Which is the biggest e-commerce company?

Amazon is the largest e-commerce company by revenue and market capitalization. The company brought in $716 billion in revenue in 2025. It has a market cap of more than $2 trillion.

How do top e-commerce companies generate revenue?

E-commerce companies generate revenue primarily from direct sales and by operating third-party marketplaces. Some, like Shopify, provide software platforms to run e-commerce businesses.

How many e-commerce companies are there in the U.S.?

If you include small businesses like third-party sellers, there are around 2.5 million e-commerce companies in the U.S. However, there are only a handful of major e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon, Etsy, and Walmart.

Which e-commerce companies pay dividends?

Not a lot of pure-play e-commerce companies pay dividends. Two e-commerce companies that pay dividends include eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) and JD.com (NASDAQ:JD), a Chinese e-commerce company.

Are e-commerce companies a good investment?

Yes, some e-commerce stocks have been great investments, like Amazon, Shopify, and MercadoLibre. It is a higher-risk sector, so there have been losers as well, but picking the right e-commerce stock could give you multibagging returns.

What's the difference between B2C and B2B e-commerce stocks?

Most e-commerce stocks are B2C (business-to-consumer), since e-commerce is essentially online retail. Some e-commerce companies, like Amazon and Alibaba, have divisions devoted to business shoppers, and Shopify could be considered a B2B company since it makes software for e-commerce companies.

Are e-commerce stocks considered high-risk or high-reward investments?

In general, e-commerce stocks are considered high-risk/high-reward investments. Most e-commerce companies are growing faster than the S&P 500, and they tend to trade at premium valuations. They are more volatile than the average stock, but have the potential for greater returns.

How does consumer behavior impact e-commerce companies?

E-commerce companies are sensitive to consumer behavior, as most e-commerce spending is discretionary. That means the general health of the economy can affect e-commerce companies, and shopping trends can as well. Global events like the pandemic can have an outsize impact on e-commerce, and technological advances also generally benefit the sector. For example, smartphone technology helped encourage online shopping and drive growth in e-commerce.

Best E-Commerce Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest in Them

Best E-Commerce Stocks to Buy in 2026 and How to Invest in Them

By Jeremy Bowman – Updated Mar 10, 2026 at 4:23 PM EST | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

E-commerce continues to grow, capturing 16% of U.S. retail sales with global sales over $5 trillion.
Top e-commerce stocks like Amazon and Shopify show significant growth potential despite market shifts.
Investors should evaluate e-commerce stocks for growth rate, business model, and competitive advantage.

Not long ago, e-commerce was a niche idea championed by early internet entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos. Today, it’s a massive industry generating nearly $1.2 trillion in annual U.S. sales, about 16% of all retail, and more than $5 trillion globally.

Growth has cooled since the pandemic surge, but online shopping is still expanding and taking share over time. If you’re looking for the top e-commerce stocks to watch, here’s where to start.

Top e-commerce stocks to consider

Ticker Information Table
Name and ticker	Current price	Market cap	Industry
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN)	$250.90	$2.7 trillion	Multiline Retail
Shopify (NASDAQ:SHOP)	$131.35	$165.5 billion	IT Services
Coupang (NYSE:CPNG)	$21.76	$39.3 billion	Multiline Retail
MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI)	$1,852.15	$92.4 billion	Multiline Retail
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT)	$127.20	$995.1 billion	Food and Staples Retailing

Data as of Apr 17, 2026. Showing 5 of 5 tickers.

1. Amazon

NASDAQ: AMZN

Amazon

Today's Change

(0.48%) $1.20

Current Price

$250.90

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$2.7T

Day's Range

$250.77 - $256.19

52wk Range

$165.28 - $258.60

Volume

1.9M

Avg Vol

52M

Gross Margin

50.29%

Amazon (AMZN +0.48%) launched in 1995 and today sells more than 350 million stock-keeping units (SKUs) through its marketplace.
Amazon has not had a true direct competitor in the U.S. and has grown through its third-party marketplace and Amazon Prime. It now has more than 100 fulfillment centers in the U.S.
The company topped Walmart as the biggest company in the world by revenue in 2025.
The stock is up more than 100,000% from its 1997 initial public offering (IPO).

