NEW YORK, United States — Online shopping has become the second-biggest chunk of the $520 billion US retail market, after overtaking grocery stores and restaurants in June.

Spending at non-store retailers, which includes online vendors such as Amazon.com, rose 1.7 percent last month and drove the overall increase in sales, according to the Commerce Department. Those outlets accounted for 12.45 percent of the national retail spend in June — ahead of the 12.44 percent going to grocery stores, and 12.41 percent at restaurants and bars.

It was the first time that non-store retailers had grabbed the number two ranking among the 13 categories that the commerce data is broken into. Vehicles and auto parts stores continued to account for the biggest chunk of US spending, about one dollar in five.

After seasonal adjustment, Americans spent $64.7 billion at non-store retailers in June. The category contributed about half of the overall 0.4 percent rise in retail sales.

By: Alex Tanzi; Editor: Alex Tanzi, Ben Holland