clear lesson: growth is still possible—but only for brands that move quickly, act precisely, and meet shoppers at the moment they’re ready to buy.
