Consumers may be cautious, but 72% of them are still making discretionary purchases: survey

They say two things can be true at once, and that seems to be the case when it comes to American shoppers’ spending habits and current consumer sentiment that most retailers could only call cautious.

A new survey by Optimum Retailing suggests that when it comes to discretionary spending, Americans are not letting up.

• In fact, 72% of shoppers said they had made an unplanned in-store discretionary purchase in the past month.

The report, titled “US Consumer Spending Habits: Insights for Retailers for 2026,” which polled 1,000 adult US consumers, also found that while 34% of consumers planned on cutting down on their discretionary spending in the next six months, there were some retail categories or events that made it hard to not to spend.

• These include limited-time sales or promotions (55%), “attention-grabbing” product displays (45%), and the ability to get the product instantly (26%).
• Moreover, only about 5% of those surveyed said in-store shopping just didn’t feel worthy anymore.

This doesn’t mean consumers aren’t genuinely trying. About 46% of shoppers believed they had actually managed to adhere to a “discretionary budget.” And for those evidently determined to continue to stick to a budget, there were categories they were willing to make sacrifices in.

• These include dining or takeout (48%), clothing and accessories (44%), and electronics and gadgets (37%).

“Consumers today are cautious, but not unengaged,” Sam Vise, CEO of Optimum Retailing, said in a statement. “What’s changing is that shoppers are more intentional about when and why they make unplanned purchases; the moment and experience must both feel correct.”