Study: Three companies had 84% of shoppers spend with them in 2016

Some of the biggest names in retailing and foodservice used experiences to encourage a high percentage buyers to visit at least once last year.



Specifically, Walmart, McDonald’s and Target had more than five out of six U.S. consumers shopping with them in 2016, according to “The Checkout Penetration Index,” from The NPD Group’s Checkout Tracking.



The index, which is based on millions of customer receipts across all retailers and restaurants, both online and in brick-and-mortar, delved into market penetration and performance to reveal the top 25 retailers and restaurants.



Along with these three companies, other highly recognizable brands in retailing and foodservice have also become fully woven into American life. For example, the biggest gainer among the Top 25 was Chick-fil-A, which saw a 5 percentage point increase in penetration in 2016. The biggest gainer among retailers was Dollar Tree, which saw a 3 percentage point increase. Both Chick-fil-A and Dollar Tree have been expanding operations aggressively, the study reported.



“The battle for every consumer dollar is heating up, and we must shift from studying what consumers purchase to how they spend their money,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst, The NDP Group. “Consumers spending on experiences is overlapping with their purchases of products, making every item and visit so important to competing in today’s rapidly changing marketplace.”