The headline
Per Census Retail E-commerce + Shopify + ChannelAdvisor data, small businesses drive about 40% of US ecommerce gross merchandise volume. Total SMB ecommerce sales hit ~$480B in 2025, growing 11% YoY — slightly outpacing total ecommerce growth (~9%).
Platform share
- Shopify — 32% of SMB ecommerce platform share
- Amazon (3P sellers) — 28%
- WooCommerce — 17%
- eBay, Etsy, Walmart Marketplace — 12% combined
- Direct + headless + custom — 11%
Cross-border opportunity
SMB exports via ecommerce hit ~$120B in 2025 — up 18% YoY. Tools like Shopify Markets, Wayflyer, and Amazon Global Selling have lowered the friction. Top destinations from US sellers: Canada, UK, Australia, Germany.