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2. Shopify

NASDAQ: SHOP

Shopify

Today's Change

(3.47%) $4.41

Current Price

$131.35

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$166B

Day's Range

$130.00 - $133.29

52wk Range

$80.35 - $182.19

Volume

262K

Avg Vol

12M

Gross Margin

47.88%

Shopify (SHOP +3.66%) has emerged as Amazon's closest competitor, with more than 2 million merchants around the world, ranging from mom-and-pop businesses to global brand giants like Kraft Heinz (KHC -0.47%).
Shopify provides an end-to-end platform for any business to sell online, handling web design, marketing, payment processing, financial tracking, and even loans.
The company has reached a detente with Amazon, agreeing to integrate its Buy with Prime feature, allowing Amazon Prime members to get free delivery on items labeled "Buy with Prime."
Shopify's revenue has grown from $389 million in 2016 to $11.6 billion in 2025, and it continues to deliver strong growth as it expands its merchant base, adds new AI features, and flexes its pricing power.

3. Coupang

NYSE: CPNG

Coupang

Today's Change

(1.26%) $0.27

Current Price

$21.76

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$39B

Day's Range

$21.51 - $22.23

52wk Range

$16.74 - $34.08

Volume

987K

Avg Vol

24M

Gross Margin

29.37%

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NASDAQ: MELI

MercadoLibre

Today's Change

(1.65%) $30.02

Current Price

$1852.15

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$92B

Day's Range

$1833.00 - $1874.27

52wk Range

$1593.21 - $2645.22

Volume

13K

Avg Vol

572K

Gross Margin

44.50%

Another international e-commerce company, MercadoLibre (MELI +1.59%), has delivered standout growth throughout its history.
MercadoLibre operates across Latin America, but gets half of its revenue from Brazil.
Its primary business is e-commerce, which includes third-party sales. Its MercadoPago fintech platform has also become a sizable business and includes mobile point-of-sale systems.
Most of MercadoPago's payments now come from sources other than the MercadoLibre platform.
The company finished 2025 with 121 million unique buyers and 78 million fintech monthly active users. Revenue reached $28.9 billion, and its margins are expanding.

5. Walmart

NASDAQ: WMT

Walmart

Today's Change

(1.91%) $2.38

Current Price

$127.20

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$995B

Day's Range

$123.38 - $127.36

52wk Range

$91.34 - $134.69

Volume

608K

Avg Vol

23M

Gross Margin

23.41%

Dividend Yield

0.76%

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FAQ

FAQ: E-commerce companies

About the Author

Jeremy Bowman has been a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst, covering technology, consumer goods, and macroeconomic trends since 2011. Before The Motley Fool, Jeremy was a newspaper reporter, restaurant manager, and English teacher abroad. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Colorado College and a master’s degree in business administration from American University. One of his Motley Fool headlines was briefly featured on Late Night with Stephen Colbert.

TMFHobo

@TMFBowman

Jeremy Bowman has positions in Amazon, Home Depot, MercadoLibre, and Shopify. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Chewy, Etsy, Home Depot, MercadoLibre, Shopify, and Walmart. The Motley Fool recommends Alibaba Group, Coupang, Kraft Heinz, and Wayfair. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Business model: There are different kinds of e-commerce businesses. The two primary ones are direct sales and marketplace. Some companies, like Amazon, operate as a hybrid. It's important to understand the business model that the company uses since that will affect its financial outlook. A direct, or first-party sales, company will have much higher revenue than a marketplace, though a marketplace should have higher margins. Other business models in the e-commerce space include software, and some logistics companies have exposure to e-commerce.

Take rate: This is the percentage of GMV that is converted into revenue. It only applies to the marketplace, but it's an important metric to follow since it shows how efficient or inefficient a business is at monetizing income.

