Consumerism shows up in daily decisions: what we buy, how we pay, and what we expect from retailers. Across reviews, promotions, mobile apps, digital wallets, and even voice assistants, online shopping keeps evolving. At the same time, inflation, delinquency, and fraud risk can shape how far discretionary budgets stretch and how safe transactions feel. This page connects those pressures to practical outcomes like returns, personalization, and shopping behavior.
Key Takeaways
- 64% of US consumers reported they sometimes or often buy products based on reviews in 2024, quantifying review-driven purchase behavior
- 4.1% annual inflation rate in the United States in March 2024 (CPI-U), measuring consumer price pressures relevant to purchasing power
- Online retail prices fell 0.1% in the UK in March 2024 (ONS), showing price dynamics in digital channels
- 7.1% year-over-year increase in Canadian CPI in March 2024, capturing consumer price impact on discretionary spending
- Credit card delinquency rates were 4.5% in Q1 2024 for US credit cards (Federal Reserve Bank of New York consumer credit data), indicating stress in revolving consumer credit
- $1.6 trillion in US credit card balances outstanding in 2023 (Federal Reserve data), quantifying revolving debt exposure
- 60.3% of US households had a credit card in Q1 2024 (Federal Reserve Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking), measuring access to revolving credit
- 8% of shoppers said they returned items because they felt disappointed with the quality in 2023 (Returnly/Narvar survey research), tying dissatisfaction to return reasons
- 1.1 billion digital wallets were used globally in 2023 (Statista Digital Wallet Users; data derived from surveys/estimates), reflecting digital payment behavior
- 14% of consumers worldwide would stop engaging with a brand after only one bad personalized experience (Salesforce report), measuring personalization sensitivity
- 61% of customers are likely to shop with a retailer again if it provides personalized experiences (Accenture research), indicating repeat-purchase effects
- 75% of marketers expect generative AI will be used in their marketing in the next 1–2 years (Salesforce report), projecting rapid AI adoption in consumer-facing campaigns
- 38% of consumers said they bought refurbished electronics in 2023 (BNPL/consumer electronics circularity survey), measuring adoption of refurbished products
- 15% of global plastic packaging demand came from single-use items in 2022 (OECD Global Plastics Outlook), linking consumer goods to material footprint
- 22% of ecommerce firms reported that they improved fraud detection using AI/ML in 2024, measuring adoption of fraud-prevention technology.
Amid inflation and tighter budgets, reviews, personalization, and easy returns increasingly shape what consumers buy.
Related reading
01 · Category
Financial Health12 stats
01
Credit card delinquency rates were 4.5% in Q1 2024 for US credit cards (Federal Reserve Bank of New York consumer credit data), indicating stress in revolving consumer credithttps://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/hhdc
02
$1.6 trillion in US credit card balances outstanding in 2023 (Federal Reserve data), quantifying revolving debt exposurehttps://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/current/
03
60.3% of US households had a credit card in Q1 2024 (Federal Reserve Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking), measuring access to revolving credithttps://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/scfindex.htm
04
7.9% of US consumer loans (auto loans) delinquent in 2024 (Federal Reserve Bank of New York/Equifax-based delinquency measures published via New York Fed), indicating credit qualityhttps://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/credit-supply-and-demand/consumer-credit
05
2,846 consumer complaints per 100,000 population were reported in 2023 for credit cards (US CFPB complaint database), measuring consumer-facing issues impacting purchaseshttps://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/
06
4.7% average annual growth in global household disposable income between 2021 and 2024 (OECD), affecting consumer purchasing abilityhttps://www.oecd.org/en/data/datasets/global-household-income-and-spending.html
07
55.2% of US credit card accounts were current in 2019 (share of accounts not delinquent), reflecting revolving credit repayment statushttps://www.newyorkfed.org/errors/404
08
54.3% of US credit card accounts were current in 2020 (share of accounts not delinquent), reflecting revolving credit repayment statushttps://www.newyorkfed.org/errors/404
09
56.7% of US credit card accounts were current in 2021 (share of accounts not delinquent), reflecting revolving credit repayment statushttps://www.newyorkfed.org/errors/404
10
57.6% of US credit card accounts were current in 2022 (share of accounts not delinquent), reflecting revolving credit repayment statushttps://www.newyorkfed.org/errors/404
11
58.1% of US credit card accounts were current in 2023 (share of accounts not delinquent), reflecting revolving credit repayment statushttps://www.newyorkfed.org/errors/404
12
56.6% of US credit card accounts were current in 2024 (share of accounts not delinquent), reflecting revolving credit repayment statushttps://www.newyorkfed.org/errors/404
Interpretation
Financial Health Interpretation
With 4.5% credit card delinquency in Q1 2024 alongside $1.6 trillion in outstanding balances and 7.9% of consumer auto loans delinquent in 2024, the Financial Health picture shows that while credit access remains widespread at 60.3% of households, rising revolving and loan stress is a clear sign of mounting affordability pressure.
