Customer Segmentation The great indoors: How the "couch" is redefining consumer spending habits

September 2026 – If you've ordered groceries from your phone, binged a new series on a streaming platform, joined a video meeting from your kitchen table or had dinner delivered without leaving the house, you have joined what we’re calling the "couch economy." Across major markets, anonymized analysis of VisaNet data shows that a growing share of domestic spending now occurs through e-commerce websites, mobile apps and other digital channels (see figure below).¹ In the U.S., consumers are increasingly spending from their phones, laptops and tablets rather than in physical stores. The share of domestic spending occurring online increased from 48 percent in 2019 to 58 percent in 2026, with similar trends in other markets.

Over the past decade, technological advancements have steadily reduced the need to leave home for many everyday activities. What began as a trend accelerated during the pandemic and has held since. A 2024 study found that U.S. adults spent 1 hour 39 minutes more at home per day in 2022 than they did in 2003, suggesting this shift toward home-centered living has been building for years.² The couch economy’s rise represents more than just e-commerce growth. With more time at home, consumers expect products, entertainment and services to fit into their routines with as little friction as possible. Retailers, restaurants, entertainment providers and digital platforms can capture this demand through digital commerce, delivery platforms and subscription-based services.

Highlights:

• Digital habits are reshaping everyday consumer routines
• From nights out to nights in
• Takeaway becomes a new way of life
• A "tailwind" for the couch economy

Digital habits are reshaping everyday consumer routines

The strongest evidence for the couch economy is currently in digitally mature markets, where consumers can seamlessly shop, dine, work and consume entertainment without leaving home. As digital infrastructure and adoption continue to spread to other parts of the world, businesses in emerging markets have an opportunity to get ahead of the trend by investing now in digital commerce, delivery services and home-based experiences. The combination of convenience, stored credentials and growing familiarity with digital channels has made online and in-app payments an increasingly routine part of everyday life for consumers in digitally mature markets. Not every online purchase reflects at-home consumption, but many activities that once required a trip to a store can now be completed in seconds from a mobile phone, whether ordering groceries, booking services, managing subscriptions or replenishing household essentials.

Anonymized analysis of VisaNet data suggests this shift extends well beyond occasional online purchases. For many consumers, digital shopping has become part of everyday life. Rather than treating all e-commerce as “couch” activity, we examined the share of cards making frequent online and in-app payments, a measure that shows how deeply digital behaviors have become embedded in daily life. Across the markets studied, the share of cards making frequent online and in-app payments has increased markedly since 2018 (see figure below). In the U.K., nearly 28 percent of cards now make 10 or more online or in-app purchases per month, up from 15 percent in 2018. In the U.A.E., the share has risen from 4.5 percent to 25.7 percent, while Poland recorded a more than sevenfold increase from a relatively low base. Even in mature digital markets, such as the U.S. and Australia, the share of frequent online shoppers has almost doubled. For businesses, this means competition is moving closer to the moment consumers decide to make a purchase, so checkout and payment need to be fast, trusted and embedded in the apps and platforms consumers already use. As consumers become more comfortable storing payment credentials online and transacting through apps, digital commerce becomes the foundation for more home-centered routines, from subscriptions and delivery to household replenishment. The economic impact extends beyond online shopping, as more everyday spending moves into digital channels where convenience, stored credentials and repeat engagement increasingly shape who captures demand.

From nights out to nights in

Entertainment has moved into the home right alongside shopping. As streaming platforms, subscription services and connected TVs have become more affordable and accessible, consumers now have more reasons to stay in than ever before. Instead of planning a night out at the cinema or a concert, many consumers can access a virtually unlimited library of content from the comfort of their living room, often at a fraction of the cost.

Anonymized analysis of VisaNet data suggests that subscription-based entertainment has firmly established itself as a mainstream household spending category (see this chart in the full report). The sharp decline in cinema and concert spending during the pandemic is not surprising, given restrictions on out-of-home entertainment. The more important point is what happened afterward: even as cinemas and live events reopened, the share of cards with streaming and pay-TV subscriptions remained above cinema and concert spending across all markets studied. The gap is particularly pronounced in the U.S., where more than 17 percent of cards have active subscriptions compared to roughly 6 percent engaging in cinema and concert spending. Similar patterns are evident in the U.K. and Poland, while the U.A.E. and Brazil also show subscription adoption comfortably outpacing away-from-home entertainment. For entertainment businesses, this shifts the playing field from occasional ticket sales to recurring subscription revenue and competition for consumers’ at-home attention.

