The $42 Billion Checkout Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight

The findings show that today’s offer ecosystem is fragmented, easy to miss and often too cumbersome to use. Many consumers never even notice relevant deals. Even when they do, redemption usually requires multiple manual steps. That disconnect matters because offers do much more than lower prices. They can influence which products consumers choose, how much they buy, where they shop and which payment methods they prefer to use.

The report also shows that consumers are increasingly open to a more seamless system in which available deals, rewards and discounts appear automatically as they build their carts or approach checkout. Many say they would favor merchants that make those savings easier to access, and large shares say real-time savings could influence their default payment choices. At the same time, the research makes clear that not all shoppers want the same experience with embedded offers. Some are ready for a high level of automation, while others want more control and clearer boundaries, especially regarding brand substitution and data sharing.

The core takeaway is that embedded offers are not just a convenience feature. They represent a meaningful commercial opportunity for merchants, consumer brands, issuers and payment providers, enabling savings to be more visible, more relevant and easier to redeem without adding friction to the shopping journey.

In “Embedded Offers: The Billion-Dollar Opportunity Inside Recent Consumer Spending,” learn how:

• Offers influence more than price. The data shows that offers can change what consumers buy, how much they buy and, in many cases, which payment methods they use. That makes embedded offers a broader commerce and payments lever, not just a discount tool.
• Different shopper segments require different offer strategies. The report maps consumers by both offer behavior and willingness to let systems automate offer management. That segmentation helps identify where low-friction visibility, bounded automation or full autopilot experiences are most likely to resonate.
• Trust and data sharing will shape adoption. Retailers and financial institutions emerge as the most trusted partners for embedded offers, but willingness to share data varies sharply by consumer segment. The findings suggest that tiered consent and transparency will be essential to scaling these experiences.

About the Report

“Embedded Offers: The Billion-Dollar Opportunity Inside Recent Consumer Spending” is a collaboration between PYMNTS Intelligence and FIS. It’s based on a U.S. Census-balanced survey of 2,754 U.S. adult consumers conducted from Feb. 12–March 4, 2026.

The survey examines consumer awareness, engagement and redemption behavior across offers and discounts in grocery, restaurant and retail settings. It focuses on consumer willingness to engage with embedded and automated offer management systems. The sample was balanced to match the U S adult population by age, gender, education and income.

This research was independently designed, fielded, analyzed and written by PYMNTS Intelligence using data collected through rigorous survey sampling methods. The research partner provided funding support but exercised no control over methodology, data collection, findings or conclusions.