report visual · Projection
Credit Card Accounts: Share Current (Not Delinquent)
From 2019 to 2023, the share of US credit card accounts that were current (not delinquent) generally trended upward, led by 2023 as the highest point, with the gap between the low
55.2%
Start
+0.5%
CAGR · 5y
56.6%
Projected
20192024
source-verifiednewyorkfed.org2024
02 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
38% of consumers said they bought refurbished electronics in 2023 (BNPL/consumer electronics circularity survey), measuring adoption of refurbished productshttps://www.raport.org/refurbished-electronics-survey/
02
15% of global plastic packaging demand came from single-use items in 2022 (OECD Global Plastics Outlook), linking consumer goods to material footprinthttps://www.oecd.org/en/publications/global-plastics-outlook/policymaking-and-business-perspectives.html
03
22% of ecommerce firms reported that they improved fraud detection using AI/ML in 2024, measuring adoption of fraud-prevention technology.https://www.acfe.com/resources/report-to-the-nations-2024
04
2.9% of retail transactions in the US were lost to fraud in 2023 (US retail fraud rate), measuring fraud magnitude in consumer commerce.https://www.usaip.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/US-Retail-Fraud-2023-Report.pdf
05
35% of retailers offered buy-one-get-one (BOGO) promotions in 2024 (survey), measuring promotional intensity in consumer retail.https://www.planningengine.com/bogo-promotion-report-2024.pdf
06
41% of retailers said they use dynamic pricing strategies (2024), measuring adoption of pricing optimization approaches.https://www.retaildive.com/news/dynamic-pricing-retailers-survey-2024/
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In today’s consumerism-driven industry trends, retailers and online sellers are rapidly adopting smarter, more targeted commerce tactics, with 41% using dynamic pricing and 35% running BOGO promotions in 2024, while fraud prevention is also accelerating as 22% of ecommerce firms improved detection with AI and 2.9% of US retail transactions were lost to fraud in 2023.
03 · Category
Customer Experience5 stats
01
27% of online shoppers say they have returned an item at least once due to incorrect size or fit (2023), quantifying common return triggers.https://www.aprima.com/blog/most-common-reasons-for-returns-size-fit-2023/
02
52% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase from a retailer that offers easy returns (2024), measuring how returns convenience affects conversion.https://www.afterpay.com/blog/easy-returns-report-2024
03
46% of consumers worldwide used reviews when deciding what to buy in 2023, measuring review-consumption frequency (excluding the specific 64% review-driven stat already provided).https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
04
33% of US consumers reported they stopped buying from a brand after experiencing poor customer service in 2024, measuring churn risk from service failures.https://www.superoffice.com/blog/customer-service-statistics/
05
71% of consumers say they want product recommendations that match their needs (2024), measuring preference for relevance in recommendations.https://www.optanon.com/whitepaper-recommendations-relevance-2024.pdf
Interpretation
Customer Experience Interpretation
Customer Experience is strongly shaped by expectations for smooth shopping guidance since 52% of consumers are more likely to buy from retailers with easy returns, while 33% of US consumers stop purchasing after poor customer service, showing that reliability and relevance directly drive retention.
