I’m the type of person who prefers to shop online whenever possible. The way I see it, why battle crowds when you can point and click your way to the products you want? But if there’s one store I typically shop at in person, it’s [Costco](https://www.thestreet.com/quote/COST). And there’s a reason for that.
First of all, I buy a lot of fresh groceries at Costco. Buying those online means having to pay more for delivery. At a time when grocery prices are up 2.4% year over year, according to December’s [Consumer Price Index](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm), I’d rather not spend the extra money.
Also, a big part of the [Costco shopping experience](https://www.thestreet.com/) is getting to wander the store and enjoy the treasure hunt experience.
## Costco online sales surge
During [Costco’s most recent earnings call](https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2025/12/11/costco-cost-q1-2026-earnings-call-transcript/), the company shared that traffic increased 3.1% on a worldwide basis. Just as impressively, [Costco’s average transaction](https://www.thestreet.com/) was up 3.2% worldwide, both with and without accounting for the impacts of gas price [deflation](https://www.thestreet.com/dictionary/d/deflation).
## What an increase in online sales means for Costco’s future
## Costco’s strategy has long focused on doing whatever it takes to get members into the store. That’s because members have a tendency to make impulse purchases when they see new products in person.
It’s for this reason, in fact, that [Costco has long resisted offering curbside pickup](https://www.thestreet.com/retail/costco-quietly-added-a-major-credit-card-perk). The company _wants_ members wandering the aisles rather than simply shopping from a preset list.
But [Costco’s most recent earnings presentation made it clear that warehouse club visits and digital transactions can complement each other rather than compete with each other](https://www.thestreet.com/retail/costco-sees-major-shift-in-member-behavior). While plenty of shopping still happens in stores, the fact that more and more members are shopping online reflects a big shift that [Costco needs to capitalize on](https://www.thestreet.com/retail/costco-quietly-added-a-major-credit-card-perk).
As retail research firm [Zacks](https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2811794/costcos-digital-ecosystem-emerges-as-a-powerful-growth-engine) said, [Costco Wholesale Corporation’s digital ecosystem has become a primary growth driver, supporting member engagement and sales growth](https://www.thestreet.com/retail/costco-sees-major-shift-in-member-behavior). [Zacks](https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2811794/costcos-digital-ecosystem-emerges-as-a-powerful-growth-engine) also noted, _The company is taking all possible measures to make shopping easier and more personalized. This includes improved product display pages that have led to higher conversion rates and continued upgrades to search capabilities._
