A new survey finds 65 percent of U.S. adults say they would shop local more often but cost, convenience and product selection sometimes cause them to take their dollars elsewhere.
The online survey of 2,000 U.S. adults taken from August 12 to 14 found an overwhelming 90 percent of Americans believe shopping locally positively impacts their ity.
Among the respondents, 92 percent shop local at least monthly. Broken down, 57 percent say they shop local weekly, 20 percent monthly and 15 percent daily. Only 2 percent say they never shop local, and the rest (6 percent) do so only a few times a year.
When asked which local businesses they most commonly utilize, 78 percent said grocers or farmers markets, 60 percent said restaurants or cafes and 48 percent said clothing stores. Overall, 70 percent say they try to source food locally.
Younger generations are shopping local slightly more than older generations. Nearly one in four (24 percent) Gen Zers (ages 18 to 27) report shoppling local daily, followed by 19 percent of millennials (ages 28 to 43), 12 percent of Gen Xers (ages 44 to 59) and 5 percent of baby boomers ( ages 60 to 78). Men were found to be more likely than women to shop locally daily — 18 percent versus 11 percent, respectively.
Barriers to Shopping Local
Asked what’s holding them back from shopping locally more often, 57 percent said cost, 42 percent said convenience and 39 percent said product selection. Ranking lower among roadblocks to shopping local were product quality, 26 percent; customer service, 16 percent; and environmental factors, 14 percent.
Overall, when asked which factors are important when determining where to drop their dollars, 81 percent said price, followed by convenience, 67 percent; and product availability, product quality and product selection — each chosen by 54 percent of respondents. Only 14 percent said supporting their local community is an important factor.
Even though price is a pressing matter, 50 percent of shoppers say they’re willing to spend more to support local businesses. Men are more willing than women — 56 percent versus 44 percent, respectively. And the youngest generations are more willing than their older counterparts — 57 percent of millennials and 56 percent of Gen Zers, versus 44 percent of Gen Xers and 42 percent of baby boomers.
Interestingly, those who make the most ($100,000 or more) are significantly less willing to spend more to support local businesses than those who make the least (under $30,000) — 38 percent versus 57 percent.
Among the respondents, 80 percent of respondents say inflation is making it more difficult to shop locally, and 75 percent wish they could afford to patronize their local businesses more than they do. Women feel this more strongly about inflation’s pressures than men — 83 percent versus 78 percent, respectively — while baby boomers (74 percent) feel it less strongly than their younger counterparts: Gen Zers (81 percent); Millennials (83 percent); and Gen Xers (83 percent).
Among all respondents, 75 percent say they wish they could afford to shop local more than they do. Those with children under 18 feel this the most — 82 percent, compared with 72 percent of those with children 18 or older and 71 percent of those with no children. And more women than men say they wish they could afford to — 77 percent versus 73 percent, respectively.
Guilt Around Shopping Online
The survey found that while 71 percent of consumers order from Amazon or other nonlocal online retailers that offer convenience as well as often lower prices than local dealers, 31 percent say they feel guilty when they do so. Among generations, Gen Zers feel the most guilt (45 percent, compared with 20 percent of baby boomers), and men feel slightly more guilty about it than women — 33 percent versus 29 percent, respectively.
However, among the 29 percent who say they’re morally opposed to shopping at Amazon, 85 percent do it anyway.
Those with the highest household incomes have more guilt about shopping online than those who make the least. In fact, 40 percent of those who make $100,000 or more a year report it weighing on their conscience, versus 24 percent of those who make under $30,000. And those with children under 18 (39 percent) are more likely to feel guilty than those with children 18 or older (21 percent) or those with no children (30 percent).
“People feel guilty because they know that many small, local businesses have struggled to compete with Amazon and the onslaught of online retailers,” said Matt Schulz, LendingTree chief credit analyst. “They value small businesses and know how important a part of the community they are, but shoppers also feel conflicted because they’re struggling, too. Their financial wiggle room is tiny, making them very price-conscious.”
The survey also found local stores competing for traffic against big-box retailers, where 76 percent of Americans say they shop at least monthly.
As for the environmental impacts of shopping online, less than half of overall Americans (43 percent) consider them. Younger generations consider the eco-impact more thatn older generations – 53 percent of Gen Zers and 50 percent of millennials, versus 38 percent of Gen Xers and 30 percent of baby boomers. Also, those with children under 18 are more likely to consider the environmental impacts of shopping online (55 percent) than those with children 18 or older (33 percent) or those with no children (39 percent).
Photo courtesy Naperville Running Company
