In-store sales accounted for 64% of all retail transactions in September, highlighting the ongoing relevance of bricks-and-mortar locations as the pandemic wanes.

Data from The NPD Group reveals that while e-commerce growth exploded during the pandemic – with year-over-year revenue growth exceeding 40% every month from April 2020 to March 2021, e-commerce sales fell off to under 10% since then, as COVID restrictions began lifting across the US. Meanwhile, in-store sales increases over last year hit double-digits in March 2021 and have only dipped slightly in two of the six months since then. 

"Physical stores are more relevant today than they were before the pandemic," said Marshal Cohen, chief retail industry advisor for NPD. "Consumers are no longer buying primarily out of necessity and limited to online shopping which fell short of some expectations — choice has reentered the equation and they are hungrier than ever for the experience of in-person shopping."