39% of Retail Shoppers Stick to Digital

With many consumers accustomed to the convenience of eCommerce, a significant portion of retail shoppers are engaging exclusively via digital channels, PYMNTS Intelligence finds.

By the Numbers

The report “Consumer Interest in an Everyday App,” a PYMNTS Intelligence and PayPal collaboration, draws from a survey of more than 2,200 U.S. consumers to understand how they use apps to meet their shopping and financial needs, among other matters.

The results reveal that, among the 61% of consumers who had shopped for non-grocery retail products in the previous 30 days, 39% (or 24% of the population over all) did so exclusively via internet-connected devices.

The Data in Context

Indeed, eCommerce is on the rise. According to data from the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, reported Tuesday (March 12), sales at online retailers and other non-store merchants were up 18% year over year in February.

Retail giant Walmart shared in its latest earnings report that overall eCommerce sales surged 23% in the quarter, and eCommerce net sales globally represented about 18% of the net sales logged in the quarter, which stood at $173.4 billion.

Walmart’s future, CEO Doug McMillon said, lies with omnichannel efforts, “where we simultaneously strengthen our stores and clubs and build a more compelling eCommerce business.”

Costco shared earlier this month that digital sales were up 18.4% in the quarter, and much of that growth comes from its sales of precious metals.

“eComm showed strength in several areas led by sales of gold and very recently silver as well,” Costco CFO Richard Galanti told analysts on a call discussing these results.

Indeed, when consumers grow accustomed to the convenience of eCommerce, many begin to rely on it for more and more of their daily needs, spending less time in stores. The PYMNTS Intelligence study “The Replenish Economy: A Household Supply Deep Dive” found that about 42% of retail subscribers visit physical stores less frequently due to their current online subscriptions.