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Ecommerce order volume across all channels in the United States grew 147% year over year in 2025, according to Omnisend’s eighth annual eCommerce marketing study. Analysis of tens of thousands of US-based SMB eCommerce brands’ sales activities across channels shows that growth was uneven across the market. The top 5% of brands accounted for 54% of total order growth. The report suggests this indicates that demand was concentrated among a relatively small share of brands during the year.
Omnisend’s marketing data of emails, SMS messages and push notifications helps explain this shift. American shoppers clicked marketing messages less often, but when they did, they were more likely to buy and spend more. With fewer chances to reach shoppers, timing becomes more important. Brands that could react quickly to customer behaviour captured more sales. As a result, behaviour-based automated emails generated 25% of total email revenue from just 1.7% of sends.
“What we saw in 2025 reflects the broader US economy – growth came back. But it didn’t reach everyone,” says Marty Bauer, Ecommerce Expert at Omnisend. “After years of inflation and uncertainty, people were still willing to spend. However, they were much more intentional about where they spent their money. Brands able to react quickly to customer behaviour had a clear advantage, while others found it harder to keep up.”
Key research findings
- Ecommerce order volume grew +98% YoY, but growth wasn’t shared evenly. Just 5% of brands generated 57% of total order volume growth, while the remaining 95% competed for what was left.
- Open rates rose for the fifth consecutive year, even as click rates declined. At the same time, click-to-conversion jumped 53% YoY, meaning fewer people clicked — but those who did were far more likely to buy.
- Q4 engagement was lower, but the value was higher. Clicks dropped, yet average order value nearly doubled compared to other quarters, showing that shoppers bought with purpose when they did engage.
- Automation delivered outsized results. They represented just 2% of email sends, but drove 30% of revenue, earning 16× more per send than scheduled campaigns by reaching shoppers at high-intent moments.
- SMS and push became critical intent channels. SMS click rates more than doubled YoY, while push automation conversion rates surged to 22.9%, giving brands a direct line to ready-to-buy customers.
Engaged shoppers
Shoppers engaged with marketing less often but bought more when they did. Marketing performance data from Omnisend shows that quality mattered more than quantity for US brands. While it became harder to earn clicks, each interaction was more valuable. Brands generated more revenue from fewer engagements, reflecting a shift toward more intentional shopping behaviour.
Year over year:
- Average order value rose from $149 to $182, a 22% increase
- Average revenue per email increased by 17%, from $0.08 to $0.10
- Email click-to-conversion increased by 51%, rising from 5.0% to 7.69%
- At the same time, email click rates declined by 33%
“Clicks became harder to get in 2025, but they also became more valuable,” says Bauer. “Shoppers were more selective, but when they did engage, they were ready to spend more. That’s why fewer interactions still produced more revenue — each click carried more intent than it did before. That shift rewarded brands that focused on efficiency and relevance, rather than volume.”
Behaviour-based marketing
The data shows that many of the fastest-growing US brands used automation to respond to customer behaviour in real time. As shoppers became more selective, brands that reached customers when they were already close to buying saw better results.
Key automation findings:
- Automated emails generated 25% of total email revenue while representing just 1.7% of email sends.
- Revenue per automated email send: $2.01.
- Revenue per scheduled email send: $0.10.
- Automated messages delivered higher conversion efficiency across channels:
- Email click-to-conversion: automated 27.05%; scheduled 7.69%.
- SMS click-to-conversion: automated 3.61%; scheduled 0.89%.
- Push click-to-conversion: automated 17.88%; scheduled 3.22%.
“Brands that relied on automation weren’t trying to convince people to buy. They were responding when customers had already shown intent,” adds Bauer. “In a year when attention was limited and shoppers had more options than ever, that approach worked better. Automated messages performed well because they fit naturally into how people shop today, rather than interrupting them.”
Methodology
This report analysed ecommerce performance across 150,000 brands, based on 27 billion emails and 321 million SMS messages. In addition, it included 458 million push notifications sent globally using Omnisend in 2025. Overall, eCommerce growth was measured using total order volume across all sales channels. Email, SMS, and push performance was based on messages sent through Omnisend. Automated and scheduled messages were analysed separately to reflect their different roles in the customer journey. Year-over-year comparisons measure 2025 performance against the same periods in 2024. Brands were included in growth calculations only when comparable data was available. Growth concentration analysis shows how much total growth was driven by the fastest-growing brands.
Enterprise Times: What this means for businesses
On the face of it, the US eCommerce landscape looks absolutely splendid. The 2025 Omnisend eCommerce study highlights that while overall online order volumes surged dramatically, this growth was not evenly distributed. A small group of top-performing brands captured most gains, largely by harnessing real-time, behaviour-based automation to engage customers at moments of high buying intent. Shoppers became more selective, engaging less frequently with marketing but spending more when they did.
As a result, brands that prioritised relevance and quick responses to consumer behaviour outperformed those relying on traditional, high-volume promotional tactics. The findings underscore the increasing importance of efficiency, personalisation, and automation in successful eCommerce marketing strategies.
What’s also interesting about the report is the resilience of email. Many commentators of the past have predicted the demise of email marketing. However, this form of marketing communications refuses to die and remains an effective channel, particularly in combination with other technologies.