Retail has dramatically accelerated shopping mechanics over the past decade—delivery windows have shrunk from days to hours, search tools surface relevant products immediately, and AI increasingly answers product questions before shoppers reach retailer websites. Yet consumer research from Alter Agents reveals a counterintuitive finding: fewer Americans described shopping as easy in 2026 than when the question was first asked in 2019, and four in 10 said they abandoned a retailer's website because the number of choices became overwhelming (Retail TouchPoints).
The paradox stems from how modern shoppers navigate discovery. Consumers now regularly consult a dozen or more information sources—search engines, reviews, creator videos, retailer websites, AI tools, and social media—before making a purchase decision (Retail TouchPoints). While each source serves a distinct purpose, the cumulative effect is decision fatigue: shoppers must evaluate one more opinion, one more recommendation, and one more review before committing to buy. For commerce practitioners, this reveals a critical gap: traditional analytics measure speed and engagement but cannot capture the cognitive load shoppers experience when comparing products across fragmented information ecosystems.
The opportunity lies in measuring decision effort as a distinct metric. Retailers that invest in understanding where shoppers hesitate, which information sources genuinely move decisions forward, and where product comparisons become difficult will be better positioned to create experiences that feel easier—not just faster. This requires moving beyond transaction data to consumer research that maps how decisions unfold across multiple touchpoints (Retail TouchPoints).