• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, Yesterday

Consumers are nervous about tariffs and the economy. But that isn’t stopping them from spending on products for summer, judging by Optimove’s 2025 Consumer Summer Shopping Report.

Of the shoppers surveyed, 55% are very concerned about tariffs, while inflation is top of mind for 83%.

Despite those worries, 39% plan to spend more on summer purchases this year than they did in 2024, and 37% plan to spend the same amount.

And they started early, with 70% making summer purchases in March, April and May and 11% in January. Only 19% waited until June. 

Apparently brands are leveraging this trend, for 25% of consumers started receiving offers before March and 28% within that month.

The most important purchase priority is quality for 82% of consumers, while 75% say price also drives urgency.  

Email remains the preferred channel for receiving offers, with 48% saying they prefer it rather than SMS or app notifications.

Shoppers also value personalization, with 38% saying it shows that “the brand knows me," with 19% saying it is like having a shopper helper, "identity of the brand" also with 19%, and "personalization beyond my name" at 17%.

Moreover, 46% are likely to open brand emails when they appear to be relevant, while 19% will click through based on the identity of the brand and 17% will do so if they see “personalization beyond my name.” 

But 36% say they receive too many offers, and 10% say they will unsubscribe when they get one that they deem irrelevant.

Don’t think that shoppers rely only on emails: 82% check prices online while in-store, and many conduct research online and purchase in-store (ROPIS). 

This is especially true when they are buying soft goods—57% shop both in-store and online. And, of course, 81% want to see hard goods like patio furniture and grills in person.

How do they pay? For 83%, it is credit and debit cards. But only 14% use digital wallets, down from 22% last year. Cash is preferred by only 3%. 

Optimove surveyed 320 U.S. consumers with household incomes of $75,000+ in April-May 2025.