A shift in 2021 occurred within the consumer brand manufacturer category, as digitally native brands closed the conversion-rate gap with other, mostly older and more established brands. The web-first brands increased their median conversion rate to 2.59% in 2021 from 2.51% a year earlier. That brought the digital brands to within shouting distance of Top 1000 consumer goods makers that are not digital natives, as those companies’ conversion rate dipped slightly to 2.66% in 2021 from 2.70% the prior.

However, it appears that gains for the digital brands came mostly from meal-kit retailers that sell the ingredients for making meals, often by subscription. Take out the meal-kit brands and the other digital natives’ conversion rate remained unchanged at 2.49%.

Retailers in the sporting goods category made the biggest gains in conversion rate in 2021 over 2020, while toys/hobbies retailers suffered the biggest decline. Perhaps the easing of the pandemic led more consumers to return to competitive pursuits that put them in contact with other athletes, while they cut back on buying the jigsaw puzzles and toys that kept families entertained while stuck at home.