February 24, 2026
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How Can Retailers Best Address Current US Shopper Psychology and Habits?
In a recent report comprised of Omnisend shopper data pertaining to the last 12 months, several interesting revelations about the current psychology of U.S. shoppers were outlined. Among these — the fact that nearly half of Americans have hidden a purchase from someone (most commonly a spouse or partner); that shopping has permeated every aspect of daily life, no matter what’s happening or where an individual consumer may be; and that shoppers are reluctant to stop their buying habits, seeking to trade down or find alternatives rather than to buy less entirely.
On the 44% of Americans who’ve hidden an online purchase — concerning this cohort, 21% hid at least one purchase from a spouse or partner, 14% from kids in the household, 12% from parents, and 12% from friends. Reasons vary, with 17% explaining that the item was expensive, 15% that it was either unnecessary or an impulsive buy, and 15% stated that the item purchased was either personal or embarrassing. However, 32% of those who had hidden an online buy did so because it was a gift for the person they were hiding it from, which makes logical sense.
“People are feeling more accountable for every dollar, especially at home. When money is tighter, purchases carry more weight — and sometimes that means keeping them private. It’s not as much about secrecy for secrecy’s sake, but more about avoiding judgment,” Marty Bauer, ecommerce expert with Omnisend, said in a press release.
Digging deeper into the data:
- Shopping takes place everywhere, at any time: Shoppers are active at all times — one example being that nearly one-quarter (21.5%) of consumers have even made purchases while on the toilet. About two-thirds (66.5%) have shopped from their living room couch, more than half (51%) while watching TV or streaming, and 42.1% while in bed. Almost one-third (28.8%) admitted to shopping while at work, while nearly equal cohorts indicated they’d shopped while socializing (14.7%) or while waiting in line with little else to do (14.5%). About 12% said they had made a purchase while on public transport, nearly 9% did so while getting fit at the gym, and 5.9% indicated they’d zoned out during a meeting to snag a quick buy.
- Deals, deals, deals: Almost half of U.S. shoppers (49.7%) regularly wait for promotions or sales before buying, and 43.1% do their due diligence and engage in comparison shopping across multiple websites to score the best deal. Exactly 40% of American consumers look around for discount codes prior to checkout, and 34.3% either use cashback programs or loyalty/rewards programs. About one-quarter (24.3%) decide on a cheaper alternative than their initial idea, while just under one-fifth (19.3%) get a little creative, intentionally abandoning their cart to see if the retailer will send them a discount email afterwards. Only a very slim minority (8.3%) indicate that they don’t actively try to save money while shopping online.
Rising Prices See US Shoppers Make Behavioral Changes — Without Kicking the Habit Entirely
If anything, U.S. consumers appear to be well-trained to keep buying, no matter the economic circumstances.
“Even with the rising prices, online shoppers aren’t ready to quit their habit entirely. But they’re for sure making some adjustments,” the Omnisend report noted, pivoting to discuss the details.
When asked the question of what sorts of substitutions shoppers had made in order to save a few bucks when shopping online, those polled answered:
- A majority (57.3%) said they traded down to lower-priced brands in a broad sense, and 46% specifically singled out that they’d swapped for private-label brand alternatives.
- More than a quarter (28.7%) of respondents said they opted for simpler products, or those with fewer features.
- Only a slightly smaller segment (26.3%) indicated they’d opted for second-hand or refurbished items.
- Just over one-quarter (26%) of consumers polled said they’d selected smaller package sizes, while 16.7% admitted to purchasing dupes instead of originals.
- Finally, only 7.5% of respondents answered with “I don’t substitute; I just buy less.”
“Overall, the data points to adaptation rather than withdrawal. Shoppers are becoming more price-sensitive, more selective, and more willing to compromise on brand, features, or timing to keep spending within reach,” the report concluded.
BrainTrust
Nicholas Morine
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Discussion Questions
Based on the data presented by Omnisend, how can retailers meet shoppers where they currently are? Which brands or companies are doing the best job, in your opinion?
Which data point, if any, do you find most surprising? How about least surprising?
Do you believe that U.S. shoppers are inclined to maintain spend, regardless of economic circumstances? Is there any scenario in which you could see U.S. consumer spend collapse? What would it take?
