by Overall sales figures include a wide mix of merchandise including furniture
WASHINGTON — A recent report from the Department of Commerce offers a window into e-commerce sales activity in the fourth quarter and for the full year 2025 compared to a year earlier.
According to the report, e-commerce sales adjusted for seasonal variation but not price changes totaled $316.1 billion in the fourth quarter, up 5.3% from $300.3 billion the same period in 2024. It was up 1.7% from $310.8 billion in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, it accounted for 16.6% of overall retail sales, which were up 2.7% from $1.85 trillion to $1.9 trillion. This compares with 16.2% a year earlier and 16.4% of the $1.89 trillion in the third quarter.
For the full year, e-commerce sales totaled $1.2 trillion, up 5.4% from 2024 and accounting for 16.4% of total retail sales, compared with 16.1% in 2024.
The government defines e-commerce sales as the sale of goods or services where the buyer places an order on an internet or mobile device or comparable online system and where payment can be made online, in person or by mail.
Thus, the figures above include a wide mix of merchandise including furniture.
By some estimates, furniture and home furnishings represent 7% to 9% of total e-commerce sales, with Wayfair, Amazon, Ikea and Walmart among the top resources in the marketplace. For the year, IBISWorld estimates that total online home furnishings sales were $74 billion, representing nearly 50% of home furnishings-related transactions in the U.S.
Bedroom and living room are among the top-selling categories, accounting for 35% of online furniture sales in 2025, according to Grand View research.
The figures may seem staggering, but also consider that shopping for furniture online has been made much easier, although high shipping costs are known to cause buyers to have second thoughts before clicking the buy-now tab.
That said, there are tens of thousands of products to research and shop online. In addition, detailed descriptions including dimensions along with detailed product photography make it easy for consumers to visualize what they are buying.
Some, of course, even make their purchases through a store website after having seen the product on the floor, allowing for a simple and speedy transaction from their home computer or mobile device.
The data suggests that while online furniture sales will continue to grow, it also will be important to get consumers in stores to see and feel the product before they make their final purchase decision.
Regardless of how the consumer buys furniture — be it in-store or on the retailer’s website — retailers will continue to have a chance to take part in the growing e-commerce sales realm by simply making the online sales option available to their customers.
By not doing so, they are likely encouraging their customers to buy their furniture somewhere else.
