Made for me: Behind the rise of relevancy in retail

For years, physical retail pursued efficiency and spectacle—building stores to impress or compete with online convenience. In 2025, consumers are showing they value something subtler: stores that feel deeply personal and catered to their unique tastes. 

As one shopper explained, “I want to have that feeling that [a store] was designed specifically for me and my community.” This desire captures a global shift identified in JLL Design’s Shifting Priorities in Retail Design, which surveyed 2,002 adults across 15 countries to examine how six dimensions of brand experience have evolved since JLL identified them in 2018. After all, much has changed since then, from a global pandemic to technological advancement and cultural shifts.

One major change in consumer preference: “Customized” jumped two spots in the ranking. Once the least essential, it now ranks fourth—a clear signal that this dimension requires renewed investment.

Millennials and Gen Z are leading the charge for more high-touch, thoughtful experiences, reporting the highest agreement across all dimensions, especially Customized. For these younger consumers, customization is a strategic imperative, leaping past the Human dimension to become their #3 priority, only behind the baseline dimensions Accessible and Intuitive.

In particular, 60% of Millennials say their ideal store lets them customize everything, from the product itself to how they receive it. Having grown up in a world of personalized streaming and smart devices, this expectation is woven into their daily lives. 

The push for customization begins with personal touches, but it’s also about creating a sense of place. Consumers expect stores to reflect the character of their neighborhood and the products they value. As one respondent put it, “It’s good to go a place and feel as if they thought of you when designing it.”

Across the globe, brands are taking up the mantle. Nike Rise Tokyo, for example, is designed around the running community, hosting group runs and events that turn the store into a local hub. A bustling 7-Eleven in Singapore transformed its Palawan Beach location into a destination for beachgoers, combining exclusive beverages, finger foods, and colorful murals that celebrate local culture. 

JLL research shows that customers in high-touch sectors like Luxury and Home place even greater emphasis on customization. Forward-looking retailers are delivering, too, like Golden Goose, where customers in Rome can collaborate with in-store artists on one-of-a-kind sneaker designs. Meanwhile IKEA’s Oxford Street store in London features rotating shop-in-shops curated by locals.

The numbers affirm such moves: 45% of respondents globally agree that "a store should feel distinct, reflecting the unique character of the neighborhood or city." Countries in EMEA and APAC show statistically higher expectations for localization than the US. The results within APAC align with past research patterns, where Japanese respondents show more conservative tendencies and Indian respondents exhibit higher levels of agreement.

Global consumers are sending a clarion call: Retailers should integrate local culture and personal relevance into bricks-and-mortar design. These are the environments people return to because they recognize themselves in them. It’s an emotional connection that no algorithm or generic floor plan can duplicate.

Retailers who act on this insight will gain the lasting advantage of customer loyalty now and into the future.

Download the summary report of Shifting Priorities in Retail Design for more insight into global consumers' shifting priorities. For a deeper dive by insight, region, sector, generation, or format, contact JLL Design’s Emily Miller at emilya.miller@jll.com.