RTB House Report Reveals The New Reality of Buying: “Research-Heavy” Consumers Are Rewriting the Path to Purchase

• 50% of Gen Z shoppers need 2+ days to make a purchase, while only 24% of Baby Boomers take the same amount of time
• PC-based commerce remains important, with more than 50% of consumers utilizing phone and computer for travel and high-ticket item purchases
• In a K-shaped economy, younger cohorts are 50% more likely to spend more than older cohorts

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RTB House, a global leader in performance marketing, released the results of its 2026 U.S. Consumer Study "Before They Buy." The research highlights a significant transformation in how Americans discover, research, and purchase products in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.

The study finds that the “precision purchaser” is becoming a rarity. Only 40% of new customers arrive at e-commerce sites with a specific item in mind. The remaining 60% are in “browsing mode” or possess looser purchase intent, placing a premium on the user experience and the brand’s ability to capture interest during the discovery phase.

Key findings: the death of the linear path to purchase

• The research marathon: Consumers are conducting more research than ever before. Even for small-dollar purchases (under $100), the majority of consumers visit a site multiple times before buying. This trend is most pronounced among younger generations; 50% of Gen Z shoppers require two or more days of “in-cart dwell time” before finalizing a purchase, compared with just 25% of Boomers.
• The multi-device standard: Despite the rise of mobile-first behavior, PC-based commerce remains vital. More than 50% of consumers across tasks like booking travel or purchasing higher ticket value items, such as appliances, utilize both phone and computer to complete their transactions.
• The “K-Shaped” economy: Economic sentiment is sharply divided by the different generations. Younger cohorts (Gen Z and Millennials) report a higher likelihood of increasing their future spend, while older generations are spending more conservatively due to current economic conditions.
• Loyalty is fragile: Brand switching was a core consumer strategy in 2025. Driven primarily by pricing and discounts, almost 60% of the population reported “some or frequent” switching between retailers.

“Everything in today’s e-commerce environment is being driven by increased intensity of the research phase and true generational divides during the current macroeconomic environment,” says Jaysen Gillespie, VP of Product Marketing & Analytics at RTB House. “Marketers can no longer rely on broad assumptions about their potential customers. To win, brands must meet their customers across all devices and out-maneuver competitors during the critical research phase.”

*The "Before They Buy" research was conducted in partnership with Cint, surveying 1000 respondents (250 per generation - Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers). Those surveyed were digitally-recruited and lightly compensated for their time.

To download the Before They Buy report, visit: https://hubspot.rtbhouse.com/before-they-buy-2026-campaign.

About RTB House:

Founded in 2012, RTB House is a global company that provides marketing technologies powered by Deep Learning engines to brands and agencies worldwide. Its solutions, which can be applied to every stage of the funnel, are employed in over 3,000 active campaigns across the EMEA, APAC, and Americas regions.