Upside, a marketplace technology firm, released new data from its latest report Winning the Uncommitted Customer, revealing that “most brick-and-mortar retail revenue comes from ‘uncommitted customers’—customers who shop across different locations and formats, prioritizing their own needs over brand loyalty,” it said.
The report analyzed 75 million anonymized transactions and two years of survey data across the grocery, restaurant and fuel industries, according to Upside. The findings revealed “a consistent challenge across all verticals: most customers aren’t loyal, but their behavior is influenceable.”
Upside said key findings from the report are:
- Uncommitted customers make up 79% of brick-and-mortar retail customers.
- These customers contribute the majority of total revenue but visit up to 80% less frequently than loyal customers.
- Across all retail categories, 60% of new customers never come back after their first month.
- Earning just one additional visit per month from uncommitted customers could increase total revenue by as much as 209%, depending on the industry.
“Uncommitted shoppers are rational and they are everywhere—they put their own needs before a brand's, across all the demographic groups, income brackets and retail categories we analyzed,” said Dr. Thomas Weinandy, senior research economist at Upside. “While this lack of commitment certainly isn’t a new phenomenon, it’s important because it’s growing and because there are clear patterns emerging regarding how to win them.”
The report also highlighted how last-minute decision-making plays a major role in brick-and-mortar retail. For example, two-thirds of consumers decide where to shop or dine less than two hours before they go, emphasizing the importance of timely, relevant engagement with customers on-the-go.
Read about more insights from Dr. Weinandy in the NACS Magazine June 2025 issue, which covers the NACS State of the Industry Summit where he spoke on the U.S. economy.