Dive Brief:

• A new study shows a lack of uniformity in buying trends at Amazon, Walmart and Target in different parts of the country, especially among millennials, ARM Insight reported in a press release. For example, spending with Amazon in California and New York outpaces major markets in the south, but consumers in Texas and Florida spend considerably more at Walmart.
• In Washington, DC, spending with Amazon exceeds that of the combined total for Walmart and Target, across all generations, and for combined online and in-store sales, per the report.
• Three-year sales trends, from 2015 to 2018, show Amazon catching up to Walmart in certain areas, with Target consistently landing in third place, the study said.

Dive Insight:

National trends consistently show Amazon chipping away at Walmart's sales lead, with Target lagging slightly behind. But a deeper look a regional and demographic numbers reveals more nuances between Walmart and Amazon.

What this means is that although Amazon is a potent retailing entity online, Walmart's combination of physical and online stores remains a force to be reckoned with, and Walmart's Jet.com business will add to its future appeal among millennials. Amazon still attracts media attention as the newest of the three retailers, and the most technologically innovative. The e-commerce company also has a commanding lead in online sales — it captured 44% of all e-commerce sales last year and 4% of total U.S. retail sales, although Walmart also has a longstanding reputation for price competitiveness.

Target's position in the study is proportional to the size of its business. That is, Walmart has more than twice Target's number of stores in the U.S. How the market shakes out for online grocery ordering, which could drive other segments of the retailers' online businesses, remains to be seen.

For example, Amazon's forward momentum is more evident in California and New York, where the online giant took the lead in share of spend from Walmart in December 2016, and again in May 2017, and hasn't relinquished it since. In those markets, Amazon increased its share from just over one-third to almost half, the ARM Insight study reported.

Looking elsewhere in the country, Florida and Texas remain dedicated followers of Walmart, with consumers across all segments spending more with the Arkansas chain than with Amazon. Walmart has greater than 60% share of spend among millennials in these two states and, over the past three years, it has maintained more consistent share of the market. In Florida, consumers' spend at Walmart is more than twice that of their Amazon spend, which in turn, is greater than twice their Target spend.

In Washington, DC, Amazon surpasses the combined share of spend of Walmart and Target. Among millennials, Amazon has 53% share of spend, compared to 30% for Walmart and 17% for Target. For all age groups, Amazon has 51% share of spend, compared to 34% for Walmart and 15% for Target.