Shoppers rediscover the checkout line

Here’s something unusual in the digital age: Consumers are increasingly shopping at physical retail stores. Salsify’s 2026 Consumer Research report says brick-and-mortar outlets “received a lot more love than last year,” as 65% of shoppers say they purchased products in person in 2025, an 11% jump from the year before. “Though favoritism is spread across age groups,” the report notes, “older generations have a higher preference” for both physical stores and online marketplaces like Amazon. The report adds that shopping on social media (think TikTok Shop or Instagram Shopping) plunged 12%, adding that “perhaps these shoppers are closing their apps and heading out to touch grass.”