We all think we know our customers. “They want a good product at a good price.” Right? Well, partly. But reality is a lot more interesting. And sometimes unexpected.
I pulled together recent shopper research alongside older studies that help explain the same buying decisions. These are survey findings, not my guesses. Some of them surprised me. I think they’ll surprise you too.
The dates and sources matter. A 2021 finding is not a new 2026 statistic, and results from one market do not automatically describe every shopper. Below, I separate what the research found from what I would do with it in a store.
Free Shipping Is a Leading Delivery Priority
In an October 2025 survey of 1,057 online shoppers by Digital Commerce 360 and Bizrate Insights, 73.9% selected free shipping when asked which shipping and delivery options mattered most in choosing where to buy. Delivery speed followed at 58.9%.
That is a strong signal. But the question compared shipping and delivery options. It does not establish that free shipping matters more than product price, selection, or every other buying factor.
Source: Digital Commerce 360 / Bizrate Insights, October 2025
What This Means for Your Store
Show delivery costs before checkout. Consider free shipping above a certain order value, but work out the cost and margin first. A threshold should make sense for your products, not just look good in a banner.
64% of Surveyed Shoppers Use AI Tools
Ryder’s 2026 study surveyed 1,160 online shoppers. It found that 64% used AI tools during shopping, including discovery, comparisons, review summaries, and visual search.
That is broader than asking ChatGPT to choose a product. AI can be involved at several stages before someone reaches your store.
Source: Ryder 2026 E-Commerce Consumer Study
What This Means for Your Store
Your store is competing for discovery in AI answers as well as search results. Keep product information specific and consistent, publish useful content, and build genuine reviews. None of this guarantees an AI recommendation, but it gives buyers and discovery tools clearer information to work with.
Brand Loyalty Cannot Be Taken for Granted
Salsify and the Digital Shelf Institute’s Q4 2025 report found that 72% of shoppers had purchased from a new brand instead of their usual one in the past year.
That does not mean loyalty has disappeared. It means a previous purchase is not a promise of the next one. A better deal, an available product, or a more convincing experience can change the decision.
Source: Salsify / Digital Shelf Institute, Q4 2025
What This Means for Your Store
Customer retention deserves attention alongside acquisition. Useful emails, reliable post-purchase service, and a good reason to return matter. Your customers still have a choice every time.
Personalization Has Been an Expectation for Years
McKinsey’s 2021 research found that 71% of consumers expected personalized interactions and 76% were frustrated when these were missing. These are historical findings, not a fresh 2026 survey.
The same analysis reported that personalization most often produced revenue lifts of 10–15%, with results varying by company and execution. That is context, not a guaranteed return from adding a recommendation widget.
Source: McKinsey, Next in Personalization 2021
What This Means for Your Store
Start with relevance: complementary products, useful follow-up emails, and recommendations that reflect what someone actually needs. Measure the result. A generic “recommended for you” label does not make the experience personal.
Fast Shipping Expectations Are Rising Again
Ryder’s 2026 study found that expectations for one- or two-day delivery reached a four-year high. It also found that 76% placed more importance on speed than on choosing a specific date.
For a small store, the practical question is what you can consistently deliver. A confident promise is useful only when fulfillment can support it.
Source: Ryder 2026 E-Commerce Consumer Study
What This Means for Your Store
If shipping takes 7–14 days, say so before purchase. Give a realistic delivery window and transparent tracking. Do not promise “fast shipping” and leave the customer waiting three weeks.
Your Return Policy Helps Make the Sale
In ICSC’s February 2024 survey of 1,012 U.S. consumers, 82% said return policies influenced their decision to purchase online from a retailer.
Your Returns Policy page is more than a formality. It helps a buyer understand the risk before paying. What happens if the size is wrong? Who pays return shipping? How long will a refund take?
Source: ICSC Consumer Returns Survey, February 2024
What This Means for Your Store
Make the policy clear and easy to find. State the return window, conditions, fees, and refund process. Generous terms can reduce uncertainty, but choose terms your business can support; the research does not prove that free returns always outperform a discount.
Convenience Is Part of the Product
Linnworks’ 2021 research, based on a survey of 1,000 shoppers, found that 76% named convenience as a key priority when selecting a retailer and 81% wanted a frictionless experience across devices.
