# Impact.com tracks 2,319 retailers: US shoppers made 7% fewer purchases but spent 8% more in H1 2026

*Fewer transactions at higher average order values signal the premiumization window is open for physical product brands.*

By **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA, Principal** — The Stash Edge, Hako Shikin LLC.
Published 2026-10-06.

Canonical: https://www.pops4.com/stash/articles/impactcom-2026-10-06t15-1
Subject: Impact.com
Tags: pricing, average order value, bundling, consumer behavior, retail benchmarks

---

A benchmark from Impact.com covering **2,319** North American retailers found US shoppers made **7% fewer purchases** in the first half of 2026 while spending **8% more** year-over-year, according to Retail Dive. The divergence is clean: transaction volume fell, total spend rose, which means average order value climbed double digits. For physical product brands, the data confirms consumers are consolidating purchases and trading up when they do buy.

The mechanism is straightforward. When shoppers reduce transaction frequency but increase spend per trip, they are making deliberate choices about which brands get the order. Price sensitivity has not disappeared—it has shifted from unit price to perceived value per dollar. Brands that bundle, upsell at point of sale, or position a premium SKU alongside the core offering capture the lift. Brands that compete only on lowest unit price watch transaction counts fall without the offsetting revenue gain.

Retailers inside the Impact.com benchmark span categories, but the pattern holds: the customer is visiting fewer stores and sites, then spending more when they arrive. For a direct-to-consumer physical goods brand, this means the cost of acquisition has effectively risen (fewer total transactions across the market) while the revenue opportunity per converted customer has expanded. The play is to design the cart for higher value from the start, not hope the customer returns for a second order.

Here is the steal for a small or solo physical product brand. First, audit your current average order value and compare it to your target customer's likely annual spend in your category. If you sell candles at $28 and your customer buys four per year from various brands, your current single-unit sale captures one-quarter of their annual budget. Second, build a multi-unit offer that makes economic sense for the customer who now consolidates purchases: a curated three-pack at $75 with a clear use case (seasonal rotation, gift set, variety sampler) beats three separate $28 orders in the new behavior pattern. Third, surface that bundle or upsell at first decision point—on the product page, in the cart, or as the default pre-selected option—so the higher AOV path is the path of least resistance. Cost to execute is negligible if you already stock the SKUs: packaging for the bundle, a line of copy explaining the value, and a Shopify product variant. The margin improvement is immediate because you convert one customer acquisition event into a larger revenue capture without a second ad spend.

The broader pattern is that market consolidation rewards brands that own a clear position and can load more revenue into each transaction. When shoppers make fewer purchases overall, the brands that survive are the ones customers choose deliberately, not the ones they stumble into while browsing. Your bundle or upsell is not a discount play—it is a consolidation play that aligns your offer with the way customers are already spending.

## The takeaway

Shoppers are buying less often but spending more per trip; bundle your SKUs and upsell at point of sale to capture the higher AOV.

---

## Publisher

**Hako Shikin LLC** — Virginia Beach, Virginia. Founded 1997. ASI 217876 · DUNS 18-204-6339.
Principal and author: **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA**.

- Author: https://www.huanggoodman.com/about
- LLM context: https://www.pops4.com/stash/llms.txt
- MCP endpoint, for AI agents: https://mcp.pops4.com/mcp
- Client dashboard: https://dashboard.pops4.com/
- Catalogue: 70,000+ products, 200+ brands