How Online Shopping Habits Differ Across Countries | TGM StatBox

Online shopping is now part of everyday consumer behavior, but the frequency of shopping can differ across markets. Comparing these patterns can help brands understand how often consumers return to the digital shopping environment and where market-level differences may shape strategy.

Data from TGM StatBox shows a similar share of consumers in the US and Spain shopping online monthly, but a noticeable difference appears when looking at more frequent shoppers.

The US has a higher share of frequent online shoppers

Data from the TGM E-Commerce Insights 2026 highlights fascinating differences in shopping frequency between Spain and the US. While both markets appear identical at first glance, a deeper dive reveals a distinct gap in how often consumers actually shop online.

• In Spain, 80% of consumers shop online at least monthly, with 26% shopping at least once a week (N=1,050).
• The US shows the same overall monthly shopping rate at 80%. However, 35% of US consumers shop online at least once a week (N=1,055), 9 percentage points higher than in Spain.

The difference suggests that while online shopping has a similar level of reach in both markets, the frequency of engagement is stronger among US consumers.

Rather than looking only at how many consumers shop online, brands can also consider how often consumers return to the channel. A market with more frequent shoppers may create more opportunities for repeat purchases, promotional activity, and ongoing digital engagement.

What does this mean for brands?

Shopping frequency can inform decisions across different parts of the customer journey.

• For brands operating across multiple markets, a single e-commerce strategy may not always reflect local consumer behavior.
• Higher shopping frequency can support more frequent promotional touchpoints, while markets with less frequent online shopping may require a stronger focus on consideration, convenience, or purchase triggers.
• The key is to base these decisions on market-specific consumer insights, rather than assuming that consumers behave the same way across countries.

For marketing, e-commerce and strategy teams, TGM StatBox provides access to individual consumer data points that can support specific business questions. Instead of purchasing an entire report, teams can select the data they need for a particular market, audience or decision.

The right insight depends on the question you need to answer.

For more data on online shopping behavior across European markets, read Online Shopping Habits Across Europe.