In Store vs Online Shopping Statistics: The Complete Guide for 2025

The retail landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with both online shopping and in-store experiences playing crucial roles in consumer behavior. Understanding the latest statistics helps businesses make informed decisions about their retail strategies and customer outreach efforts.

Whether you’re analyzing market trends for client prospecting or developing targeted campaigns, these shopping statistics reveal where consumers spend their money and how they prefer to shop in 2025.

The Current Retail Landscape: Online vs In-Store Market Share

American consumers spent $5.927 trillion in retail stores and $1.337 trillion online in 2024, showing that physical stores still dominate in absolute dollar terms. However, the growth trajectories tell a different story.

In the first two months of 2025, consumers spent a monthly average of $555.5 billion on retail, 18.9% of it from e-commerce. This represents continued growth in online shopping’s market share, which has been increasing at an average annual rate of 7.42% since 1995.

Key Market Share Statistics:

• Physical retail sales: $5.927 trillion (2024)
• Online retail sales: $1.337 trillion (2024)
• E-commerce share of total retail: 18.9% (early 2025)
• Projected in-store sales share: 80.8% of retail sales are expected to occur in brick-and-mortar stores in 2025

Online Shopping Dominance and Growth Projections

Global e-commerce sales will hit $6.86 trillion in 2025, representing massive growth in the digital retail space. The numbers are even more impressive when looking ahead: global eCommerce sales will continue growing at a CAGR of 7.8% between 2025 to 2027 and reach $8 trillion by 2027.

Global Online Shopping Statistics:

• Total online shoppers: 2.77 billion people are shopping online in 2025
• US online shoppers: 288.45 million online buyers
• Global online stores: 28 million eCommerce sites worldwide
• US market dominance: The United States is home to 50% of all the eCommerce sites worldwide

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The growth in online shopping directly correlates with increased internet accessibility and smartphone adoption. 21% of retail purchases will take place online in 2025, which is the highest to date, and this percentage is expected to reach 22.6% by 2027.

Mobile Commerce Revolution: Shopping in Your Pocket

Mobile commerce represents one of the fastest-growing segments of online shopping. Mobile commerce will be responsible for 59% of total retail eCommerce sales, accounting for $4.01 trillion in 2025, with some projections suggesting the figure could reach $6.5 trillion by 2025.

Mobile Shopping Behavior:

• Mobile preference: 73% of online shoppers prefer mobile apps over websites for shopping
• Purchase frequency: 82% of smartphone users have made a purchase on their mobile device in the past six months
• Annual spending: The average mobile shopper spends $2,500 annually on purchases
• Payment methods: Mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay drive 60% of digital transactions worldwide

Mobile commerce growth is particularly pronounced in specific regions. Indonesia, Singapore, and Brazil are emerging as the fastest-growing mobile commerce markets, with growth rates of 52%, 48%, and 45%, respectively.

In-Store Shopping: Resilience and Adaptation

Despite the digital revolution, physical retail maintains significant appeal. 45% of consumers primarily shop in brick-and-mortar stores, and 72% of consumers shop in stores on a weekly basis.

Consumer Preferences by Category:

Categories Where In-Store Shopping Dominates:

• Groceries: 62% of consumers primarily buy groceries in-store
• Personal care and beauty: 50% of consumers primarily buy personal care and beauty products in-store
• Apparel and footwear: 40% of consumers primarily buy apparel and footwear in-store

Categories Where Online Shopping Leads:

• Personal electronics: 37% of consumers prefer to purchase personal electronics online
• Fashion and accessories: 33% of consumers prefer to purchase apparel, shoes, and accessories online
• Beauty products: 29% of consumers prefer to purchase beauty and personal care products online

Why Consumers Choose In-Store Shopping:

53% of consumers who prefer to shop in-store report their preference gives them a more enjoyable experience, while 49% of consumers who prefer in-store shopping cite convenience, and 46% prefer in-store shopping due to the ease of product comparisons.

The Rise of Omnichannel: BOPIS and Click-and-Collect

Buy Online, Pickup In-Store (BOPIS) has emerged as a powerful bridge between digital and physical retail. U.S. click-and-collect retail sales will total $132.8 billion in 2024, up 17.3% YoY, with projections showing continued growth to $154.30 billion by 2025.

BOPIS Adoption and Benefits:

• Consumer usage: 67% of consumers in the United States have used click-and-collect
• Future projections: 10% of all sales will be fulfilled by click and collect by 2025
• Additional purchases: 67 percent of click-and-collect customers who pick up their orders in-store purchase additional items
• Cost savings: 48% of U.S. BOPIS consumers use the service primarily to avoid shipping fees

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The convenience factor drives BOPIS adoption, with 77% of consumers using BOPIS primarily so they can see an item before taking it home. This service effectively combines the convenience of online ordering with the immediacy of in-store pickup.

