Upside Releases Its Annual Consumer Spend Report, Revealing the Rapid Rise of the Uncommitted Shopper
10+ billion transactions and nationwide surveys show shifting definitions of value — and how retailers’ own investments may be contributing to fragmented shopping behavior
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 10, 2025 — Upside today released its Consumer Spend Report 2025, offering one of the most comprehensive views yet into how Americans are navigating rising prices, shifting expectations, and an increasingly competitive retail landscape. The analysis — based on more than 10 billion transactions across the fuel, convenience, grocery, and restaurant categories, paired with insights from 11,000 survey responses — shows that uncommitted shopping behavior is accelerating nationwide.
Despite stronger loyalty programs, improved in-store experiences, and more flexible ways to shop, consumers are spreading their spending across more businesses than ever. In 2025, the average shopper visited more locations in every major retail category, signaling a continued shift toward value-seeking and thoughtful comparisons before every transaction.
In his letter introducing the report, Alex Kinnier, co-founder and CEO of Upside, underscored the stakes for retailers today: “Consumers have continually grown more uncommitted in 2025. Understanding uncommitted customers — the things they value, and the stimuli they respond to — is key to retail growth today.”
Key findings from the 2025 report include:
- Uncommitted behavior is rising across the board.
Consumers now visit 7–17% more retailers per month depending on the category. - Retailers’ own investments are having unintended effects.
Efforts to improve accessibility, convenience, and rewards have made it easier for customers to try competing businesses — reinforcing, rather than reducing, fragmented behavior. - Loyalty remains important — but engagement is stagnant.
Eight in 10 consumers say rewards matter, yet only about half use loyalty programs consistently.
The report outlines how these trends are converging heading into 2026, and why retailers across all sectors are now competing for each individual transaction rather than long-term loyalty by default.
About the Consumer Spend Report 2025
The report analyzes transaction-level data from Upside’s nationwide marketplace, spanning 21,000+ retail locations, alongside nationally representative survey responses from more than 11,000 consumers and retailers from the general population. It explores how macroeconomic pressures, digital convenience, and shifting consumer expectations are redefining value perception and influencing shopping behavior across the country.
The full Consumer Spend Report 2025 is available at upside.com/reports/the-consumer-spend-report-2025.
High-Resolution images are HERE or easy access to the report HERE.
ABOUT UPSIDE
Upside is a marketplace that connects consumers with brick and mortar retailers through personalized offers. Since 2016, Upside’s AI-driven personalization technology has helped millions of people get more purchasing power on the things they need. Billions of dollars in commerce run through the Upside platform every year, and that value goes directly back to our retailers, the consumers they serve, and towards important sustainability initiatives. For more: www.upside.com.
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