No CommentsSee how consumers’ preferred retailers and shopping strategies are changing over time with insights from Jungle Scout’s Q2 2021 Consumer Trends Report.
This report covers the following:
- Where consumers prefer to shop in Q2 2021, and how this has changed since last quarter
- How often consumers shop online
- Consumers’ shopping habits with regard to Amazon and Walmart
- Consumers’ attitudes and opinions about brands and how brand loyalty is changing in 2021
Insights will be updated quarterly; check back for the most recent data.
Where are consumers shopping? Top online retailers for 2021
We asked consumers where they shopped during Q1 of 2021, both in-store and online. Amazon, Walmart, Target, and eBay are the top retailers among U.S. shoppers.
Overall, the top five retailers in the U.S. (both online and in-store) in 2021 are:
- Amazon – 70% of U.S. consumers shopped here in Q1 2021
- Walmart stores – 54%
- Walmart.com – 38%
- Target stores – 30%
- Target.com – 20%
When broken down into in-store and online retailers, Amazon is still on top.
Which retailers are gaining or losing consumer favor?
In-store retailers — including Best Buy, Kohl’s, and Lowes — showed a continued decline in popularity. On the other hand, shopping online at Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and Target remains popular.
Which retailers gained the most popularity since last quarter?
Consumers have been shopping at the following online retailers more frequently since 2020:
- Instagram Shop – up 152%
- Houzz – up 122%
- Albertsons.com – up 93%
How often do consumers shop online?
U.S. consumers tend to shop online frequently — 20% say at least once a day. The majority shop online at least once a week, and nearly every U.S. consumer makes an online purchase at least monthly.
| Shopping frequency | U.S. Consumers |
| Once a day or more | 20% |
| Once a week or more | 63% |
| Once a month or more | 96% |
How often do consumers shop on Amazon and Walmart.com?
Most consumers shop on Amazon or Walmart.com at least once a month, with many saying they shop at least once a week.
| Shopping frequency | Amazon | Walmart.com |
| Once a day or more | 16% | 14% |
| Once a week or more | 52% | 43% |
| Once a month or more | 89% | 78% |
Shopping on Amazon
68% of U.S. consumers say they are Amazon Prime members.
Additionally, 42% of American shoppers are planning to shop on Prime Day 2021, which is slated for June 21-22.
When asked why they haven’t shopped on Amazon in the past three months, consumers say:
- they haven’t needed to buy anything (28%)
- they’ve been trying to spend less money (16%)
- they prefer shopping in stores (16%)
Shopping on Walmart.com
41% of consumers have Walmart+ membership (up 7% from Q1) and another 15% would consider joining in the future.
Consumers say they shop at Walmart.com because they:
- like Walmart’s prices (50%)
- are familiar with its products (39%)
- can get the products they need fast (36%)
Where are consumers searching for products online?
Consumers primarily use Amazon to find products, while the use of social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok continues to rise.
| Website used for product search | U.S. Consumers |
| Amazon | 74% |
| Search engine (e.g., Google, Bing) | 49% |
| Walmart.com | 44% |
| 34% | |
| YouTube | 31% |
| 28% | |
| Other brand or retailer’s website | 23% |
| TikTok | 15% |
| Other social media platform | 5% |
| Other | 3% |
Consumer preference for using traditional search engines to find products has decreased 25% since Q1, continuing a downward trend since 2020.
Where consumers are searching for pre-owned products
In addition to new products, consumers have shown an interest in buying and selling pre-owned products in the past year.
Nearly a third (32%) say they are looking for pre-owned products when they shop online, and 44% of consumers have bought or sold a pre-owned item online over the last 12 months.
Consumers look for pre-owned products at a variety of online retailers, though Amazon, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace are their top destinations.
| Where consumers look for pre-owned products | U.S. Consumers |
| Amazon | 66% |
| Ebay | 37% |
| Facebook Marketplace | 25% |
| Craigslist | 18% |
| Bonanza | 14% |
| Close5 | 14% |
| Etsy | 14% |
| Shopify | 10% |
| OfferUp | 9% |
| Poshmark | 8% |
| Other | 47% |
*Respondents could select multiple answers. “Other” includes Locanto, Mercari, Oodle, Trovit, and other pre-owned retail outlets.
