Dive Brief:

• Some 43% of online consumers report shopping at only two to five retailers the past year, up from 35% in 2012. Another 15% say they shopped at only one, up from 8%, according to a study by consulting company Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

• The survey was answered by 15, 080 consumers in 15 countries including the United States, and offered 30 well known retailers from each respondent’s country. 

• The researchers say strong branding, loyalty programs, and trust-building via social media are factors for people who stay with just a few online retailers.

Dive Insight:

It stands to reason that loyalty programs and points will draw consumers to a retailer of choice, online or anywhere. And with marketplaces like amazon.com offering a wide variety of brands and products in pretty much all categories, a consumer can get a lot done on one site. M-commerce, which can hit up consumers anywhere, including when they’re browsing physical stores, could either interrupt this trend or bring it back to the brick-and-mortar.