Global e-commerce sales will soar to more than $6.5 trillion by 2023, up from $3.5 trillion in 2019, according to Statista. It's an enormous and rapidly expanding market -- one that will create fortunes for investors who own shares in the companies that stand to profit handsomely from this incredible opportunity.
If you'd like to claim your share of the online retail industry's profits, here are three stocks that can help you do so.
These are the e-commerce stocks you're looking for. Image source: Getty Images.
JD.com
China has the world's largest online retail market. It's projected to top $4 trillion in annual sales by 2023, up from $1.9 trillion in 2019, according to eMarketer. And within this massive industry, JD.com (JD 1.23%) has built a powerful competitive position.
JD.com has invested heavily to build out what is arguably the best e-commerce fulfillment network in China. These investments are beginning to bear fruit. With the coronavirus pandemic driving more people to shop online in the world's most populous country, JD.com's sales growth is accelerating. Its revenue surged 34% year over year, to $28.5 billion, in the second quarter, up from a corresponding rise of 21% in the first quarter. Better still, JD.com is becoming more profitable as it scales its operations. Its operating income soared 123% to $714 million.
With China's e-commerce market set to double in size in the coming years, JD.com's sales and profits -- and, by extension, its stock price -- could easily do the same.
PayPal
Investors often overlook PayPal (PYPL -1.83%) when searching for ways to profit from the e-commerce boom, much to their detriment. With solutions such as its One Touch checkout feature -- which allows people to skip entering their credit card information and buy goods online with the click of a button -- the digital payments leader makes shopping online easier, faster, and more secure. And by helping to enable the growth of online retail, PayPal has delivered market-crushing returns to its shareholders.
PayPal also owns Venmo, the massively popular peer-to-peer payments app. Like PayPal's core payments platform, Venmo's user base and payment volumes continue to grow rapidly. Investors can expect this growth to continue in the years ahead, as retail sales increasingly shift online, and more people turn to digital apps to send money in place of cash transactions.
Walmart
Like PayPal, Walmart (WMT -0.65%) is not the first company that comes to mind when investors think about e-commerce stocks. But make no mistake -- the retail titan is becoming a powerful force in the online arena. Walmart's e-commerce sales soared 97% in the second quarter, which helped to boost its overall revenue to a staggering $137.7 billion.
Rather than rest on its laurels after this incredible performance, Walmart is moving to fortify its online operations. In June, Walmart partnered with Shopify (SHOP 0.14%) to expand its third-party merchant network. Roughly 1,200 of Shopify's merchants will be able to sell their wares on Walmart.com beginning this year, and the commerce platform intends to give more of its over 1 million customers the ability to sell on Walmart.com over time. And on Sept.1, Walmart rolled out its new Walmart+ membership program. For as little as $12.95 per month or $98 per year, members will receive free delivery services, fuel discounts, and a host of other benefits.
Walmart has long dominated the traditional retail industry, and it now has its sights set on taking share in the massive e-commerce market. It's already well on its way, and investors who buy shares today stand to profit as Walmart fulfills its online ambitions.