These are older benchmarks, not new 2026 measurements. They still describe a practical problem: a customer starts on a phone and later returns on a laptop. Does your store help them continue?
Source: Linnworks, The Effortless Economy, 2021
What This Means for Your Store
Consider saved carts, wishlists, and optional accounts. Test how they work across devices. Do not assume a cart follows someone automatically, and do not force account creation just to make a purchase.
Checkout UX Has Significant Conversion Potential
Baymard’s checkout research estimates that the average large eCommerce site could increase its conversion rate by around 35% through checkout design improvements.
This is potential improvement, not a promised result for every store. It is also a relative increase: a 2% conversion rate rising by 35% would become 2.7%, not 37%.
Guest checkout, fewer unnecessary fields, clear errors, and visible totals are practical places to start.
Source: Baymard Institute, Checkout UX Research
What This Means for Your Store
Before spending more on traffic, check the checkout you already have. Find the points where people struggle and prioritize fixes using your own funnel data. Measure the outcome instead of assuming the headline uplift will apply.
Sustainability Matters, but Value Still Matters Too
DHL’s 2026 research covered 29,000 shoppers across 29 countries. Its sustainability findings report that 49% had purchased refurbished or pre-owned products online.
That does not mean every second-hand purchase was motivated by sustainability. Value and environmental considerations can both play a role.
The report also identifies packaging as a practical concern: 53% wanted retailers to use sustainable packaging and 50% wanted less plastic and unnecessary packaging.
Source: DHL 2026 E-Commerce Trends: Sustainability and Circular Economy
What This Means for Your Store
Be specific about packaging, materials, repair, and reuse. Explain what you actually do. Do not assume an environmental claim automatically justifies a higher price; test what your customers value rather than making a universal pricing rule.
Product Content Helps Close the Deal
Salsify’s 2025 Consumer Research report cites a Q4 2024 finding that 37% of shoppers said personalized recommendations made them buy more often. The publication date and the underlying data date are different.
Photos, videos, descriptions, reviews, sizing, comparisons. These are sales tools. A shopper needs enough information to understand the product and decide whether it fits.
There is no magic number of photos or reviews that guarantees a sale. The useful question is whether your content answers the questions a real buyer would ask.
Source: Salsify 2025 Consumer Research, p. 22 (citing Q4 2024)
What This Means for Your Store
Show the product in use, explain dimensions and limitations, answer common questions, and collect genuine customer reviews. Give recommendations a reason: why does this product go with the one the customer is viewing?
Five Things to Check in Your Store
The recurring themes are simplicity, transparency, and a buying experience people can trust. Here is a practical place to start.
- A Sensible Free-Shipping Threshold If you cannot offer free shipping on every order, test a threshold your margins can support. $50 or $75 are examples, not universal targets.
- Price and Delivery Transparency Show costs and realistic delivery expectations before the final checkout step.
- Relevant Recommendations Start with useful product pairings and follow-up messages, then measure whether they help.
- A Clear Return Policy Put the key terms where buyers can see them. Explain the process, time limits, and costs.
- A Mobile Checkout You Have Tested Walk through the full purchase on your phone. Check the forms, payment options, and final total.
Need help optimizing your store for these expectations? We do audits and help implement changes that actually impact conversion.
Research Sources
Research reviewed October 6, 2026. Survey populations, questions, and years differ; percentages should not be treated as directly comparable measurements.
- Digital Commerce 360 / Bizrate Insights, October 2025
- Ryder 2026 E-Commerce Consumer Study
- Salsify / Digital Shelf Institute, Q4 2025
- McKinsey, Next in Personalization 2021
- ICSC Consumer Returns Survey, February 2024
- Linnworks, The Effortless Economy, 2021
- Baymard Institute, Checkout UX Research
- DHL 2026 E-Commerce Trends: Sustainability and Circular Economy
- Salsify 2025 Consumer Research, p. 22 (citing Q4 2024)
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Vasyl Staroshchuk
Co-founder of iAdsy
I’m Vasyl, co-founder of iAdsy. We build, fix, and scale eCommerce stores. US and EU markets.
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