Where do consumers plan to shop in the future?
We asked consumers where they plan on shopping in Q2 2021. Below are the results, broken down by product category.
| Category | Walmart (in-store) | In-store excluding Walmart | Amazon.com | Walmart.com | Another online retailer | Won’t buy |
| Alcohol | 15% | 18% | 15% | 17% | 9% | 27% |
| Arts, Crafts & Sewing (paints, ceramics, etc.) | 16% | 10% | 20% | 18% | 11% | 26% |
| Automotive Parts & Accessories | 14% | 10% | 23% | 17% | 10% | 26% |
| Beauty & Personal Care (cosmetics, shaving kit, etc.) | 21% | 15% | 23% | 20% | 12% | 10% |
| Books (print or digital), Magazines & Newspapers | 14% | 10% | 26% | 17% | 12% | 22% |
| Cleaning Supplies | 26% | 17% | 20% | 20% | 11% | 7% |
| Clothing | 17% | 17% | 23% | 17% | 17% | 9% |
| Electronics (TVs, smart watches, etc.) | 16% | 9% | 23% | 21% | 11% | 22% |
| Exercise/Fitness Supplies (at-home gym equipment, etc.) | 13% | 6% | 20% | 17% | 10% | 34% |
| Garden & Outdoor (patio furniture, plants, etc.) | 19% | 15% | 18% | 17% | 10% | 22% |
| Groceries | 25% | 22% | 17% | 20% | 12% | 4% |
| Home & Kitchen (furniture, coffee makers, etc.) | 16% | 11% | 23% | 18% | 11% | 21% |
| Office Supplies (laptop stands, printer paper, etc.) | 19% | 11% | 23% | 18% | 10% | 19% |
| Over-the-Counter Medicine | 24% | 19% | 17% | 19% | 10% | 11% |
| Pet Supplies (cat/dog food, toys, etc.) | 18% | 13% | 19% | 18% | 12% | 20% |
| Tobacco, Pipes & Accessories | 12% | 9% | 14% | 15% | 9% | 41% |
| Toys & Games (board games, children’s toys, etc.) | 14% | 8% | 22% | 17% | 11% | 28% |
| Vitamins & Dietary Supplements | 21% | 16% | 21% | 19% | 12% | 12% |
Top products consumers plan to purchase in-store:
- Groceries 47%
- Cleaning Supplies 43%
- Over-the-Counter Medicine 43%
Top products consumers plan to buy online:
- Clothing 57%
- Beauty & Personal Care 55%
- Books 54%
- Electronics 54%
- Home & Kitchen 52%
Top products consumers plan to purchase on Amazon:
- Books 26%
- Home & Kitchen 23%
- Electronics 23%
Top products consumers plan to purchase on Walmart.com:
- Electronics 21%
- Beauty & Personal Care 20%
- Groceries 20%
Top products consumers plan to buy from online store other than Amazon or Walmart:
- Clothing 17%
- Pet Supplies 12%
- Vitamins & Dietary Supplements 12%
Brand loyalty in 2021
58% of consumers consider themselves loyal to specific brands in 2021, and 31% say they always look for specific brands when shopping online.
Consumers tend to be most brand loyal in the following categories:
- Groceries 88%
- Cleaning supplies 87%
- Beauty & Personal Care 85%
- Clothing 84%
- Electronics 84%
Consumers favor certain brands for a variety of reasons, though superior quality, consistently low prices, and good customer service are most important.
Known as “The Everything Store,” Amazon has countless brand options for any given product and is a top destination for brand-loyal shoppers. 69% of consumers say that when they need to purchase a product from a specific brand, they look to see if they can purchase it on Amazon.
For more insights about how consumers spend in general and online, check out Jungle Scout’s latest Consumer Trends Report.
