Study: Consumers' inability to cover surprise emergencies on the rise
Financial insecurity has surged since last year, with consumers’ perception of food price increases at its highest level in four years.
That’s according to the latest "wave" of the Dunnhumby’s Consumer Trends Tracker (CTT) data, which reveals that 64% of consumers believe they would struggle to cover an unexpected $400 expense, up seven percentage points since December.
Seniors recorded the largest increase, rising 16 points to 46%, followed by middle-income households, up 11 points to 60%. Financial insecurity was highest among households earning less than $50,000 (76%), working-age adults 35–44 (76%), followed by 45–54 (74%) and 18–34 (72%).
Food prices are hitting consumers the hardest. The CTT reveals that U.S. shoppers perceive food prices have risen 24% over the past year, nearly 22 percentage points higher than the 2.2% reading from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from August 2026. This is the highest perceived food inflation rating since the third wave of the CTT in 2022.
Given high prices, consumers are spreading their shopping trips across more formats. The CTT found shoppers' willingness to “identify themselves to earn rewards” fell 4pp to 48%, the largest drop of any behavior this wave.
Instead, consumers are shopping at stores with low base prices (63%, +3pp). Walmart continues to reign as the most shopped grocery retailer at 72%, while the fastest risers year on year are 7-Eleven (+7pp), Amazon (+6pp), Dollar General (+4pp) and Dollar Tree (+4pp).
"American shoppers are under more financial pressure than at any time since we started tracking them in 2022, and it's building fast," said Jamie Samaha, CEO of dunnhumby. "Nearly two-in-three would struggle to cover a surprise $400 expense, and more than a third have skipped or cut meals for financial reasons. Both are the highest levels we've recorded, and both rose seven points in just eight months.”
[READ MORE: Survey: Grocery prices outrank housing, healthcare costs]
Additional insights from the CTT include the following:
•Almost a third (31%) of shoppers order groceries online for delivery most or all of the time, up 6pp and the highest level since the tracker began. Interacting with a store’s app rose 3pp to 41%, also a tracker high, and ordering for pickup grew 2pp to 23%. Delivery is highest among 35–44 (43%) and households with kids (43%), compared to 14% of those 65 and over.
•Convenience stores made the largest gain of any format, as 29% of shoppers used one, up 6pp over wave 12 and 7pp over wave 11 (year over year). Dollar stores have grown four waves in a row to 45% (+5pp year on year), and online pureplay rose 4pp to 24%. Mass merchandisers keep the widest reach at 79%, while traditional supermarkets (77%, −1pp) and specialty stores (20%, −1pp) are the only formats to decline.
•Just 22% of shoppers used AI tools for grocery shopping in the past month, with comparing prices (44%) and finding more savings (40%) being the top uses. Trust in AI is limited, with 25% trusting AI “mostly or completely” and 32% “not at all. For those not using AI in grocery “do not see the need” (47%) was the largest barrier.
“More and more, shoppers want a low price they can trust every day, not just one they have to hunt for,” Samaha added. “The retailers and brands that deliver it will earn their loyalty."
For wave 13 of the CTT, Dunnhumby interviewed 8,500 grocery shoppers across Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, and the U.S., including 2,000 shoppers in the U.S. The online interviews took place in August 2026, and the previous wave took place in December 2025.
