{
  "id": 2098426,
  "title": "45% Rise in Mobile Price Checks Shows Changes in Store Shopping",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/45-rise-in-mobile-price-checks-shows-changes-in-store-shopping",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-20T08:00:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PYMNTS",
    "slug": "pymnts",
    "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/consumer-insights/2026/45-percent-rise-in-mobile-price-checks-shows-changes-in-store-shopping/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The share of U.S. shoppers utilizing their phones inside physical stores for price checks and product research has surged by 45% since 2024, according to PYMNTS Intelligence's 2026 Global Digital Shopping Index: U.S. Playbook. This shift in behavior indicates that consumers are increasingly relying on their mobile devices to make informed decisions before purchasing items.\n\nKey findings from the report reveal that 42% of shoppers used a phone while shopping in-store in March 2026, up from 30% in January 2024. Product research on phones reached 39% of shoppers, a significant 14% increase over the same period. Additionally, the share of consumers using their phones to read product reviews while in-store rose to 26%, a 30% increase from 20% in 2024. Similarly, the percentage of shoppers comparing prices at other merchants increased to 26% from 22%, marking an 18% gain.\n\nThese activities suggest that shoppers are seeking reassurance that they are choosing the right product at a fair price. Retailers can support this behavior by providing clear product information, easy-to-find reviews, and consistent pricing across channels. Moreover, payment choice is now entering the shopping journey even before checkout, with 16% of consumers checking which payment methods a merchant accepts while still in the store. This represents a 45% increase from 11% in January 2024, making it the largest gain among the activities measured.\n\nInterestingly, coupon and discount searches have declined to 35% from 37%, indicating that while shoppers still value savings, convenience and certainty are becoming more influential factors in the purchasing decision. The broader report also highlights that 65% of shoppers now consider payment acceptance as a significant factor in where they shop, up from 58% in 2023. Furthermore, 62% of consumers expect to use an AI shopping agent within the next two years, although only 15% of merchants currently have the data to support such an agent.\n\nRetailers can respond to these changing consumer behaviors without a complete overhaul. Implementing better mobile product details, visible payment options, and reliable checkout processes can transform the shopper's phone into a bridge between the aisle and the sale.",
  "summary": "America’s phone-carrying shopper is becoming less of a bargain hunter and more of an in-aisle decision maker. That shift stands out in PYMNTS Intelligence’s 2026 Global Digital Shopping Index: U.S. Playbook, “The New American Shopper.” The report finds that consumers now record 51 digital shopping days a month, up from 46 in January 2024. Much […] The post 45% Rise in Mobile Price Checks Shows…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}