As the year-end shopping season approaches, cross-border e-commerce sellers are preparing for peak sales periods like Black Friday and Christmas. However, before finalizing inventory and marketing strategies, understanding evolving US consumer behavior remains crucial. Recent consumer trend reports provide valuable insights into spending patterns, category preferences, and digital shopping habits.
Spending Sentiment: Cautious Optimism Emerges
Consumers continue to demonstrate spending restraint, with 73% of respondents indicating their third-quarter expenditures would remain stable or decrease compared to the previous quarter. While this shows slight improvement from 76% in Q2, it suggests sellers must emphasize value propositions to attract buyers.
Online spending shows more promising indicators, with 33% of consumers planning increased digital purchases - up from 24% last quarter. This upward trend, potentially influenced by Amazon's Prime Day event in July, highlights the sustained importance of e-commerce channels during the holiday season.
Category Shifts: Office Supplies and Beauty Products Gain Traction
Consumer preferences reveal notable category realignments:
- Growing demand: Office supplies, beauty/personal care products, arts/crafts items
- Declining interest: Toys/games, fitness equipment, baby products
These shifts reflect changing lifestyle patterns, with remote work sustaining office product sales while economic pressures reduce discretionary spending on entertainment and fitness categories.
Retail Channels: Amazon Dominates as Social Commerce Expands
Amazon maintains its e-commerce leadership, with 63% of shoppers initiating product searches on the platform - a 2% increase from Q2. Walmart remains the preferred physical retail destination.
Social media platforms demonstrate remarkable growth in product discovery and purchasing:
- TikTok's shopping adoption surged from 33% to 48%
- YouTube and TikTok both achieved over 10% growth as shopping channels
Streaming platforms also emerge as influential marketing venues, with consumers showing greater trust in streaming ads than traditional broadcast media.
Prime Membership: Enhanced Loyalty and Retention
Amazon Prime demonstrates strengthening consumer loyalty:
- Membership penetration grew from 41% to 54%
- Renewal intent increased from 68% to 74%
The program's shipping benefits and exclusive deals continue driving platform stickiness, making Prime participation increasingly valuable for sellers.
Economic Concerns Accelerate Early Holiday Shopping
Despite no official recession declaration, 84% of consumers report inflation impacting their spending - up from previous quarters. Budget-conscious behaviors include:
- 58% planning to start holiday shopping before October (vs. 31% last year)
- Low-income households reducing expenditures more aggressively than affluent consumers
- Consumers planning smaller gift lists and prioritizing discounted items
Generational Differences in Social Commerce
Social shopping preferences vary significantly by age group:
- Gen Z: Prefers Instagram for product discovery
- Millennials: Favors YouTube for shopping inspiration
These insights enable sellers to tailor platform-specific strategies for different demographic segments during the critical holiday sales period.