Evolving Habits, Elevated Experiences: What Today’s Shoppers Want In-Store

Shoppers want more from their in-store retail experience. Today’s value equation starts with ease, clarity and consistency, but it doesn’t end there. Studies show multisensory design increases time in-store and brand recall, but executing and maintaining an optimized version of that is a complex endeavor.

Here are five key ways shopper wants and needs have evolved, and what retailers should be focusing on right now to stay relevant and competitive.

Intuitive, seamless convenience everywhere

Customers want you to know what they want before they know what they want (Retail’s version of “IYKYK”).

Whether they’re on a specific trip mission, using your app in-store, picking up a BOPIS order or returning an item in person, they want speed and ease at every touchpoint. They don’t want to break stride as they receive messaging and guidance that match and perhaps augment their shopping goals.

This is the foundation for fulfilling omnichannel integration as a living in-store reality, as opposed to an idea for some point in the future. It includes rethinking store layouts to accommodate fulfillment functions like curbside pickup and dedicated return zones and ensuring real-time inventory visibility across platforms.

The Home Depot has a strong in-store brand presence, so the Home Services signage was built upon their current messaging strategy.
Miller Zell delivered speed to marker while also staying on brand and on budget.

Self-service kiosks, mobile POS, endless aisle tools and digital signage can upgrade and streamline experiences and shorten wait times. Optimizing micro-fulfillment within stores can turn locations into logistical assets rather than just sales floors. This includes bolstering the associate experience alongside your customer paths to purchase, as both matter and influence the satisfaction on both ends.

A convenient customer journey — from discovery to departure — builds loyalty and differentiates stores in an increasingly digital-first world.

Personalize and localize with depth, not predictable uniformity

Retailers and customers want substantive brand connections, and they can develop it with authentic outreach and interaction, such as tailored recommendations and curated experiences that inspire true engagement. This requires, however, familiarity with a customer’s individualized profile as well as the local culture surrounding your customers as a whole.

One size doesn’t fit all. Some customers will worry about privacy when asked for information that increases personalization. Others will volunteer just about everything. And there’s an entire range in between. Recognizing this and then developing detailed plans to pursue the connection and engagement the customer wants is a challenging but necessary initiative. It’s also about winning over the skeptical and making them feel secure with the value of sharing data.

“Some customers will worry about privacy when asked for information that increases personalization. Others will volunteer just about everything. And there's an entire range in between.”

Personalization strategies can function smoothly within modular store designs. These start with core brand elements, which remain consistent but include specific areas designed for localized merchandising, graphics and language. Flexibility is essential because shopping habits shift, on both a macro and personalized level.

Incorporate customer data and AI analysis into product recommendations, digital signage and marketing, as this allows for a more individualized and localized in-store experience. For instance, regional campaigns or neighborhood-specific décor can create emotional resonance, helping the store feel more like part of the community than a redundant corporate outpost.

And seeking more purposeful and granular insights never ends. Data collection and interpretation will inform merchandising tweaks and larger transformations on a regular basis. Evolving behavioral insights can help optimize layout, messaging and display strategies.

Purpose and function first, then augment surprise and delight

Physical stores offer people in-person experiences and immediate gratification of buying needs. Yet today’s customers want more. This starts, of course, with hands-on interactions with products — seeing and feeling quality. But an upgraded customer journey now integrates surprise and discovery with new products or upgraded versions of old products, and browsing as a satisfying store and product exploration.

The collaborative process between Lowe's and Miller Zell led to the development of a flexible, modular structure that made it both durable and easy to install. The resulting scary castle — or "Scastle" — boosted sales and the customer experience.

Think of it like a nature hike. People enjoy those because they feel healthy and both familiar and unfamiliar while they interact with nature and the outdoors. They recognize most of what they see but also almost always encounter something new.

So, incorporate discovery and delight into your store design thinking. Rotating displays, limited-time installations, product sampling stations and even event spaces create freshness and buzz. Flexible fixture systems allow stores to adapt quickly to new product drops or local events. Thoughtful visual merchandising can create moments of delight — whether through unexpected, colorful storytelling or sensory elements. Partnering with local artists or hosting pop-up collaborations can give national retailers a fresh, grassroots feel.

Citizens believes in meaningful relationships with the brands they sponsor and wants their activations to be meaningful, too. As their brand activation partner, Miller Zell designs and produces dynamic and immersive events that incorporate strategy, storytelling and phygital engagement with character.

Creating moments of joy and inspiration not only increases dwell time but also encourages social sharing, amplifying your brand reach organically.

Economic awareness for customers’ needs

Economic pressures and uncertainty are never far from most consumers’ minds. At present, inflation, tariffs, chaotic world markets and general life-work stress have made consumers more price-sensitive, leading to a focus on value. Many shoppers are “trading down” to more affordable brands, discount retailers, private labels and making purchases during promotional periods.

Value isn’t solely about the lowest price. It also encompasses what shoppers believe they are getting for their money.  

While roughly three-quarters of consumers prioritize paying less, a quarter are willing to pay more if the product represents innovation or higher quality and durability. The booming loyalty sector, valued at an estimated $3 trillion in 2024, indicates that consumers also value personalized discounts and offers.  

“Many shoppers are 'trading down' to more affordable brands, discount retailers, private labels and making purchases during promotional periods.”

To address these needs, retailers can communicate where value is within a category assortment. This can include specific displays that promote private labels and discount offerings and emphasize their value proposition. Integrating loyalty program benefits through QR codes on displays can connect customers to personalized promotions while providing targeted data.

Some consumers seek the lowest price while others prioritize value or newness. Your store design should use elements like clear price ladders, creative graphics and distinct display strategies to visually differentiate offerings, allowing both types of shoppers to perceive value relevant to their needs.

Your store layout should empower “smart shopper” behavior, making it easy for customers to feel confident in their purchasing decisions by clearly presenting value propositions.

Values in a time when values are complicated

Consumers choose brands that align with their values. That’s almost a cliché among so-called retail pundits. But what does this mean? Does it mean something different today than 2020?

Maybe. The 1950s were way different than the 1960s, and the 1980s were way different than the 1990s. And people born in the 1970s are often very different today than they were in the early 2000s. Times change and people change, and that’s not just about technology.

For example, diversity and sustainability are two positives in terms of values and business thinking in retail. But while pursuing both, your methods of external and internal messaging and communications about such initiatives might be done differently today than five years ago.

Strategic thinking is always important. Anticipating trends and changes in customer sentiments are part of continual store development and optimization.

That means you always seek customer insights. Flexibility is essential as you try to provide intuitive convenience for every shopping journey. You personalize, localize, communicate and connect. You meet your shoppers today and then look ahead to how you will engage them better next time.

You serve today’s shopper and then get ready for tomorrow, next month and next year as you seek the best possible experience to fuel revenue growth and customer loyalty.