Poll
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The most significant underpinning trend is that consumers have become more cautious over the past few years. When they’re spending money, people basically want to ensure that they’re making the right decision. This manifests itself in a number of different ways and it is showing through in the data: the purchase process is longer; the number of retailers and brands browsed is up; there is more price comparison; and so on. The key lesson is to minimize friction during the purchase process. Anything that jars can potentially provide an excuse for a consumer to abandon a purchase or defect to another retailer. And this is happening more and more, which is why loyalty is more tenuous.
The stats on shopping anywhere make sense. While attending a slow Blue Jays game, I was on Amazon, redecorating my office before the 7th inning stretch. Collaboration among retail and tech giants has made all-channel access easy and always-on, so we can shop anywhere and anytime.
Shoppers move fluidly between moments and devices, browsing on the couch, in line, or between tasks at work. Brands need to feel just as fluid. That means consistent messaging, seamless transitions between platforms, and a frictionless checkout experience. If the experience breaks when attention is short, the opportunity is gone.
About 12% said they had made a purchase while on public transport,
Interesting, as this seems to equal – or even exceed – the percentage who use it…so perhaps this tells us something about the reliablity of such self-reported data.
The whole thing seems to be a mishmash of random statistics designed to get publicity rather than inform serious discussion. I stopped fully reading when I got to the part about people purchasing on the toilet…
The Omnisend data reinforces a reality retailers are already feeling in stores and online: shopping today is fragmented, emotional, and highly opportunistic. Consumers are shopping in “in-between moments,” driven by convenience, boredom, and constant mobile access—not traditional trip planning. That means meeting shoppers where they are requires true omnichannel fluency—mobile-first experiences, frictionless checkout, personalized offers, and always-on engagement. The retailers doing this best—Amazon, Walmart, and increasingly TikTok Shop-native brands—are winning because they combine convenience, value, and immediacy in ways that align with how consumers actually behave today. The most surprising data point may be how normalized “strategic” behaviors have become—cart abandonment to trigger discounts, or waiting for promotions as a default habit—while the least surprising is the continued rise in price sensitivity and brand substitution as consumers look to stretch their budgets.
What stands out most is that consumers are not pulling back from spending—they’re adapting it. The data clearly shows substitution over sacrifice: shoppers are trading down, waiting for deals, or using tools like BNPL rather than exiting the market altogether. That aligns with what we’ve seen for years in U.S. retail—a remarkably resilient consumer who adjusts behavior before reducing consumption. However, that resilience should not be mistaken for immunity. If we were to see a meaningful spike in unemployment, sustained inflation without wage growth, or a significant policy shock—such as escalating tariffs materially impacting everyday prices—consumer sentiment could shift quickly and spending could follow.
Net-net, U.S. shoppers are inclined to maintain spend, but not at any cost. They are becoming more calculated, more deal-driven, and more selective. The risk for retailers is assuming that resilience equals stability. It does not. It simply means the consumer is still in the game—for now.
Most of the data presented by Omnisend aligns with established consumer behavior trends. The always-connected consumer that emerged in the early 2010s is now the standard, reinforced by widespread mobile adoption and frictionless ecommerce design. Consumers expect constant access, fast navigation, and seamless checkout, while actively prioritizing value. Amazon leads in meeting these expectations, having fundamentally reshaped shopping behavior, including normalizing delayed fulfillment in exchange for convenience and price.
The most striking finding is that 44% of Americans have hidden an online purchase from someone else. Spending now carries emotional and social weight, with consumers feeling pressure to justify purchases even as they continue to buy. By contrast, deal-seeking behavior is fully institutionalized. Price comparisons, promo-code searches, and promotion-driven timing are standard purchasing tactics, reinforced by years of retailer-led conditioning.
Overall, U.S. shoppers continue to spend despite economic pressure. Instead of withdrawing, consumers adapt by trading down to lower-priced or private-label brands, simplifying product choices, purchasing smaller quantities, or delaying purchases until acceptable value emerges. Consumption remains habitual and psychologically embedded rather than purely discretionary.
Consumer spending, however, is not immune to collapse. A sustained decline would require structural disruption such as widespread unemployment, a sharp contraction in consumer credit, or a significant erosion of confidence in future income. Inflation alone drives substitution, not withdrawal—but the loss of employment, credit access, or economic stability would break even entrenched spending behaviors.
