Amazon’s U.S. retail spending share hits record 9.6% in September 2026
Amazon captured 9.6% of total U.S. retail spending in the second quarter of 2026, according to a PYMNTS Intelligence report released in September. Its lead over Walmart grew to 2.09 percentage points, about twice the gap from a year earlier.
The report found Amazon gained spending share in every category tracked during the second quarter of 2026. In sporting and hobby goods, music and books, Amazon’s share was 35% compared with Walmart’s 5.1%, its largest lead across the seven categories. Electronics and appliances followed closely, with Amazon at 32.1% and Walmart at 5.3%. Amazon also led in furniture and home furnishings (9% vs 6.6%), clothing and apparel (17.8% vs 6%) and health and personal care (8% vs 7.6%). Walmart still captured 21% of food and beverage spending versus Amazon’s 3% and retained the lead in auto parts. The PYMNTS Intelligence report draws on company earnings reports and federal spending data to calculate the shares. For retailers, the findings offer a useful guide to serving shoppers: make planned purchases easy to order and give regular store visitors reasons to return.
A year earlier, Walmart held a slight advantage in health and personal care, while Amazon’s lead in furniture had grown from a small Walmart edge in 2019 to 14.3 percentage points. Overall, retail’s share of total consumer spending stabilized at 31.3%, with purchase‑prone categories rising to 24% of retail spending from 21.1% in 2019.
What we know
Amazon’s share of total U.S. retail spending reached a record 9.6% in Q2 2026.
Amazon’s lead over Walmart widened to 2.09 percentage points, roughly twice the gap a year earlier.
In the sporting and hobby goods, music and books category, Amazon captured 35% of spending versus Walmart’s 5.1%.
In health and personal care, Amazon captured 8% of spending, edging past Walmart’s 7.6%.
The PYMNTS Intelligence report was released in September 2026 as part of the ‘Share of Wallet: Amazon vs. Walmart’ series.