Stacker-Shopping

When you want to find a new local business, who do you ask? Today, 45% of Americans are turning to an AI assistant to get recommendations for local businesses — up from 6% a year ago, according to BrightLocal’s 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey. It’s a dramatic change in user behavior and shows that many

For generations, buying an engagement ring has come with some fairly specific expectations. It should be beautiful, and it should last. According to decades of advertising and popular culture, it should also cost a substantial amount of money, roughly three months of salary, per conventional wisdom. Somewhere along the way, the price itself became part

Luxury packaging has rapidly integrated across consumer goods in recent years, with the market set to hit $33.9 million by the end of 2026, before growing to $43.3 million by the end of the decade. The estimated growth from Grand View Research also identifies niches that are particular catalysts for the adoption of next-generation packaging

When an order is delayed, or a card has been charged twice, do shoppers prefer typing their question to the AI agent on the website, or do they go looking for a phone number to ask a human? For most shoppers, it depends on the question. Ahead of the busiest shopping period of the year,

A cliffside proposal at sunset. A private dinner overlooking the water. A hike to the exact spot you first said, “I love you.” Destination proposals have become one of the most popular ways to pop the question, with nearly 1 in 5 proposals now taking place during travel or vacation, according to the 2026 Jewelers

A holiday shopper looking for a gift can now describe the recipient and a budget to an AI assistant, then ask follow-up questions until a short list emerges. The retailer may enter the conversation only after much of the decision is made. This emerging consumer behavior is becoming measurable. According to Adobe Analytics, traffic from

Walk into three stores looking for a size 8, and you may leave with a 6, an 8, and a 10, all of which fit. Online, where shoppers cannot try garments on first, those discrepancies become harder to navigate. When shopping across apparel brands, including online, consulting brand-specific sizing information can help shoppers navigate differences

In late October 2024, Apple made 16GB the standard memory configuration across every Mac it sold. The move was widely read as preparation for Apple Intelligence, which needed more memory than the old 8GB baseline could spare. Apple did it without raising prices. For the first time in the company’s history, the entry-level Mac and

For the first time, more than half of newly appraised engagement rings hold a lab-grown center stone. That is the headline finding of The BriteCo Jewelry, Diamond & Watch Price Index 2026, the first edition of a new annual report from BriteCo, a leading jewelry and watch insurance provider. The index draws on real jewelry

Most people can’t recall the first time they used a drive-thru, pulled into a curbside pickup spot, or tapped through a self-checkout screen. The biggest movements in how Americans shop and eat rarely feel like milestones when they happen. They become the new normal, one renovated store or restaurant at a time. Together, the last

Food prices are a political flashpoint. In America’s most recent presidential election, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris promised to ban “price gouging” on groceries, while Republican nominee Donald Trump said he would reduce prices by fixing supply chain issues. More recently, as food prices have risen 3% in the past year, Trump has promised to address

  Online stores have spent years serving people who browse and buy, but some of the requests arriving at those stores now come from AI agents acting on behalf of human customers. In 2025, Columbia Business School researchers built a simulated marketplace to study what happens when AI agents do the buying, letting the agents

  While we’ve barely put away the sunscreen and summer gear, the holiday season “creep” is slowly making its way into stores and online. And for many people, it’s not only the most wonderful time of the year, but also the most expensive. Whether you expect to spend on gifts, holiday décor, meals, or travel,

  Not too long ago, buying something online meant doing all of the work alone, hunting through site after site until the right product finally turned up. But that routine is changing now that artificial intelligence assistants have started absorbing work that used to fall entirely to shoppers. Experts at Shopware have observed 15 times

  Back-to-school spending is set to break records this year. The National Retail Federation (NRF) reports the season is on track to hit $146.8 billion in 2026, an all-time high and the second-largest U.S. consumer spending event of the year behind the winter holidays. Online shopping is the most popular channel, ahead of department stores,

Shopping is the most popular leisure activity for overseas travelers, according to a 2025 survey from the International Trade Administration, and jewelry remains as a meaningful souvenir people bring home. According to a 2026 study by Jewelers Mutual about jewelry shopping trends, 40% of travelers purchased jewelry on their adventures during the past year, and

  Summers across the United States have always been hot, but Climate Central reports that average summer temperatures have risen across 97% of the 243 U.S. cities it analyzed since 1970. More recently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recorded July 2026 as the warmest month across the contiguous U.S. since recordkeeping began in

  Like cars, watches have been known to lose their value the minute they leave the showroom. While this is largely true, some luxury watch brands retain value well, and some actually appreciate in value. Trying to discern the future value of a luxury watch is nearly impossible, but making informed decisions based on past

  Few moments carry a rush of emotions quite like heading off to college, and move-in day often brings more pressure than the packing list suggests. For dorm life, families usually buy the visible items first, with clothes and school supplies filling carts before the daily comfort items make the list. Even with extensive preparation,