Operating margin: profitability is key for any company, and that is especially true in e-commerce. Some stocks have emerged as profit machines after years of losses; others, like Wayfair, have struggled. Revenue growth or billions of dollars in revenue don't necessarily signal a healthy business without a profit.

Competitive advantage: Competitive advantage isn't quantifiable, but it's worth assessing in e-commerce. Many e-commerce stocks tend to be category leaders,like Wayfair for home furnishings and Chewy for pet products. It's worth considering concepts like brand strength and barriers to entry when assessing an e-commerce company's competitive advantage.

Key trends in the e-commerce industry

E-commerce is only about a generation old, but it's still evolving, and it's gone through several stages after the dot-com boom and bust. Here are some key trends to watch in the industry right now.

Monetization of the platform: Increasingly, e-commerce platforms are making money on more than just selling goods. Many of them have leveraged the traffic and data from e-commerce to sell advertising, and the industry now generates tens of billions of dollars in ads. Amazon started the trend, and other companies have followed suit. That's the biggest form of monetization, but e-commerce companies are also using their platforms to sell memberships for perks like fast delivery, payment services like credit cards, and more.

The influence of AI: Artificial intelligence is disrupting much of the business world and that includes e-commerce. Chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude are taking market share from Google Search, which is a high-traffic source for e-commerce businesses, so e-commerce platforms are partnering with AI chatbots to do instant checkout, find new customers, and potentially advertise. As AI matures, its impact on e-commerce will grow.

Tariffs: Tariffs have roiled the retail sector, and e-commerce is a big part of that, as many small marketplace sellers and bigger companies depend on goods imported from China and other markets. Tariffs have forced e-commerce companies to reconfigure supply chains and, in some cases, prioritize nearshoring. However, it's unclear where trade policy will end up after the Supreme Court blocked President Trump's first attempt to impose tariffs.

Are e-commerce stocks right for you?

E-commerce stocks offer a lot of upside potential for investors, but they come with risks. Many e-commerce companies aren’t profitable, and even the ones that are profitable generally have only minimal profits. The hangover in the sector from the pandemic recovery has faded, but the sector is unlikely to return to its pre-pandemic growth rate as a whole.

Investors should be aware that e-commerce is riskier than most stock market sectors, but the track record of these stocks shows that just one successful e-commerce stock can deliver life-changing returns.

Best E-Commerce Stocks to Buy in 2026 and How to Invest in Them

Key Points

Top e-commerce stocks to consider

1. Amazon

NASDAQ: AMZN

Key Data Points

2. Shopify

NASDAQ: SHOP

Key Data Points

3. Coupang

NYSE: CPNG

Key Data Points

NASDAQ: MELI

Key Data Points

5. Walmart

NASDAQ: WMT

Key Data Points

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FAQ

FAQ: E-commerce companies

Which is the biggest e-commerce company?

Which is the biggest e-commerce company?

How do top e-commerce companies generate revenue?

How do top e-commerce companies generate revenue?

How many e-commerce companies are there in the U.S.?

How many e-commerce companies are there in the U.S.?

Which e-commerce companies pay dividends?

Which e-commerce companies pay dividends?

Are e-commerce companies a good investment?

Are e-commerce companies a good investment?

What's the difference between B2C and B2B e-commerce stocks?

What's the difference between B2C and B2B e-commerce stocks?

Are e-commerce stocks considered high-risk or high-reward investments?

Are e-commerce stocks considered high-risk or high-reward investments?

How does consumer behavior impact e-commerce companies?

How does consumer behavior impact e-commerce companies?

About the Author

Read Next

Stocks Mentioned

Premium Investing Services

How to invest in e-commerce stocks

Benefits and risks of investing in e-commerce stocks

What to look for when investing in e-commerce companies

Key trends in the e-commerce industry

Are e-commerce stocks right for you?

4. MercadoLibre