Consumer Behaviour and Survey Between Online and Offline Shopping in 2025

Shopping online is all the rage these days but did you know that offline retail sales in the U.S. remains more valuable than online sales. Yes indeed, more and more people are shopping online thanks to the convenience that comes with it (you can shop right from your bedroom, classroom or even the bathroom!). Also, the covid-19 pandemic which necessitated lockdowns and social distancing has hastened the move toward online shopping.

However, shopping at brick-and-mortar stores is a practice that is not going out of fashion anytime soon. Be it necessity (eg; I have no food in the house and need to make a run to the grocery store), nature of the items involved (eg: cars) or even just that desire to feel and touch what one is about to buy, there are several reasons why consumers aren’t entirely ditching offline shopping any time soon.

Therefore, business owners who operate offline needn’t fear so much, however they must move with the times. Online retailers also have to keep up with emerging trends on online vs. offline shopping so as to be able to shape their marketing strategy properly. All these and more are explored below.

The Importance of Analyzing Consumer Shopping Behavior in 2025

Majority of American consumers (87%) often conduct a search online when they want to purchase a product. Even those who want to buy items offline still make that online search before they go ahead to finish up things in-store. In a similar vein, more and more Americans are relying on social media platforms to learn about new products (37% alone rely on Facebook) while a smaller percentage, mostly those older in age, still rely on traditional marketing channels.

Businesses, both small and large, cannot afford to ignore all these insights into online and offline consumer shopping behavior.  They have to take it into consideration when strategizing to ensure that their efforts aren’t misplaced.

2025 Shopping Survey: Methodology and Key Demographics

Our 2025 Consumer Online and Offline shopping behavior insights is drawn from surveys conducted by well-known private consulting firms such as Deloitte and EY as well as reputable research organizations such as the Pew Research center. These surveys sampled the opinions of thousands of Americans cutting across diverse age ranges (Gen Z’s, Millennial, Gen X, and Baby Boomers) as well as different income levels. Some of the surveys also focus on differences in consumer habits between the male and female gender.

Key Insights into Online Shopping Habits in 2025

Picture this: you have wanted to buy a particular gadget for long but haven’t done so because the price is steep. The retailer then decides to do a flash sale on that particular item in the middle of the night. You wake up and get a message to that effect. You then quickly go online and order the item at the discounted price and pay for it. Isn’t that so convenient? Convenience is the number one reason why people shop online. They love the fact that they don’t have to spend precious time or otherwise stress themselves going to the store.

Other factors that fuel online shopping is that it helps consumers search for and find what they are looking to buy. They can also see reviews from other customers like them and decide whether to go ahead with that purchase or not.  Amongst the largest beneficiaries of this trend in consumer behavior in the U.S. is Amazon. 50% of American online shoppers start their search from Amazon. Other well-known online retailers include Walmart, Target and Costco. Of course, this trio of retail giants started out with brick-and-mortar stores before launching into the online sphere when that started growing popular.

Online Shopping Statistics in 2025

• 70% of Americans shop online at least once a month while 33% shop online at least once a week. (Food Institute)
• 40% of women report frequently using their phones to shop compared with just 22 percent of men. (First Insight)
• The more children one has, the more their likelihood of shopping online on a weekly basis. 66% of adults with three or more children shop online on a weekly basis compared to 23% for adults that do not have any kids. (Mintel)
• On the average, Americans spend $521.23 a month shopping online. (Power Reviews)
• 87% of consumers regularly research online before making any purchase. (Power Reviews)
• 93.5% of American consumers use Amazon for shopping purposes at least once a month while 26.5% use Amazon for shopping purposes on a daily basis. (Power Reviews)
• The online share of total retail sales for the fourth quarter of 2019 was 12.4%. It rose to 16.7% in the fourth quarter of 2020 before falling to 16.1% in the fourth quarter of 2021 and 16.3% in the fourth quarter of 2022. (Pew)
• 76% of U.S. adults say they buy things online using a smartphone while 69% make purchases via desktop or laptop computers. 28% of American adults buy things online using a tablet. (Pew research center)
• 88% of Americans have at least one shopping app installed on their smartphones. (Gauss)
• 85% of U.S. mobile shoppers prefer using apps over mobile websites. (Gauss)
• E-Commerce sales in the United States stood at $1.19 trillion in 2024 and are estimated to reach $1.29 trillion by the end of 2025. (Seller Commerce)
• The most commonly bought products online belong to the DIY and hardware category which generated $252 billion in sales in 2024. Other items that have proven popular with American online shoppers are Fashion – $197.4 billion, Food – $195.3 billion, Furniture – $125 billion, Beverages – $112 billion, Electronics – $94.93 billion, Personal care – $61.2 billion, Media – $53.53 billion, Toys & hobby – $33.96 billion, Tobacco – $31.5 billion, $26.7 – household items, Pharmaceuticals – $24.18 billion, and eyewear – $13.54 billion (Sellercommerce).
• 45% of millennials prefer to shop online while 36% of Zoomers prefer to shop online. The figure for Gen X is 32% and 41% for baby boomers. (Stacked marketer)

Consumer Preferences for In-Store Shopping in 2025

Why do so many people choose to shop in-store in 2025? Well, the reasons are many. There are some items that by their nature are more compatible with in-store shopping example cars. When you want to buy a car, you need to check out its features and possibly take it for a test run before plunking down money for it. Offline shopping is also far more convenient than online shopping in some circumstances. For instance, when you want to buy a dinner gown and go into a store for that purpose, you can try multiple dresses and then select the perfect one for you. If you go the online route, you might end up with a dress too small or large and have to deal with the hassles of returns and exchanges.

