D. Tighe
Research expert covering shopping behavior, sports and leisure retail, and the subscriptions and direct selling industry
Get in touch with us nowUnited States: top 100 retailers 2021, by U.S. retail sales
This ranking depicts the leading 100 American retailers in 2021, based on U.S. retail sales. Once again, Walmart was the leading American retailer. That year, the company accounted for retail sales of about 460 billion U.S. dollars.
Walmart was founded by Samuel Moore Walton (1918-1992) in 1962. Walmart's headquarters is situated in Bentonville, Arkansas and operates worldwide under different names (such as Walmex in Mexico and Best Price in India).
As such, the retail paradigm has shifted from a physical connection point with customers to a multi-pronged approach that crosses both physical and digital channels. The traditional brick-and-mortar retail store is no longer the dominant medium for purchasing all types of goods. Instead, it serves as one of many potential connection points between customers and a retailer's brand.
Today's consumer is increasingly connected to both the physical and digital space and able to interact with retailers through multiple channels simultaneously. To stay competitive in this ever-evolving landscape, it is imperative for retailers to deliver a seamless customer experience across all channels and provide the right services and products at the right time.
Walmart was founded by Samuel Moore Walton (1918-1992) in 1962. Walmart's headquarters is situated in Bentonville, Arkansas and operates worldwide under different names (such as Walmex in Mexico and Best Price in India).
Leading retailers in the United States
Although Walmart is the unequivocal front-running retailer in terms of U.S. retail sales, Amazon.com inches closer each and every year. The retail industry is in the midst of a customer revolution. The collision of the virtual and physical worlds is fundamentally changing consumers' purchasing behaviors. Consumers are seeking an integrated shopping experience across all channels and expect retailers to deliver this experience. The key drivers of this customer revolution are the rapid adoption of mobile devices, digital media and tablets equipped with shopping apps. In fact, the number of smartphone users in the United States was about 300 million in 2021. In other words, nearly the entire country's population now uses smartphones.As such, the retail paradigm has shifted from a physical connection point with customers to a multi-pronged approach that crosses both physical and digital channels. The traditional brick-and-mortar retail store is no longer the dominant medium for purchasing all types of goods. Instead, it serves as one of many potential connection points between customers and a retailer's brand.
Today's consumer is increasingly connected to both the physical and digital space and able to interact with retailers through multiple channels simultaneously. To stay competitive in this ever-evolving landscape, it is imperative for retailers to deliver a seamless customer experience across all channels and provide the right services and products at the right time.
