Consumers’ frenzied search for goods online in the early days of the pandemic led to a significant surge in Top 1000 retailers’ conversion rate, to a median of 2.86% in 2020 from 2.21% a year earlier. The good news for retailers is that the similar 2021 median conversion rate of 2.84% suggests consumers are still purchasing with less of the click around for deals that has been a common feature of online shopping.

Direct marketers retained their top spot in conversion rate, no doubt a product of consumers going to these retailers’ websites to buy after flipping through their printed catalogs or watching their TV shopping shows.

One noteworthy development related to the pandemic: Retailers that offer such omnichannel services as buy online, pick up in store or curbside pickup of online orders have posted significantly higher conversion rates for the last two years compared with retailers that do not offer such services. It appears many consumers like these options.