A newly released study from The NPD Group’s Checkout Tracking shows that some of the biggest names in retailing and food service have become thoroughly woven into American life, reaching a high percentage of buyers at least once a year with Walmart, McDonald’s and Target on top. More than 80% of consumers in the United States shopped at those retailers in 2016.
The Checkout Penetration Index, based on receipts from actual consumers across all retailers and restaurants, both online and in brick and mortar, took a fresh approach to understanding market penetration and performance. The index is based on one simple question: “What percentage of all U.S. consumers bought at each store or restaurant?”
The biggest gainer among restaurants in the Top 25 was Chick-fil-A, which saw a five percentage point gain in penetration in 2016. The biggest gainer among retailers was Dollar Tree, which enjoyed a three percentage point advance.
“The battle for every consumer dollar is heating up, and we must shift from studying what consumers purchase to how they spend their money,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst, The NPD Group. “Consumers spending on experiences is overlapping with their purchases of products, making every item and visit so important to competing in today’s rapidly changing marketplace.”
The NPD list of the top 25 stores in the study is:
- Walmart
- McDonald’s
- Target
- Walgreens
- Dollar Tree
- Subway
- CVS
- Home Depot
- Taco Bell
- Burger King
- Lowe’s
- Wendy’s
- Shell
- Starbucks
- Kohl’s
- Chick-fil-A
- Dollar General
- KFC
- Amazon
- Dunkin’ Donuts
- Best Buy
- Sam’s Club
- 7-Eleven
- Michaels Stores
- Panera
