A PYMNTS Intelligence report surveying 2,108 U.S. consumers found that financially stressed shoppers are spending more per trip and leaning harder on digital wallets and value retailers. High-stress consumers spent an average of $109 on their last grocery purchase and $111 on retail, while low-stress consumers spent $95 and $88. The gap was wider online, where high-stress consumers spent $169 versus $96. Around 17% of consumers reported cash shortfalls in the past 90 days, with one in four millennials, Gen Z, and parents of kids under 18 affected. Digital wallet use skewed toward stressed shoppers: 28% used them for their last retail purchase versus 11% of low-stress consumers, and 21% versus 8% in grocery. The report attributes the gap partly to wallets offering BNPL access and spending visibility. Walmart also pulled ahead with stressed shoppers, capturing 56% of high-stress online grocery purchases versus 50%.
