Highlights. Americans are among the fastest adopters of digital commerce; 84.3% of the U.S. population shops online at least once per year.
- Online sales represent 19.0% of American retail revenue.
- 59% of Generation Z consumers (born 1997-2012)* shop online at least once a week.
- 28.4% of Americans prefer to do most or all of their shopping online.
- 288 million Americans shop online, generating $1.43 trillion in industry revenue over 12 months.
- Projections indicate that 95% of active consumers in the U.S. will shop online by 2040.
*This is the penetration rate among Gen Z adults. Among Gen Z teens, about half shop online once a week or more.
Please note that this report generally conforms to terminology used in source data.
Online Shopping by Sex or Gender
Statistics indicate that shopping habits inform spending.
- 53% of male shoppers prefer to browse retail items online as opposed to in-store.
- 44% of female shoppers would rather browse online instead of in a store.
- 43% of women and 32% of men regularly shop on third-party online marketplaces.
- 35% of women prefer to purchase items online as opposed to in person.
- Among female online shoppers, 62.9% prefer to use a brand’s app or website.
- 22.9% of women buying online prefer to use a brand’s mobile app or website.
- 40% of men prefer to purchase items online as opposed to in person.
- 60% of men buying online prefer to use a brand’s app or website.
- 12.5% of men prefer buying through a mobile app or website.
- 57% of men and 45% of women shopping online have used buy now, pay later (BNPL) services.
- 94% of women aged 15 to 35 years who shop online shop at a rate exceeding one hour per day.
Online Shopping by Age
Age groups and generations often have unique shopping preferences.
- 50.9% of clothes shoppers on mobile devices are between the ages of 18 and 24.
- 28.7% of clothes shoppers on mobile are 25- to 34-year-olds.
- Just 4.5% of mobile clothes shoppers are 45 to 54 years old.
- 42% of shoppers aged 18 to 24 years have used buy now, pay later (BNPL) at least once.
- Online shoppers aged 25 to 44 years are equally likely to use BNPL services at 50%.
- 33% of consumers aged 45 to 54 years have used BNPL; 19% of shoppers aged 55 years and older have used it.
Online Shopping by Generation
Consumers born between 1965 and 1980 (usually classified as Generation X) are most likely to shop online on a daily or weekly basis, while shoppers born between 1997 and 2012 (Generation Z) are the least likely to shop online.
- Shoppers born between 1981 and 1996 (Millennials) are 14.3% more likely than any other generation to do most of their shopping online.
- Millennials are 19% more likely than the average consumer to prefer shopping online.
- Generation Z (born 1997-2012) consumers are 6.3% more likely than the average consumer to make frequent online purchases.
- Millennials are also the only generation to prefer online shopping to in-store shopping (by 5.56%).
- In 12 months, Generation Z shoppers are 12.0% less likely to shop online than the average American consumer.
- Shoppers born between 1946 and 1964 (Baby Boomers) are 8.43% more likely than other generations to shop online at least once over the course of a year.
- Gen Z consumers are 11.9% less likely to shop online regularly than the average American consumer.
- Gen X consumers are 9.52% more likely than the average American to shop online at least on a weekly basis.
Generation Z Online Shopping Statistics
Many Generation Z (born 1997-2012) consumers are still below the age of 18, meaning they may not purchase their own groceries, clothing, or personal products.
- Given the option, 34% of Generation Z consumers prefer to shop online instead of in-store.
- 28% of Gen Z consumers shop primarily online; 36% shop online and in-store in equal measure.
- 73% of Generation Z consumers shopped online over 12 months.
- 37% of Gen Z-ers shop online on a daily or weekly basis.
- 53% of Gen Z consumers purchased directly through a social media platform in 2024.
- 85% of Gen Z consumers shop on mobile.
- 45% of Gen Z adults have boycotted a brand.
Millennial Online Shopping Statistics
Millennial (born 1981-1996) consumers are more likely than other generations to browse and buy online on a regular basis.
- Given the option, 38% of Millennials prefer shopping online instead of in-store.
- 32% of Millennials do most of their shopping online; 30% shop online and in-store in equal measure.
- In 12 months, 85% of Millennial consumers shopped online.
- 44% of Millennials shop online on a daily or weekly basis.
- 45% of Millennial consumers purchased directly through a social media platform in 2024.
Generation X Online Shopping Statistics
While Generation X (born 1965-1980) consumers prefer to shop in-store, they shop online roughly as often as Millennials.
- Given the option, 30% of Generation X consumers prefer to shop online instead of in-store.
- 27% of Gen X consumers primarily shop online; 23% shop online and in-store in equal measure.
- In 12 months, 85% of Gen X consumers shopped online.
- 46% of Gen X-ers report shopping online on a daily or weekly basis.
- 31% of Gen X consumers purchased directly through a social media platform in 2024.
Baby Boomer Online Shopping Statistics
Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) prefer in-store shopping and are the generation most likely to have shopped online at least once in the last 12 months.
- Given the option, 30% of Baby Boomers prefer to shop online instead of in-store.
- 22% of Baby Boomers shop primarily online; 18% shop online and in-store in equal measure.
- In 12 months, 90% of Boomer consumers shopped online.
- 39% of Boomers shop online on a daily or weekly basis.
- 13% of Boomer consumers purchased directly through a social media platform in 2024.
Online Shopping by Income
Consumers from higher-income households are more likely to purchase groceries online.
- Given the option, 32% of consumers prefer to shop online instead of in-store regardless of household income.
- 26% of consumers from households with an average income below $50,000 prefer shopping online to shopping in-store.
- 28% of consumers with household incomes between $50,000 to $99,000 prefer shopping online.
- 36% of consumers with household incomes over $100,000 prefer online shopping.
- 24% of consumers from households with an average income below $50,000 buy from online second-hand clothing stores.
- 72% of consumers from households over $150,000 say they will never purchase second-hand clothing online.
American Online Shopping
28.4% of U.S. consumers prefer to shop online.
- 79% of American consumers are satisfied with online shopping.
- 58% of Americans shop online multiple times per month.
- Americans represent 10.4% of global online consumers.
- U.S. consumers who prefer online shopping say convenience is the main reason.
- Americans use mobile devices for 68% of online purchases.
These data and insights were compiled by the Capital One Shopping team based on publicly available data.
Sources
- United States Census Bureau
- Statista, Retail & Trade
- Morning Consult, Retail & E-commerce
- Pew Research Center, Defining Generations
- Forbes, 20 Facts to Know When Marketing to Women
- eMarketer, Insider Intelligence
- Mintel, Retail Insights
- National Retail Federation, Consumers want it all
- Nielsen IQ, The 2024 Shopper