The news: Consumer spending was up in 2025 driven by higher ticket size, but frequency of baskets slumped compared with 2023 metrics, per Impact and Cardlytics’ Consumer Spending Intelligence Report 2026.

• Average order size (AOV) grew 1.9%.
• The number of shopping trips slipped to 1.6% over the two-year period.
• And average spend per consumer rose 0.3%.

What this means: Shoppers are shopping less often, but their order sizes are larger when they pull the trigger on the purchase. 

This shift in behavior is tied to the rising cost-of-living strain, which is forcing consumers to more carefully consider their purchases and seek value to save money. 

Zooming out: To chase deals, consumers are spending more time researching and considering their purchases before heading to checkout: Click volume rose 2% YoY in 2025, while conversion rates fell 6% YoY, per Impact and Cardlytics.

When these “value hacking” shoppers do checkout, their larger baskets reflect budgeting behaviors. These consumers consolidate their shopping lists to maximize discounts through bundles, free shipping thresholds, and other sales and promotions to maximize savings. This means merchants have a narrowing opportunity to win consumers' spending.

Implications for merchants: As the US consumer gets choosier and more deal-seeking, merchants need to craft incentives to win the baskets that are still up for grabs. Offering discounts or promotions for bundles or higher tickets to unlock free shipping could coax deal-seeking customers to commit to buying from a particular storefront.

Experience-driven spend, like amusement parks or concert tickets, are an opening for merchants. As budgets tighten, memory-making delivers the feeling of instant value to consumers. Amusement and entertainment spending grew 14% YoY in 2025, and transaction volume was up 7% YoY, respectively, per Cardlytics. Using exclusive experiences as loyalty rewards could take a page out from successful issuers like American Express and Chase, which follow this blueprint for their premium cardmembers.