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The most significant underpinning trend is that consumers have become more cautious over the past few years. When they’re spending money, people basically want to ensure that they’re making the right decision. This manifests itself in a number of different ways and it is showing through in the data: the purchase process is longer; the number of retailers and brands browsed is up; there is more price comparison; and so on. The key lesson is to minimize friction during the purchase process. Anything that jars can potentially provide an excuse for a consumer to abandon a purchase or defect to another retailer. And this is happening more and more, which is why loyalty is more tenuous.
The stats on shopping anywhere make sense. While attending a slow Blue Jays game, I was on Amazon, redecorating my office before the 7th inning stretch. Collaboration among retail and tech giants has made all-channel access easy and always-on, so we can shop anywhere and anytime.
Shoppers move fluidly between moments and devices, browsing on the couch, in line, or between tasks at work. Brands need to feel just as fluid. That means consistent messaging, seamless transitions between platforms, and a frictionless checkout experience. If the experience breaks when attention is short, the opportunity is gone.
Interesting, as this seems to equal – or even exceed – the percentage who use it…so perhaps this tells us something about the reliablity of such self-reported data.
The whole thing seems to be a mishmash of random statistics designed to get publicity rather than inform serious discussion. I stopped fully reading when I got to the part about people purchasing on the toilet…
The Omnisend data reinforces a reality retailers are already feeling in stores and online: shopping today is fragmented, emotional, and highly opportunistic. Consumers are shopping in “in-between moments,” driven by convenience, boredom, and constant mobile access—not traditional trip planning. That means meeting shoppers where they are requires true omnichannel fluency—mobile-first experiences, frictionless checkout, personalized offers, and always-on engagement. The retailers doing this best—Amazon, Walmart, and increasingly TikTok Shop-native brands—are winning because they combine convenience, value, and immediacy in ways that align with how consumers actually behave today. The most surprising data point may be how normalized “strategic” behaviors have become—cart abandonment to trigger discounts, or waiting for promotions as a default habit—while the least surprising is the continued rise in price sensitivity and brand substitution as consumers look to stretch their budgets.
What stands out most is that consumers are not pulling back from spending—they’re adapting it. The data clearly shows substitution over sacrifice: shoppers are trading down, waiting for deals, or using tools like BNPL rather than exiting the market altogether. That aligns with what we’ve seen for years in U.S. retail—a remarkably resilient consumer who adjusts behavior before reducing consumption. However, that resilience should not be mistaken for immunity. If we were to see a meaningful spike in unemployment, sustained inflation without wage growth, or a significant policy shock—such as escalating tariffs materially impacting everyday prices—consumer sentiment could shift quickly and spending could follow.
Net-net, U.S. shoppers are inclined to maintain spend, but not at any cost. They are becoming more calculated, more deal-driven, and more selective. The risk for retailers is assuming that resilience equals stability. It does not. It simply means the consumer is still in the game—for now.
Most of the data presented by Omnisend aligns with established consumer behavior trends. The always-connected consumer that emerged in the early 2010s is now the standard, reinforced by widespread mobile adoption and frictionless ecommerce design. Consumers expect constant access, fast navigation, and seamless checkout, while actively prioritizing value. Amazon leads in meeting these expectations, having fundamentally reshaped shopping behavior, including normalizing delayed fulfillment in exchange for convenience and price.
The most striking finding is that 44% of Americans have hidden an online purchase from someone else. Spending now carries emotional and social weight, with consumers feeling pressure to justify purchases even as they continue to buy. By contrast, deal-seeking behavior is fully institutionalized. Price comparisons, promo-code searches, and promotion-driven timing are standard purchasing tactics, reinforced by years of retailer-led conditioning.
Overall, U.S. shoppers continue to spend despite economic pressure. Instead of withdrawing, consumers adapt by trading down to lower-priced or private-label brands, simplifying product choices, purchasing smaller quantities, or delaying purchases until acceptable value emerges. Consumption remains habitual and psychologically embedded rather than purely discretionary.
Consumer spending, however, is not immune to collapse. A sustained decline would require structural disruption such as widespread unemployment, a sharp contraction in consumer credit, or a significant erosion of confidence in future income. Inflation alone drives substitution, not withdrawal—but the loss of employment, credit access, or economic stability would break even entrenched spending behaviors.