WSL Strategic Retail recently polled shoppers to learn how they use the retail powerhouses Walmart, Amazon and Target online sites. The “connected consumer” results produced several surprising behaviors that suggest the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for the industry at large. We predict what’s next.

Face it, Having an Omni Presence Doesn’t Make You Special

In 2025, nearly all consumers shop across retail digital channels with the fluidity of Olympian hurdlers, jumping from one to the other instinctively and without hesitation.

How they shop some of the biggest omni retailers – Amazon, Walmart and Target – however, gave us pause.

In late 2024, WSL surveyed more than 1,500 consumers expressly to unearth how the typical “connected consumer” shops these retail giants online, and what their behaviors suggest for categories and brands in the coming year. Included in our survey, importantly, were queries designed to reveal the factors that convince shoppers that premium online memberships are worth the added price.

The results produced several fascinating findings we detail in our new How America Shops® report, “Decoding the Digital Titans: Winner & Losers.” We’re sharing the highlights from a sample of those findings here.

3 Surprises from Our How America Shops® Report

WSL’s consultants wanted to learn how retailers and brands can more precisely interpret the role connected commerce plays in everyday shopping now, so we could predict where it’s heading.

We focused our query on three “digital titans”: Amazon, Walmart and Target, because they capture a major share and representation of all consumers, across a broad spectrum of everyday product categories.

The analysis covered the shoppers of these retailers and the role online and fast-emerging paid membership play in shopper patterns. (By 2026, the e-commerce subscription economy alone is expected to generate more than $904 billion.)

What shoppers told us revealed surprising connected-commerce behaviors that present opportunities for growth – and a few watch-outs.

Among those fascinating findings:

Surprise No. 1: People shop Amazon and Walmart very differently.

Both online and in regards to the paid subscriber options Walmart+ and Amazon Prime. Walmart shoppers use its website much as they do the physical store: for routine everyday items, to complete their weekly trips and to fill their online carts (which they pick up or have delivered). Shoppers turn to Amazon, meanwhile, as a reliable default supplier; the retailer they know they can count on for fast, accurate fulfillment. As a result, Amazon shoppers are more likely to order single items. One upshot: This pattern suggests Walmart.com is more likely capturing sales from traditional grocery and drug chains than from Amazon.

Surprise No. 2: Many lower-income shoppers pay for memberships.

About two in five Walmart+ and Amazon Prime households earn less than $50,000 a year, with Walmart+ leading at 43% vs. Amazon’s 39%. That’s a higher share than those making $50,000 to $100,000. These shoppers are more likely to justify the premium membership fees because they save time and money on gas or mass transit – especially if a store isn’t nearby. Further, shoppers are less likely to make unplanned purchases online, because they can see how much they spend as they go. One upshot: High demand equals higher shopper expectations in terms of how orders are pulled (in-store vs. automated distribution). More Walmart+ shoppers than Amazon Prime shoppers cited missing or damaged orders – by 16 percentage points.

Surprise No. 3: Shoppers aren’t missing Target.

Target, once beloved for its exclusive brands, is losing ground among online shoppers, based on our research. Target.com shoppers buy from its ecommerce site less often than Amazon.com and Walmart.com shoppers do. Further, a greater share of Target.com shoppers purchase from the site less frequently today than a year ago (vs. those who buy from Target.com more frequently). And when they do shop Target.com, customers said they are less satisfied than a year ago. One upshot: Target.com shoppers are more likely to have pets and children under 18 at home, compared with Walmart.com and Amazon.com shoppers. There’s opportunity to make those shoppers’ lives easier, no doubt.

Clearing Hurdles: What Brands and Retails Can Expect

These revelations underscore what brands and retailer should already know: a seamless connected-commerce experience could generate exponential sales growth. More than six in 10 shoppers start their purchase journeys online, Marketing Charts reports, and one third of them – 20% – complete the purchase in-store.

Based on our findings, we predict the following:

• Relying on just one “omni” strategy can be a mistake. That’s for any brand or retailer, whether they compete with these digital titans or supply them. Different shoppers use their e-tailers of choice in different ways, and with varying expectations regarding price and fulfilment. While Millennials are likely to shop nearly every category we listed on Amazon, such as food and beverage, electronics, personal care and beauty, more Gen Z shoppers turn to Walmart.com for everyday categories, like food and beverage, prescriptions and personal items. Omni strategies will need to flex to such preferences.
• Omni-channel shoppers are poised to drive Walmart’s growth. Many consumers choose Walmart.com for weekly “household essential” trips, which include categories less likely to be purchased on Amazon. These same shoppers visit Walmart’s brick stores, too. And research shows that shoppers who convert from in-store-only to omni-channel customers spend more with the retailer. Meanwhile, our research predicts Target will have to step it up to maintain and grow its online shopper base before it can compete effectively and grow.
• Expect Walmart+ and others to add perks. Thanks to Amazon Prime’s extensive portfolio of benefits (quicker delivery, video streaming, access to Prime Day deals), as well as those of competitors, shoppers simply will expect more from their $98-a-year Walmart+ memberships, and from other fee-based memberships. We expect to see more creative perks that hit the shopper sweet spot. The challenge will be delivering those benefits while managing costs.

There’s More Where Those Surprising Findings Came From

Want to know more about how shoppers buy across categories at these Digital Titans? Subscribers can access our full report, “Decoding the Digital Titans: Winner & Losers” here. Not a WSL Strategic Retail subscriber? Learn more about the benefits of our annual customized subscriptions and more.