In 2021, ** percent of baby boomers preferred in-store shopping, while only ** percent chose online shopping as their primary method of buying. Many millennials and Generation Z shoppers also opted for in-store shopping but showed a way greater interest in hybrid buying methods, at a rate of ** and ** percent, respectively. Favorite brands among young shoppers When comparing male and female Generation Z shoppers in terms of brand preferences in the United States, it was apparent that both groups enjoyed many of the same household names. For instance, brands such as Amazon, Walmart, YouTube, and Netflix appeared on both lists, making them some of the generation’s most popular brands. That said, preferences were far from identical: more Gen Z women liked Doritos, Oreo, and KitKat, while a higher number of Gen Z men had a favorable opinion of Gatorade, PlayStation, and Nike. Sustainable considerations Climate change is a hot topic and is on many consumers’ minds in recent years. As such, a considerable share of people in the United States, and around the world, have started taking up more sustainable habits. For example, many have adapted their shopping and consumption behavior: according to a survey conducted in early 2022, more than half of consumers worldwide planned to avoid buying new goods for sustainability reasons, perhaps intending to buy secondhand or repair the goods they already owned instead.

In 2021, approximately half of consumers in the United States went shopping in physical stores on a daily or weekly basis. Gen Z and the millennial generation typically shopped near equal amounts online and offline each week, while older generations mostly favored in-store shopping.

As of September 2024, Taobao remained the most popular online shopping app among China's senior consumers, with approximately *** million monthly active users. Pinduoduo ranked second with about ****million active elderly monthly users.China's seniors' online activitiesChina's elderly are becoming more internet savvy. This is largely due to increasing disposable incomes and the availability of digital devices. According to estimates, by 2025, half of the older Chinese adults will have access to the internet. The smartphone remains the preferred device among China's older netizens, with **** percent of them using it. In 2021, the elderly spent on average more than **** hours online. Instant messaging, e-commerce, and short-video streaming were the most favorite online activities among China's silver-haired mobile users. Barriers and risks for China's senior internet usersNevertheless, China's elderly still faces various barriers and risks when conducting online activities. On the one hand, many of them lack the technological knowledge to use a comprehensive app. On the other hand, the older generation often fell to be victims of fraudulent activities, such as phishing or malware. According to a survey in 2021, more than ** percent of middle-aged and senior respondents considered personal information leakage as their biggest concern. Also, ************* of the respondents were afraid of bank card theft.

As of May 2020, the single most used e-commerce retail website, across all generations in the United States, was Amazon. Roughly three quarters of Generation Z, millennials, as well as Generation X, favored Amazon marketplace over other e-retailers, such as Walmart and eBay. Even among the older generations, i.e., baby boomers and the Silent Generation, Amazon was the top choice.

Most of the latest online purchases from abroad among U.S. shoppers were made in China, according to a 2023 survey. 53 percent of the e-commerce users surveyed in the United States had made their most recent purchase from there. The United Kingdom ranked second, with 10 percent. In turn, the U.S. was the main market where Canadian cross-border shoppers last bought online.

In 2021, an estimated ** percent of shoppers in the United States had visited both physical outlets and online stores in the past 12 months. In other words, U.S. consumers were shopping equal amounts offline and online that year. Leading the list was the baby boomer generation: in the past year, approximately ** percent of boomers had shopped for products on the web.

In 2023, roughly ** percent of people in the Netherlands bought goods on the internet for private use. Shopping online was very common among Dutch consumers aged 25 to 64 and was less common with the country's older generations.

*********************** was the most common online shopping habit of consumers aged 60 years and older, according to a survey conducted in December 2023. Two in three respondents in the age groups ******** years as well as ** years and older stated that they compared and checked prices to ensure that prices were fair. Price comparison sites are a major form of Japanese shopping platforms, with Kakaku.com being one of the most visited e-commerce sites.

In the fourth quarter 2024, the share of e-commerce in total U.S. retail sales stood at 16.4 percent, up from the previous quarter. From October to December 2024, retail e-commerce sales in the United States hit over 309 billion U.S. dollars, the highest quarterly revenue in history. How e-commerce measures up in total U.S. retail In 2023, the reported total value of retail e-commerce sales in the United States amounted to over one trillion U.S. dollars—impressive, but the figure pales compared to the total annual retail trade value of seven trillion U.S. dollars. E-commerce still accounts for a mere 15.4 percent of total retail sales in the United States. Rising e-commerce segments Online shopping is popular among all age groups, though digital purchases are most common among Millennial internet users. In 2022, around 55 percent of Millennials purchased items via the internet. Mobile commerce is also growing in popularity, as consumers increasingly rely on their smartphones and mobile apps for shopping activities. In the fourth quarter of 2022, m-commerce spending made up 38 percent of the overall online spending in the United States.

According to a survey conducted in the United States in 2020, about one-third of Gen Z consumers shopped for beauty products online at least a month, making them the leading consumer group for online beauty purchases across all generations. Only around one-fifth of those in the older generation groups, that is to say boomers and seniors stated to having purchased beauty products online at least monthly, at 21 and 15 percent, respectively.