Takeaway becomes a new way of life

Few innovations capture the couch economy better than food delivery apps. While streaming brought entertainment into the home, online food delivery brought restaurants. As ordering becomes habitual, the competitive advantage shifts toward platforms and merchants that offer broad choice, reliable delivery, strong app visibility and attractive repeat-use incentives. Anonymized analysis of VisaNet data suggests food-delivery adoption has grown steadily across markets over the past decade (see these charts in the full report). In the U.A.E., the share of cards active on food delivery apps increased from just 2 percent in 2018 to nearly 30 percent in 2026. Adoption also rose significantly in the U.K., where roughly 15 percent of cards now regularly engage with food delivery platforms. Even in markets where penetration remains lower, such as Poland, usage continues to trend upward as digital platforms become more accessible, and consumers become increasingly accustomed to app-based services. The growth also reflects the increasing integration of food delivery apps into everyday routines, from weeknight dinners to weekend family meals.

Importantly, everyday consumers are primarily driving food delivery's growth. Using the U.A.E. as an example, most of the increase in food delivery participation over the past several years has come from mass-market cardholders, while higher-income consumers accounted for a relatively small share of total adoption (see figure below). Similar patterns are observed across other markets studied. This suggests that food delivery has evolved beyond an occasional convenience for a niche group of consumers and become a mainstream service embedded in everyday spending habits. In many ways, food delivery apps have become as commonplace as online shopping and streaming subscriptions. The rise of food delivery is also supported by a growing selection of restaurants, subscription-based loyalty programs and fierce competition among platforms. As delivery costs have fallen and choice has expanded, ordering food has become a regular part of household spending rather than an occasional treat. Consumers today can choose from thousands of merchants through a single app, ranging from global restaurant chains to local independent outlets. For the food ecosystem, this makes the home a more important demand center, increasing the value of delivery economics, platform placement, loyalty programs and repeat ordering.

A "tailwind" for the couch economy

Technology is only part of the story. Lifestyle changes are playing a role as well. One trend that stands out is rising pet ownership. As more consumers bring pets into their households, the home naturally becomes a more important center of daily life, spending and leisure. Pets often encourage routines that revolve around the home, whether that means spending more evenings indoors, purchasing pet-related products or adapting living spaces to accommodate a four-legged companion. Using pet-related spending as a proxy for ownership, our research indicates increased pet ownership across most markets studied (see figure below). Poland recorded one of the strongest gains, with the share of cards showing regular pet-related purchases rising by nearly 3 percentage points between 2019 and 2026. The U.K. and U.A.E. also posted notable increases, while Australia and Brazil experienced more moderate growth. Meanwhile, the U.S. remains one of the most pet-oriented markets overall, with roughly 8 percent of domestic cards showing regular pet-related spending.

Rising pet ownership reinforces the couch economy by adding recurring household spend on pet food, care, grooming, and related services. The same consumers who are shopping online, streaming entertainment and ordering meals to their doorstep are also creating more demand for home-centered categories such as pet supplies, mobile grooming and veterinary care, and delivery services.

Individually, streaming subscriptions, online food ordering, digital shopping and rising pet ownership may seem unrelated, but together they point to the same conclusion: convenience is becoming consumers’ default expectation, and more spending takes place through services that reach consumers at home. For issuers, this raises the value of everyday digital engagement, subscription management, delivery rewards, household offers and benefits that reinforce repeat use. For merchants, it increases the importance of app visibility, easy checkout, reliable fulfillment, loyalty and personalized offers. The couch economy is not simply about consumers staying home; it is about how rising expectations for convenience are reshaping how they spend.

Footnotes

1. Unless otherwise noted, all analyses of VisaNet data in this report are based on Visa credit, debit and prepaid card transactions.
2. Sharkey, Patrick. 2024. “Homebound: The Long-Term Rise in Time Spent at Home Among U.S. Adults.” Sociological Science 11: 553-578. Analysis based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Use Survey.

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