Online shopping is now a weekly habit for two in three households across the United States, up from two in five households in 2019, according to the Numerator State of Commerce: Online & Retail Shopping Trends in 2026 report, which confirms digital gains across product categories including home.
More specifically, Numerator stated, online share of sales grew fivefold in quick-service restaurants, fourfold in grocery and threefold in household products, while health and beauty, home improvement, pet, home and garden, baby, and apparel each doubled their online share.
Physical stores remain central to the shopping journey, Numerator indicated, with 55% of respondents to a survey identifying them as top sources for product discovery, tied with friends and family. Consumers see future physical stores first as a place to buy products in person or as a part of integrated shopping experiences, such as destinations to see merchandise in person before buying online or as a base for product delivery. (Pictured above: the Wayfair superstore in Wilmette, IL).
Numerator said consumers are choosing shopping channels based on mission, noting that since 2019, online-originated trips have expanded across quick-fill and stock-up shopping occasions. Online’s share of one- to two-item baskets doubled from 16% to 32%, while its share of large, stock-up baskets grew from 3% to 12%. At the same time, click-and-collect adoption has continued to accelerate, reaching 77% of households as shoppers combine the convenience of digital ordering with the speed of store pickup.
Although third-party marketplaces have helped retailers expand brand assortment, direct-to-consumer options still rate highly with shoppers. In 2025, Walmart shoppers bought an average of 69 different brands online, up from 20 in 2019; Amazon shoppers bought 63 brands, up from 40; and Target shoppers bought 28 brands, up from 9. Still, 61% of consumers sometimes or often buy from direct-to-consumer websites or apps, and 53% rate those experiences as better than available on retailer websites, according to Numerator.
In the survey, 77% of consumers said they were willing to switch online retailers for a better price. Today, AI can assist shoppers with searching for coupons/deals or other ways of saving money. However, concerns around the use of personal data, a worry for 48% of consumers, and sharing credit card details, a concern for 41%, push consumers toward being more comfortable receiving AI support on retailer (46%) and brand websites (40%) than on standalone AI platforms (30%).
