Key takeaways:

• About three in four U.S. consumers are maintaining or increasing pre-pandemic levels of online shopping and delivery

• Online sales hit $304.2 billion in Q2 2025, representing 16.3% of all retail

• 28% of Americans order from food delivery apps weekly

• More than 4 in 5 U.S. adults use streaming services, spending $129 monthly on subscriptions

Home has evolved beyond a gathering and resting point to become a consumption hub, bustling with laptop and mobile shopping, streaming from sofas, and a resurgence of home-based solo hobbies.

The pandemic may be fading from memory, but some dynamics from that period are still shaping consumer behaviors. Americans are investing in an “at-home” lifestyle — doubling down on home-based leisure, and reshaping their budgets around digital shopping, streaming, and doorstep deliveries.

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According to McKinsey, 74% of U.S. consumers still say they are maintaining or increasing their digital shopping and delivery habits compared with pre-COVID levels, while more than half report dedicating additional time and money to home-based entertainment and fitness.¹ U.S. e-commerce sales topped $304.2 billion in Q2 2025, up 5.3% year-over-year, and representing 16.3% of total retail sales.²

What’s the draw? For starters, Americans put a premium on their time, with Empower research showing they value it at $240 per hour on average, and more than a third (36%) would rather pay more to have an item delivered than drive 10 minutes to get it. Add to that the convenience of shopping anywhere at any time for virtually endless product options that are all at one’s fingertips.

Read more: Money comes, money goes: Are we in an age of “Fast Spending”?

Dining in

Time, convenience, and creature comforts of home have people opting to dine in, too,  and food delivery apps make it convenient for them to get what they want to eat when they want it, without leaving the house. Food delivery represents 21% of global food service, more than doubling from 9% in 2019.³

Apps like DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, and others are driving a $242 billion online food delivery industry, which is expected to exceed $746 billion by 2033. More than a quarter of Americans (28.2%) use food delivery apps at least once a week, and that figure is even higher for Millennials (38.7%) and Gen Zers (39.2%).⁴

Read more: The cost of convenience: How food delivery apps add up

Stream on

Convenience and choices factor into entertainment habits. A recent Pew study reveals a majority (83%) of U.S. adults use streaming services.⁵ And keeping them is a priority for many: Another report shows that 34% of Americans cut back on other household expenses specifically so they can cover their streaming subscriptions.⁶ On average, people spend $129 a month on subscriptions, according to Empower Personal Dashboard^TM data as of October 31.

Read more: Screen time: Televisions redefine household hubs

Hobby habits

The pandemic prompted many to take up at-home hobbies, and interest has held steady since then, with many making these activities a part of their everyday lives. Americans are embracing pastimes like gardening, sewing, knitting, and baking, with the craft and hobby market projected to top about $74.3 billion by 2033. Consumers report that they have an average of at least three hours more free time weekly in 2025 than in 2019 — and they dedicate almost 90% of that time to solo activities.⁷

No place like home

The “at-home” economy has evolved into a lasting lifestyle shift, and while spending isn’t skyrocketing in every area, it is persisting. And the stickiness of digital and at-home habits signals a cultural reset in consumer spending — one with small screens, doorstep deliveries, and leisure at home.