Wednesday
April 22, 2020

• Fewer people now expect stores to reopen by June.
• Stimulus check recipients place more priority on low price and free shipping when choosing where to shop.
• The majority of stimulus check recipients plan to spend at least some of the stimulus money this month.

People are pushing back their expectations about when stores will reopen.

The number of people expecting stores to reopen by June has decreased. Last week, 64 percent of survey participants said they thought stores would be open by June 1st, compared to only 44 percent this week.

Now, around 30 percent say they think stores will reopen at some point after June 1st. The number of people who aren’t sure when it will happen is holding steady from last week at around 25 percent of respondents.

Stimulus check recipients prioritize low prices and free shipping.

Fifty-nine percent of stimulus check recipients say they care about low prices when choosing where to shop, compared to 45 percent of non-recipients. Similarly, 56 percent of them prioritize free shipping, compared to 48 percent of those without stimulus checks. However, both groups indicate similar preferences for other factors, like product availability and quality.

The majority of stimulus check recipients plan to spend some stimulus money this month.

Among those who received stimulus checks, sixty-four percent of people say they plan to spend at least some of the money this month, including twenty-one percent who say they plan to spend the entire check within the month. On the other hand, 36 percent of check recipients say they plan to save the entire check beyond the end of the month.

What are people buying and why?

More people have mentioned buying products directly from ads that they’re seeing online. For some, it’s because of more time at home. As one person explained “More time on social media ending up with new ads that I’m clicking through to.”

A few people have said that they’re taking advantage of low stock prices and investing in hopes of making long-term gains. In some cases, they’re investing with their stimulus money.

Groceries are as important as ever, but lately more shoppers have mentioned buying snacks and desserts, like cookies, candy, and chips. In an interview, one Instacart shopper told us they’re seeing a shift in people’s purchases: “People have been ordering lots of snack and junk food.”