Ecommerce Among 10 Most Popular Industries with Consumers (Well, Sort Of)

Gallup’s latest list of U.S. consumers’ most popular industries includes eCommerce, when you consider that the computer, internet and retail industries all made the grade.

Top-Rated U.S. Business Sectors List of 10 Most Popular Industries

Three food-related industries might top of the list of the U.S. consumer’s most popular industries, but it’s joined by three others (computer, internet and retail) that all indicate eCommerce is one of the top-rated U.S. business centers in Gallup’s most recent poll.

The poll, which has been conducted annually since 2001 asks respondents to indicate whether their view of a specific industry is very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat negative or very negative. Download a PDF copy including complete question responses and trends via Gallup.com.

3 Year Trends for Consumer-Rated Most Popular Industries in the U.S.

1. Restaurants

The first lines of a recent restaurant.org article put it this way: What do Americans love more than gadgets? Food! The restaurant industry has consistently been the darling of this poll with U.S. consumers (as has the computer industry). Up from a score of 61 total positive in 2013, but still one off the mark of its three-year high of 67 in 2014.

2. Computers

Computer hardware, software, peripherals, devices, gadgets and apps (oh my!) Many U.S. consumers tap into the computer industry frequently; most on a daily basis. Its 2016 total positive rating of 66 is nearly identical to the 65 scored in 2013, but down from a high score of 69 last year.

3. Farming and Agriculture

Farming and Agriculture scores a total positive of 55 in 2016, down five points from 2013 and 2014 where it scored 60 both times, but equal to last year’s score. Approximately 41 percent of U.S. land is farmland, whose commodities are led by cattle and calves, dairy products, broilers, corn and soybeans, according to Agricultural Day’s latest fact sheet.

4. Grocery

Grocery is the second of three food-related industries listed in the ten most popular industries for U.S. consumers with a total positive score of 54. This year’s rating is up four points from its 2013 score, but four points lower than its high of 58 last year.

5. Internet

The internet industry’s most recent total positive score of 53 is down just one point from its score in 2013, but well below its high of 60 points last year and above a low of 49 scored in 2014.

It’s worth noting that the Internet industry could be perceived differently by different people; indeed, Google does not define it for purposes of this poll. It’s generally defined as “companies that provide access to or operate primarily on the Internet,” according to Gallup.com.

6. Automobile

The last of the most popular industries that actually has a score above 50 points, the Automobile industry scored a total positive of 50 points in Gallup’s latest industry-popularity contest. This number is up one point from last year and 2013, and up two points from its score of 48 in 2014.

7. Retail

Retail’s total positive score of 49 is three points ahead of its score in 2013, but down from a high of 53 in 2014 and 51 last year. Given the gains that eCommerce has made over the past decade on brick-and-mortar counterparts, it’s not clear whether in-store shoppers would score retail higher than online shoppers, or vice versa.

8. Travel

Of this list of U.S. consumers’ most popular industries, the Travel industry is has achieved the most consistency. It’s 2016 score of 48 is down just one from 2013 and 2014, and down 4 from a high of 52 last year.

9. Accounting

Nearly as consistent as the Travel industry, Accounting’s total positive score of 45 is up one from 2013, equal to 2014 and down just three from a 2015 high of 48.

10. Real Estate

Coming in number ten on this list of the industries consumers view most favorably is Real Estate. The industry earned a total positivity score of 35 in 2013; however, like the industry itself, its score has rebounded considerably to a high of 44 in 2016, up four points over last year’s score.

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