America’s Best Online Shops 2026

Are you on the list? Click here to learn more about the licensing options.

America’s Best Online Shops were identified through a multistep evaluation based on 46 objective and subjective criteria. Overall, 500 online shops have been recognized in 25 categories.

First, a list of more than 9,500 online shops in the United States was compiled using Statista’s proprietary research database along with public online databases, online directories and price comparison websites. The online shops with the most visitors from the U.S. and the revenue in 2024 in the U.S. were selected as candidates for further evaluation. Online shops selling mainly digital goods (e.g., netflix.com), subscription-based shops, C2C marketplaces (e.g., ebay.com), B2B online shops, showcase websites and online shops that do not display their site in English were excluded from further evaluation to ensure comparability among the remaining candidates.

The online shops that passed the initial screening were then evaluated based on 36 objective criteria and 10 subjective criteria across 8 dimensions: Trust & Security, Purchase & Delivery, Structure & Usability, Service & Communication, Technical Details, Payment, Likelihood of Purchase and Traffic Growth.

Alongside the objective test, an online panel survey of more than 3,000 American online shoppers was conducted to assess the appearance of the online shops in 10 subjective criteria (e.g., “The homepage is very clear and well structured”). Dimensions were weighted according to what respondents had indicated was most important to them.

After the test phase was over, a subscore for each dimension was calculated. Based on these results, a score out of 10 was determined for each online shop. The top 500 online shops with the highest scores were then awarded “Best Online Shops 2026” and listed on the Newsweek website.

The rankings comprise exclusively online shops that are eligible regarding the scope described in this text. Placement in the ranking is recognition based on 46 subjective and objectives KPIs. The ranking is the result of a rigorous evaluation process which, due to the interval of data collection and analysis, is a reflection of the time period between 04/25-08/25. Furthermore, events occurring after September 9, 2025, and/or pertaining to individual persons affiliated/associated with the online shops were not included in the metrics. As such, the results of this ranking should not be used as the sole source of information for future deliberations. The information provided in this ranking should be considered in conjunction with other available information about online shops.

The quality of online shops that are not included in the rankings is not disputed.

Download the full methodology here.

ABOUT STATISTA R 

Statista R is a world leader in the creation of company, brand and product rankings and top lists, based on comprehensive market research and data analysis: Statista R recognizes the best. With a team of over 100 expert analysts and in cooperation with more than 40 high-profile media brands across all continents, Statista R creates transparency for consumers and business decision-makers and helps companies build trust and recognition across a plethora of industries and product categories. Visit r.statista.com.

Statista R is a division of Statista. The leading data and business intelligence portal provides an extensive collection of statistics, reports and insights on over 80,000 topics from 22,500 sources in 170 industries. Find out more at statista.com.