Generational Shopping Preferences

Different age groups exhibit distinct shopping patterns that businesses must understand for effective targeting.

Generation Z (Born 1995-2012):

• Online preference: 52% of Gen Z in the US prefer to shop online, while 48% prefer to shop in-store
• Future outlook: 54% of Gen Z consumers anticipate shopping only online within the next decade
• Research habits: 43% of Gen Z starts product searches on TikTok, followed by Google (38%) and Amazon (36%)

Millennials (Born 1981-1996):

• Strong online preference: 67% of Millennials prefer online shopping
• Social influence: 72% report that social media impacts their buying decisions, and 40% actively shop on social media platforms
• Spending power: Millennials spend more online than any other generation

Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964):

• In-store preference: 72% prefer in-store shopping experiences
• Growing online adoption: Despite traditional preferences, their online spending grew by 49% year-over-year in 2020
• Device preference: 52% of Baby Boomers use computers rather than mobile devices for online shopping

Consumer Shopping Motivations

Understanding why consumers choose specific channels helps businesses optimize their strategies.

Online Shopping Drivers:

• Convenience: 71% of consumers who prefer to shop online instead of in-store report doing so for the sake of convenience
• Time savings: 61% of consumers who prefer to shop online do so to save time
• Financial benefits: Free delivery is a key factor for 53.2% of online shoppers, followed by coupons and discounts (40.6%)

In-Store Shopping Drivers:

• Experience: 53% of consumers who prefer to shop in-store report their preference gives them a more enjoyable experience
• Product evaluation: 46% prefer in-store shopping cite the ease of product comparisons
• Immediate gratification: The ability to take products home immediately remains a strong motivator

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Shopping Cart Abandonment and Conversion Challenges

Online retailers face significant challenges with cart abandonment. The global rate of online shopping cart abandonment hit 70.19%, surpassing the 70% threshold for the first time in ten years.

Main Abandonment Reasons:

• Extra costs: 48% of U.S. consumers abandoned their online purchases at checkout because of extra costs, including shipping, taxes, or fees
• Account creation: 25% of online shoppers leave their carts behind because they need to create accounts before buying
• Delivery times: 22% of users abandon their carts due to lengthy delivery times

The financial impact is substantial: E-commerce stores experience an annual loss of $18 billion in sales revenue caused by cart abandonment.

Social Commerce and Digital Influence

Social media platforms have become powerful shopping channels. Social media is preferred by 14% of people to start their online shopping journey, and 83% of people do their research online before visiting in-store.

Social Shopping Trends:

• Research behavior: 81% of retail shoppers conduct online research before buying
• Journey starting point: 63% of shopping journeys are more likely to start online, irrespective of whether consumers end the journey by shopping in-store or online
• Direct-to-consumer preference: Around 15% of global online shoppers now prefer buying straight from brands they trust

Holiday Shopping Patterns

Holiday seasons reveal unique consumer behaviors that differ from regular shopping patterns. 42% of holiday shoppers will research and buy online, while 23% will shop in-store.

The pandemic accelerated many shopping trends, with online spending surging by $900 billion compared to the prior two-year trend in 2020. This shift has had lasting effects on consumer behavior patterns.

Future Retail Trends and Predictions

Looking ahead, several trends will shape the retail landscape:

Technology Integration:

• AR/VR adoption: Enhanced virtual shopping experiences
• AI personalization: Improved product recommendations
• Voice commerce: Growth in smart speaker shopping

Omnichannel Evolution:

• Seamless experiences: Integration across all touchpoints
• Hybrid models: Combining online and offline strengths
• Local fulfillment: Faster delivery through store networks

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Market Projections:

E-commerce is set to account for almost 35% of all retail sales by 2025, indicating continued digital growth while physical retail adapts and evolves.

Key Takeaways for Business Strategy

The data reveals several critical insights for businesses:

1. Dual-channel necessity: Success requires both online and offline presence
2. Mobile optimization: 75% of all e-commerce sales will come from mobile devices by the end of 2025
3. Generational targeting: Different age groups require tailored approaches
4. BOPIS integration: Click-and-collect bridges digital and physical retail
5. Social commerce: Social platforms drive discovery and purchases

Understanding these shopping statistics helps businesses make data-driven decisions about retail strategies, customer acquisition, and market positioning in an increasingly competitive landscape.

For businesses involved in B2B sales and customer outreach, these trends create opportunities to connect with retailers adapting to changing consumer behaviors. Whether targeting e-commerce platforms, traditional retailers, or omnichannel businesses, having access to decision-maker contact information becomes crucial for effective prospecting.

Learn more about effective cold email formulas and email verification methods to improve your outreach success rates when targeting retail prospects.

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