Among the categories of fashion purchases, clothing was bought most by online shoppers in the United States. A September 2023 survey revealed that ** percent of U.S. online shoppers had bought clothing in the last 12 months. ** percent bought shoes, while ** percent bought accessories.

According to a survey conducted in the first quarter of 2025, ** percent of Gen Z respondents shopped online in the United States in the previous 12 months. Additionally, ** percent of Millennials bought products online, and ** percent of Generation X respondents did the same.

A survey conducted in Italy in 2024 shows that many consumers believe artificial intelligence can improve shopping by making it easier, more personalized, and efficient. Younger generations, like Gen Z and Millennials, are particularly excited about AI’s potential in shopping, with around 90 percent saying so, while older generations, such as Gen X and Boomers, are more cautious but still see its benefits, at about 76 percent.

In 2024, around ** percent of 25- to 45-year-olds in Germany had ordered and purchased products online in the past three months. They were also the largest age group of online consumers. 65- to 75-year-olds were the group that shopped online the least. Where are people shopping online? Some of the most visited fashion websites in Germany included zalando.de, hm.com, and vinted.de. Zalando is especially popular because it sells items from multiple different brands, allowing the consumer to find all different types of clothes, shoes, accessories, and more in one place. Another advantage of shopping online is that consumers are not just limited to shopping in the country in which they live. Products can be ordered from almost anywhere in the world (if, of course, consumers are willing to pay a little extra). If a better deal is available elsewhere or a product is not available anywhere in the home country, then this can be a good reason to make a purchase on a foreign website. Challenges of online shopping Online shopping, however, is not without its challenges. Retailers themselves continued to be worried about challenges facing e-commerce. These included customer reluctance to buy due to higher prices, as well as competitive pressure from other businesses and supply bottlenecks. Most customers preferred to return products they did not want to keep via an online self-service, which means declaring a return online and then dropping off the package, e.g. at the post, a return point located in another establishment or a package pick-up station. While the return option is an integral part of online shopping, it brings with it a multitude of issues. These include putting a significant strain on the environment, transportation and logistics, as well as staff involved.

The statistic shows the change in online shopping behavior over the past year in China as of 2017, by generation. According to the result of a survey, around ** percent of the surveyed Chinese Millennials shopped more frequently online over the last 12 months.

A survey conducted in Italy in 2024 shows that more and more people are combining in-store shopping with home delivery. Instead of carrying their purchases home, they prefer to buy in a store and have the items delivered. This trend is especially popular among younger shoppers, like Gen Z and Millennials, with both around 70 percent, who value convenience and flexibility. Older generations also use this option, but not as much, at about 30 percent among Gen X and 57 among Boomers. This shows that shopping habits are changing, with people wanting both the physical store experience and the ease of online delivery.

In 2023, e-commerce comprised over 15.6 percent of total retail sales in the United States. Forecasts suggest that this proportion will continue to rise steadily in the coming years, reaching approximately 20.6 percent by 2027. Fashion fever The digital revolution has significantly changed how retail is done, impacting a wide range of product categories. Out of all e-commerce product categories, apparel and accessories are the most purchased online in the United States. As of February 2023, roughly 18 percent of all fashion retail sales took place online. Furniture and home furnishing, as well as computer and consumer electronics, ranked second, with over 15 percent of each product category purchased via the internet. The product categories that are least purchased online are office equipment and supplies (1.4 percent) and books, music, and video (5.1 percent). Shopping hotspots Amazon dominates the e-commerce industry in the United States, though other competitors still have significant market share. In December 2023, amazon.com was the most-visited e-commerce and shopping site in the United States. That month, around 45 percent of all visits to e-commerce sites were made to Amazon. Other popular shopping sites include ebay.com, walmart.com, etsy.com, and target.com. The staggering proportion of online retail sales in the country attributed to Amazon is quite remarkable. In 2023, Amazon's website accounted for almost half of all online computer and consumer electronics sales. Similarly, nearly one-third of online fashion purchases in the country were made on Amazon.

According to the results of a recent survey conducted in the United States, most respondents across all age groups preferred to buy products directly in stores. The highest share of in-store buyers was among baby boomers, with 83 percent. On the other hand, the same generation did not seem as interested as others in buying products through companies' apps or social media.

In general, the younger generations purchased more products via the internet than the older ones in the Nordic countries. For example, approximately ** percent of Danish consumers in the age group 16-24 purchased items online. In comparison, this share stood at ** percent for the age group 65-74.

Younger consumers, specifically Gen Z and millennials, exhibit a higher propensity than older consumers to wait for discounts before making online purchases. According to a 2022 survey, ** percent of Gen Z shoppers and ** percent of millennials expressed willingness to wait for lower prices before buying. In contrast, just ** percent of Gen X consumers voiced a similar inclination for discounts, making them the least likely group to do so.