Amazon dethroned Walmart as the biggest winner of retail spend in the U.S. in 2021.
In that year, 9.4% of consumers’ total retail spend went to Amazon, while 8.6% went to Walmart, according to “Amazon Versus Walmart Q4 2021,” a PYMNTS report.
Get the report: Amazon Versus Walmart Q4 2021
Amazon has been steadily gaining on Walmart in the retail space since 2014. The eCommerce giant went from earning just 2.2% of consumers’ total retail spend in 2014 to earning more and more of consumers’ total retail spend with each passing year.
Meanwhile, Walmart’s total share of U.S. households’ retail spending has held steady at approximately 9% since 2014.
Amazon’s lead over Walmart is the greatest in two segments: electronics and appliances spend, and sporting goods, hobby, music and book spend. In each of these two segments, Amazon captured nearly five times more share of U.S. household spending than Walmart in 2021.
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The share of the average U.S. household’s electronics and appliances spending at Amazon was 24.5% while that at Walmart was 5.1%.
The share of the average U.S. household’s sporting goods, hobby, music and book spending at Amazon was 16.9% while that at Walmart was 3.4%.
Amazon secured more than twice the clothing and apparel spend than Walmart in 2021. The share of the average U.S. household’s clothing and apparel spending at Amazon was 14.6% while that at Walmart was 6.5%.
Amazon is still behind in food and beverage spend, with Walmart capturing roughly 10 times more share of U.S. household spending than Amazon in 2021.
The share of the average U.S. household’s food and beverage spending at Walmart was 18.6% while that at Amazon was 1.9%.
The food and beverage segment is Walmart’s last stronghold in the U.S. retail market, with the grocer maintaining a decisive lead over Amazon that shows no sign of shrinking.
