Most Households Subscribe to Retail Membership Programs

Research from data and tech company Numerator finds 62% of U.S. households are subscribers to at least one retail membership program. Numerator studied Amazon Prime, Walmart+ and Target’s Shipt Everyday services, and analyzed membership numbers, customer loyalty data and benefits from membership that influence consumers’ choices.

Of the memberships studied, Amazon Prime is the most popular, with 53.6% of U.S. households as subscribers. While 8% of households subscribe to Walmart+, Numerator said this service has seen a surge in members since its launch in 2020. Only 1.3% of households subscribe to Shipt Everyday, which Numerator noted is only available in limited markets.

Despite its limited availability, Numerator found Shipt Everyday captured 10.1% of its subscribers’ share vs. 4.3% of their total shoppers’ share. Walmart+ captured the highest purchase frequency, buy rate, and share of wallet from subscribers, capturing 18.5% of its subscribers’ share vs. 14.6% of their total shoppers’ share.

But Amazon was found to have the highest loyalty. Seventy-eight percent of Prime members do not subscribe to any other membership program. That compares with the 28% who only subscribe to Target’s Shipt Everyday and the 24% who only use Walmart+. Nearly three in four Walmart+ subscribers (73%) also have Amazon Prime, while 53% of Target’s Shipt Everyday members also have Prime.

Four in five households that count themselves as retail subscribers are committed to just one program, while 13.8% subscribe to two programs; 3.7% subscribe to three; and 2.5% subscribe to four or more programs. According to Numerator, consumers who subscribed to more than one program were more likely to be Black or Hispanic/Latino, from larger households, value-driven and buy on impulse.