The Moment of Intent Is Where Brands Win – or Lose
Retail didn’t simply become more digital this year. It became more decisive.
Hybrid shopping has become the norm, blending online and in-store behavior into everyday routines. At the same time, economic pressure, shifting discovery patterns, and evolving cart behavior are changing how purchase decisions happen.
The result is a retail environment where small moments determine whether demand converts or disappears.
The result is a retail environment where small moments determine whether demand converts – or disappears.
To better understand these shifts, we surveyed U.S. consumers on how they discover products, build carts, and ultimately decide what to buy. The findings are compiled in our 2026 Ecommerce Trends Report, which explores the behaviors shaping retail outcomes today.
Hybrid Shopping Is the Default
The consumer journey no longer happens in one place.
Our research shows 56% of consumers now shop using a mix of online and in-store channels.
For younger generations, hybrid behavior is even more pronounced, with roughly six in ten Gen Z and Millennial shoppers blending both environments.
This means the consumer journey rarely happens in one place. Discovery, evaluation, and purchase decisions often move between social platforms, retailer websites, and physical stores.
For brands, that fluidity creates both opportunity and risk. The more touchpoints shoppers navigate, the more chances competitors have to intercept demand before it converts.
Price Sensitivity Is Reshaping Purchase Behavior
Economic pressure continues to influence how consumers shop.
In our survey, 40% of consumers reported using more promotions or digital coupons to manage spending. Others are adjusting how they buy by choosing larger formats, switching brands, or delaying purchases.
Value signals increasingly determine which products stay in the basket and which are replaced.
The 2026 Ecommerce Trends Report explores these behavioral shifts in depth, with new consumer data on discovery, cart behavior, checkout decisions, and brand switching.
The report also examines how hybrid shopping, price sensitivity, and retail environments are reshaping how demand ultimately converts.
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Discovery Happens While People Are Already Shopping
Product discovery often happens in places marketers don’t expect.
61% of consumers say they most often discover new products while actively shopping, either in-store or on retailer websites and apps.
Retail environments are no longer just conversion points. They have become discovery engines as well.
For brands, that means visibility within retailer ecosystems can influence not only whether products convert, but whether they are discovered in the first place.
The Cart Has Become a Decision Layer
The cart is no longer just the final step before checkout.
While 35% of shoppers use their cart to purchase immediately, many treat it as a planning tool. 42% save items for later, and 16% use their cart as a shopping list for in-store trips.
Items placed in the cart are often still under evaluation. Shoppers compare options, wait for promotions, or revisit items before deciding whether to purchase.
Checkout Is Where Purchases Are Decided
Adding an item to the cart signals interest. Checkout determines commitment.
Our survey shows that promotions are the top factor influencing whether shoppers complete a purchase, followed closely by product availability at the retailer where they want to buy.
Unexpected costs such as delivery fees or taxes are the most common reason consumers abandon purchases at this stage.
Out-of-stocks don’t pause demand. They redirect it.
Out-of-stocks remain one of the strongest drivers of brand switching.
67% of consumers encountered an out-of-stock online in the past three months. When this happens, most shoppers do not wait.
Instead, they substitute another product, check another retailer, or abandon the purchase entirely. In fact, 96% of shoppers say they are open to switching brands when their preferred item is unavailable.
Availability, in other words, often outweighs loyalty.
The Bigger Takeaway
Across all of these trends, one theme emerges clearly:
The moment of intent determines the outcome.
Discovery still plays an important role, but conversion increasingly depends on what happens when shoppers are ready to act. Value, availability, and ease determine whether demand turns into a completed purchase or shifts somewhere else.
For brands navigating today’s hybrid retail environment, understanding how these decision points work is essential to capturing demand and converting it into real retail outcomes.
Our 2026 Ecommerce Trends Report explores these behaviors in depth, with new consumer data on hybrid shopping, discovery patterns, cart usage, checkout decisions, and brand switching across retail environments.