Study: Deciding factors in online shopping; least likely items to be purchased
Americans have some very definite requirements when it comes to shopping online.
Nearly all consumers (94%) say free shipping is a deciding factor in where they shop, according to a study by FinanceBuzz conducted in partnership with Bank of America. Eighty-one percent admit to adding extra items to their cart in order to hit a free-shipping threshold.
To avoid paying for shipping altogether, 85% of shoppers pay for at least one subscription service built around free or faster delivery, led by Amazon Prime and Walmart+, with smaller shares paying for DashPass, Target Circle 360, or Instacart+.
Return policies, for many, matter just as much as free shipping. Sixty-nine percent of shoppers say they avoid retailers that don't offer free returns.
The study of 2,000 U.S. adults found that 93% of Americans regularly shop online. The average household receives 2.9 packages a week, equating to about 150 per year.
As items get larger, they also tend to be purchased in-store more frequently, according to the study. Cars (4%), furniture (18%) and appliances (22%) were some of the least likely categories to be purchased online.
Clothing, pet supplies and home decor are all close to an even three-way split between online, in-person, and "about equally both."
Other insights from the study are below.
•Rewards remain a bigger part of the calculus than many retailers may assume, noted FinanceBuzz. The majority (72%) of shoppers factor rewards or cash back categories into which card they use for a purchase, and 60% check for cash back bonuses before buying. Altogether, 70% of Americans say online shopping rewards are important when choosing or comparing credit cards
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•Most (84%) shoppers have made an online purchase from bed, and 71% have shopped online during work hours. Both of these numbers climb sharply among Gen Z Americans.
•A majority (68%) of Americans say they shop online more often than they did five years ago, compared to just 14% who say they shop online less today.
•While 94% of shoppers still consult customer reviews before buying, 80% of Americans have also used AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude to help make shopping decisions.
•Over half (57%) say they trust customer reviews more than AI recommendations, compared to just 7% who trust AI more.
“Online shopping used to be about convenience,” said Melinda Sineriz, managing editor at FinanceBuzz. “Now it's a strategy. Younger shoppers are stacking tactics, timing purchases, chasing rewards, and even asking AI for a second opinion to squeeze more value out of every purchase."
The full study and findings are available at here.
Methodology
FinanceBuzz, in partnership with Bank of America, surveyed 2,000 Americans via the online research platform Prolific in July 2026 about their online shopping habits, including how, when, and why they shop online versus in-store. Online shopping was defined for respondents as any purchase made online, including groceries, Amazon orders, or any purchase made from a mobile device or computer.
