2019 Online and In-Store Retail Shopping Trends

Consumers are buying fewer things, purchasing more big-ticket items online, and continuing to shop primarily in-store for everyday products, such as groceries, according to recent research from Walker Sands.

The Future of Retail 2019 report was based on data from a survey conducted in March 2019 among 1,600 consumers in the United States.

Two-thirds of respondents of all ages, and 72% of those age 18-35, say they are buying fewer things because they have become more conscious of keeping a clean, organized lifestyle.

In part because of this shift toward a less-is-more mentality, consumers are increasingly renting products: Some 17% of respondents age 26-35 say they have rented clothing in the past year, and 15% have rented furniture.

Some 46% of respondents of all ages, and 56% of those age 26-35, say they are now more open to purchasing a big-ticket item online than they were a year ago.

The most popular big-ticket categories online are furniture (20% of respondents have purchased online) and home appliances (17%).

Brick-and-mortar remains popular with consumers for buying things like food and other daily necessities: Some 83% of respondents say they purchased groceries in-store in the past year, and 76% say they purchased consumer packaged goods.

Books are the only type of product that consumers shopped for more on third-party marketplaces like Amazon than in-store.

About the research: The Future of Retail 2019 report was based on data from a survey conducted in March 2019 among 1,600 consumers in the United States.