Moving on, you still find people who just want to touch and feel what they are buying. It is because of such persons as well as the far more practical reasons given above that traditional shopping is not coming to an end anytime soon.

In-Store Shopping Statistics

• 52% of shoppers prefer brick-and-mortar stores when they need something immediately. (Hubspot)
• 32% of American Gen X consumers prefer offline shopping while the figure for Baby Boomers is 41%. Only 29% of Zoomers and 24% of Millennials prefer shopping in-store. (Klarna)
• It doesn’t come as a surprise that Zoomers are even more amenable to the idea of online shopping than Millennials. They love the whole experience of going to the mall with friends and documenting the whole thing on social media. 63% of Gen Z respondents said they plan to make holiday purchases at physical stores in 2024. (EY)
• More men than women prefer to go to a store, touch and feel the item, buy it and carry it home. (First Insight)
• In 2022, US offline retail sales reached a record high of $3.6 trillion (excluding automotive and gasoline sales). It is predicted that offline retail sales will reach $4.2 trillion and account for 72% of the market in 2028. (Forrester)
• Grocery, apparel, shoes, and clothing, medicines, vehicles, some electronic gadgets etc. are what Americans mostly buy online. (Statista)
• The average American woman spends 190 hours each year shopping for clothes, shoes, or window shopping. (Forbes)
• 80% of consumers shop impulsively in brick-and-mortar stores while impulse buying accounts for around 20% of e-commerce. (CapitalOneShopping)

Comparison Between Online and Offline Shopping in 2025

Online shopping is generally more convenient than off-line shopping. It is also great for finding lesser known products unlike physical stores which house a limited number of inventory. Prices online also tend to be cheaper than offline and buyers can additionally use discount and coupon codes to even get more price reductions.

However, when it comes to returning a product that one doesn’t want to buy, it is easier to do so when shopping offline. Also, offline shoppers don’t need to worry much about the retailer taking their money and not delivering on what they promised.

The Rise of Hybrid Shopping Experiences in 2025

While many American consumers favor either digital shopping or traditional shopping, an increasing number of consumers are tapping into hybrid shopping. Hybrid shopping is simply combining both online and offline shopping methods in one transaction. One example of hybrid shopping is BOPIS – buy online and pick in store. For instance, one can order a gift basket online and then elect to pick it up from the store on their way home.

Other examples of hybrid shopping are showrooming and webrooming. The former is when a person examines a product in a physical store and then goes online to order the same product. Webrooming is when someone searches for a product online and then goes off to buy it in a physical store.  Omnichannel marketing is also another instance of hybrid shopping. It involves a business using multiple integrated channels to interact with their customers.

Stats on Hybrid Shopping

• 27% of consumers regularly shop online and in-store. (IBM/NRF)
• 40% of hybrid shoppers buy home goods while 25% purchase apparel and footwear. 22% go for personal care and beauty products while 20% buy groceries. (Statista)
• 60% of consumers engage in showrooming, visiting physical stores to examine products before buying online. (Salesforce)
• 69% of American consumers engage in webrooming. (JHSpeciality)
• More than half of B2C customers engage with three to five channels each time they make a purchase or resolve a request. (McKinsey)

What Drives Consumer Decisions in 2025?

The Main Factors That Motivate People to Shop Online

• They can shop whenever they want (48%)
• Saving time (51%)
• Saving money (46%)
• Using the internet to source hard-to-find products (31%).
• They can use their phone (30%)
• Reviews that help them make better decisions (22%).Hubspot

Reasons why people shop offline

• They need something immediately (52%)
• They don’t want to pay shipping fees (37%)
• Want to avoid shipping back products (20%)
• Don’t want to pay return fees (14%)
• They want to get a better sense of products which the website is lacking (21%)
• Want face-to-face assistance (16%) Hubspot

How Brands Should Adapt to Changing Consumer Behavior in 2025

• Brick and mortar stores should maintain an active presence on social media as part of their e-commerce strategy in 2025.
• They should also have an active website where they showcase their products making it more convenient for people to order online and then pick up in store whenever they want.
• For online-only brands, they should seek more ways to have a connection with their current and potential customers. One way of doing this is through pop-up stores which can form part of their omnichannel marketing strategy.
• Online brands should also work to improve delivery times and make the return process quick and hassle-free as this will encourage more shoppers.
• Online retailers can also reach consumers in 2025 by offering free shipping and free returns as both are guaranteed to reel the customers in.

FAQs

•  Will online shopping fully replace offline in 2025?

No. online shopping won’t fully replace offline shopping in 2025 or anytime soon (offline shopping will still outpace online shopping in terms of revenue by 2028). Both will continue to exist side by side and we shall witness a rise in hybrid shopping.

• What are the top reasons people still shop in-store?

People still shop in-store because they want to get the product immediately. Other reasons why people still want to shop in-store include to avoid paying for shipping fees or return fees for a product. Some also just want to touch and feel the product they are buying.

• How can small businesses compete with online giants?

By maintaining an active presence online, including on social media, and then adding more personal touch to their relationship with their customers. This personal touch is an edge that they have over online stores.

Conclusion: What the Data Tells Us about the Future of Shopping

Ever since the covid-19 pandemic, there has been an increasing shift in consumer behavior of Americans. More and more people are shopping online while some go for hybrid shopping. However brick-and-mortar stores still remain a force to be reckoned with. Such a reality means that both small-scale retailers and big brands, present online or offline, cannot afford to rest on their oars. They have to continue to innovate in terms of how they relate with their customers as well as how they market themselves in order to remain profitable.