According to the U.S. Census Bureau, sales at non-store retailers, including e-commerce, grew by 0.3% in September compared to August and by 8.2% year-over-year. For the third quarter, online spending increased by 7.5%, outpacing the 5.5% growth observed in total retail and food services.
Total retail and food services sales reached $745 billion in September, marking a 0.8% monthly increase. However, when excluding automotive and gasoline sales, growth was limited to 0.2%. Economists at EY-Parthenon noted that while nominal sales rose by 0.8%, real retail sales grew by only 0.1% due to inflationary pressures.
Consumer spending patterns varied by category in September. Department store sales rose by 1.6%, furniture and home furnishings grew by 1.3%, and electronics and appliance stores saw a 0.6% increase. Conversely, sales of sporting goods, musical instruments, and books fell by 0.5%, while building materials and garden equipment declined by 0.6%.
Consumers are increasingly utilizing credit card installments to manage discretionary spending. Data from PYMNTS Intelligence shows that the use of credit card installments rose from 23% in April 2025 to 36% by March. Among Generation Z, the adoption of this payment method grew from 31% to 47% during the same period, while buy now, pay later services reached 15%.
