Shopping Behavior

A consumer's shopping behavior heavily depends on several factors including, but not limited to age, origin, gender, interests, etc. What might be a certain group of people’s shopping preference, might not coincide with the habits of another group. Adding to this, what consumers base their purchasing decisions on, how they look for products and services, and what payment methods they use, is evolving constantly.

While shoppers base their purchasing decisions on personal factors, such as budget and favorite stores & items, they can be influenced by external circumstances. For example, the current rise of inflation is having a strong and global impact on the way consumers shop, causing many to limit their expenses and shift their attention towards cheaper alternatives and ways to save.

Share of U.S. consumers putting off clothing purchases due to inflation
34%
Leading area Germans are willing to compromise on for lower prices
The shopping experience
Most costly consumer spending event in the United States
Back-to-college season

Differences by market

How consumers around the world go shopping

Share of sustainable shopping behaviors among UK shoppers in 2022

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Further details: Visit original statistic Share of sustainable shopping behaviors among UK shoppers in 2022

What consumerism and the retail landscape look like, can differ heavily depending on the country, specific market, and/or demographic analyzed. Whether it be attitudes towards sustainability, the frequency of shopping trips, or how much the average consumer spends on clothing, what is the case for one group of people, may not be the same for another.

Consumer habits in the Netherlands
Shopping behavior in South Korea
Shopping behavior trends in Germany

Market events

Important traditions & sales events

Average expected spend per capita on Valentine's Day in the United States from 2009 to 2024 (in U.S. dollars)

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Further details: Visit original statistic Average expected spend per capita on Valentine's Day in the United States from 2009 to 2024 (in U.S. dollars)

Consumer habits often change during specific events. From Valentine's Day to Halloween, all the way to December's holiday season, shoppers frequently spend a little extra on all kinds of items and services at times like these. Some of the most vital annual sales events for retailers include Black Friday and Cyber Monday. During Cyber Weekend, consumer expenditures are at their highest, in preparation for Christmas and other holidays around this time.

Black Friday in the UK
Christmas season in the Netherlands
Holiday spending grows despite inflation woes

E-commerce market

Online versus offline shopping behavior

Main reasons why consumers abandon their orders during the checkout process in the United States in 2023

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Further details: Visit original statistic Main reasons why consumers abandon their orders during the checkout process in the United States in 2023

A large and increasingly important aspect of shopping behavior is its digital counterpart. With the rise of e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon, eBay, Alibaba, and the like, shopping online has become a common, convenient, and often cheaper buying option for consumers. For many product categories, physical store visits and sales figures are still higher than those of e-commerce stores, however, e-commerce revenue and the number of online shoppers continues to grow with each passing year.

Amazon Prime Day
Digital shopping behavior in Europe
Leading reasons not to buy a product online worldwide 2022

Industry trends

The impact of inflation

Leading aspects of life negatively impacted by inflation among consumers in the United States in 2022

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Further details: Visit original statistic Leading aspects of life negatively impacted by inflation among consumers in the United States in 2022

Since early 2022, the world has been dealing with a spike in inflation. This wave of rising prices for all kinds of items and services (e.g., consumer goods and gas) came about through the culmination of several factors, including COVID-19 and its resulting supply chain issues, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war. Such high and sudden inflation rates translate to life being considerably more expensive for the consumer, which is why many had adjusted their shopping and spending habits in 2022.

Consumers worried about inflation in the UK
Consumers keep spending, undeterred by inflation
Reduced holiday spending among Europeans due to inflation

State of the industry

  • Halloween in the U.S.
  • Black Friday in Italy
  • Holiday season shopping in Canada
  • Christmas season shopping in the Netherlands
  • Shopping in times of COVID-19
  • Shopping behavior in the Netherlands
  • Back-to-college market
  • Consumer Trends 2022
  • Consumer trends 2023: Sustainability edition
  • Consumer trends in Germany
  • Sustainable consumption in the United States: Intention versus action

Industry definition

The category shopping behavior covers a range of statistics and survey results dealing with offline and in-store consumer spending, as well as buying habits in general. It analyzes shopping attitudes among different consumer groups (e.g. gender and generation) and retail categories, such as electronics, apparel, shoes, personal care items, household products, and so on. Common questions that tend to be addressed here include, for example, ’Where and how often do people shop?’, ‘What products do consumers buy during the holidays?’, or ‘How much money do they spend on average on certain product items?’

Data is frequently provided by manufacturers, research companies, and ad agencies, who show a special interest in shopping behavior among various regions, ethnic groups, and generations. A considerable share of these topics are discussed in conjunction with seasonal events and ongoing issues.

More interesting topics from the industry "Shopping Behavior"

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