MILWAUKEE, Sept. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of payments and financial services technology, has published the Fiserv Small Business Index for August 2026, revealing a continued divide between consumer spending and consumer visits. While small business sales increased 1.3% year over year, foot traffic declined for the tenth consecutive month as consumers spent more per visit and remained selective in where and how often they made purchases.
The seasonally adjusted Fiserv Small Business Index remained at 145 in August. Overall sales rose +1.3% year over year but slipped -0.2% compared to July. Average tickets were up +3.0% year over year, helping offset a -1.8% decline in transactions.
“For many small business categories, August reinforces a trend we’ve seen throughout much of the year: consumers are still spending, but they're making fewer trips and becoming more deliberate with their purchases,” said Prasanna Dhore, Chief Data Officer, Fiserv. “With traffic declining and households continuing to prioritize value, each customer visit matters more for small businesses.”
Key Takeaways
Foot traffic pressure persists across Restaurants
Restaurant spending remained largely flat as fewer visits weighed on growth. Food Services and Drinking Places sales fell -0.3% year over year but grew +0.3% compared to July. Average tickets rose +2.6% year over year, while transactions fell -2.9%. Limited-Service Restaurants saw the steepest decline, with sales down -2.5% year over year as transactions fell -4.2%. Full-Service Restaurants performed better, with sales up +0.9% year over year as visits declined only -0.7%.
Gasoline sales climbed while grocery sales slipped
Gas Station sales rose +15.1% year over year and +1.4% month over month. Average tickets rose +16.3% year over year as oil markets continued to react to geopolitical pressures. Transactions fell -1.2% year over year, a signal that consumers are filling up less often. Food and Beverage Retailer sales softened, with sales down -1.4% year over year and -1.1% month over month. Lower demand and value seeking pushed average grocery tickets down -1.2% year over year.
Retail growth slowed
Total Retail sales rose +0.6% year over year as foot traffic grew +0.7%. However, momentum was challenged month over month, as sales fell -0.8% and foot traffic declined 0.6%. Despite inflation pressures, average tickets have remained nearly flat across Retail this year, suggesting that consumers continue to seek value and manage spending. Gasoline Stations and Building Materials were the only Retail subsectors with growth over July, while year-over-year growth was broadly achieved across many Retail categories.
Essentials again outpaced discretionary spending
Essentials grew +1.8% year over year, about twice the +0.9% growth in Discretionary spending. This was largely due to foot traffic erosion from Discretionary categories (-2.0% year over year) at twice the pace of essentials (-1.0%). Average tickets were up evenly across both areas. Goods and Services each grew +1.3% year over year, but for different reasons. Goods growth came primarily from foot traffic growth of +0.7%, while Services leaned entirely on higher prices. Average tickets for Services grew +3.9% while transactions fell -2.7%.
To access the full Fiserv Small Business Index, visit fiserv.com/FiservSmallBusinessIndex.
About the Fiserv Small Business Index®
Published in the first week of each month, the Fiserv Small Business Index is based on aggregated consumer spending activity across the U.S. small business economy. Unlike surveys or sentiment data, the Index uses point-of-sale data from card, cash and check transactions made in stores and online at approximately 2 million U.S. small businesses, including hundreds of thousands that use the Clover point-of-sale and business management platform.
Benchmarked to 2019, the Fiserv Small Business Index measures consumer spending and includes a transaction index that tracks customer traffic. A simple interface lets users view data by region, state and business type using North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) categories. With detailed industry classifications, the Index covers 56 standardized level-6 national industries across 26 subsectors and 13 sectors, helping users track sales trends and understand the forces shaping the U.S. small business economy.
About Fiserv
Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a Fortune 500 company, is a global leader uniting commerce and finance. The company powers sustained growth and innovation at scale for financial institutions and businesses worldwide across payments, account processing, digital banking, merchant acquiring, network services, e-commerce, and Clover®, the all-in-one business management platform. Fiserv is a member of the S&P 500® Index and one of FORTUNE® America’s Most Innovative Companies. Visit fiserv.com and follow on social media for more information and the latest company news.
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