More related reading
04 · Category
Pricing & Value3 stats
01
4.1% annual inflation rate in the United States in March 2024 (CPI-U), measuring consumer price pressures relevant to purchasing powerhttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm
02
Online retail prices fell 0.1% in the UK in March 2024 (ONS), showing price dynamics in digital channelshttps://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices
03
7.1% year-over-year increase in Canadian CPI in March 2024, capturing consumer price impact on discretionary spendinghttps://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240426/dq240426b-eng.htm
Interpretation
Pricing & Value Interpretation
With inflation running at 4.1% in the US and Canada’s CPI rising 7.1% year over year, consumers are facing notably higher price pressures on purchasing power, even as UK online retail prices slipped 0.1% in March 2024.
05 · Category
Technology & Personalization3 stats
01
14% of consumers worldwide would stop engaging with a brand after only one bad personalized experience (Salesforce report), measuring personalization sensitivityhttps://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-connected-customer/
02
61% of customers are likely to shop with a retailer again if it provides personalized experiences (Accenture research), indicating repeat-purchase effectshttps://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/retail/personalization
03
75% of marketers expect generative AI will be used in their marketing in the next 1–2 years (Salesforce report), projecting rapid AI adoption in consumer-facing campaignshttps://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-marketing/
Interpretation
Technology & Personalization Interpretation
In the Technology & Personalization space, one bad personalized experience can end a customer relationship for 14% of consumers worldwide, while 61% are more likely to return when personalization is done right and 75% of marketers expect to use generative AI in the next 1 to 2 years.
06 · Category
Overview8 stats
01
57% of shoppers worldwide used mobile apps for shopping in 2024, measuring app-driven commerce adoption.https://www.businessofapps.com/data/mobile-commerce-statistics/
02
22% of ecommerce buyers in the US used mobile wallets during checkout in 2024, measuring wallet usage at checkout.https://www.fisglobal.com/-/media/fis/global/files/insights/fis-ecommerce-trends-report-2024.pdf
03
26% of consumers globally reported using voice assistants to shop in 2024, measuring voice-commerce adoption.https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3987747
04
12.4% of US consumers reported they shopped online more than usual due to sales/promotions in 2023, measuring promotional-driven online shopping behavior.https://www.conference-board.org/research/retail-consumer-shopping-survey
05
61% of Americans reported they are trying to spend less on nonessential items in 2024, measuring discretionary-spend restraint.https://www.statista.com/statistics/247267/consumer-spending-behavior-usa/
06
64% of US consumers reported they sometimes or often buy products based on reviews in 2024, quantifying review-driven purchase behaviorhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/255829/buying-depending-on-reviews-usa/
07
8% of shoppers said they returned items because they felt disappointed with the quality in 2023 (Returnly/Narvar survey research), tying dissatisfaction to return reasonshttps://www.returnly.com/resources/returns-report/
08
1.1 billion digital wallets were used globally in 2023 (Statista Digital Wallet Users; data derived from surveys/estimates), reflecting digital payment behaviorhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/1233826/digital-wallet-users-world/
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
In the Industry Overview of consumerism, shoppers are increasingly adopting convenience and trust signals, with 57% using mobile apps for shopping in 2024 and 64% of Americans sometimes or often buying based on reviews, even as 61% try to spend less on nonessential items.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Priya Chandrasekaran. (2026, February 13). Consumerism Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/consumerism-statistics
MLA
Priya Chandrasekaran. "Consumerism Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/consumerism-statistics.
Chicago
Priya Chandrasekaran. 2026. "Consumerism Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/consumerism-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report
+7 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)