Retailers have invested billions creating Instagram-worthy experiences to win over consumers—but could those efforts be better targeted? In certain retail formats, especially those designed to deliver speed and ease, the answer is yes. JLL Design's latest research reveals consumers often value efficiency over experience, a sentiment that cuts across not only store formats but different sectors of retail and regions of the world. This new insight serves as a wake-up call for retailers who've spent years defining, redefining, and doubling down on "experiential retail."

The study, Shifting Priorities in Retail Design, which surveyed 2,002 adults across 15 countries, shows how consumer preferences have changed in the last six years. One major takeaway: Fifty-three percent of global consumers agree their primary goal is to “get what I need efficiently, even if it means less brand experience.”

In 2025, “Intuitive” is the second most important dimension of brand experience, while “Immersive” falls to fifth. More than half of consumers say “finding what I need in a store should be so intuitive it feels automatic.” The message is clear: clarity and efficiency are table stakes.

A hallmark of “experiential retail” has long been digital technology—smart mirrors, immersive displays, and in-store apps designed to impress. These elements often appear in formats meant to create “pinnacle experiences” for their most fervent fans: flagship stores, temporary stores, and extended experiences which transcend a brand’s typical products or services.

But, in JLL’s research, consumers are demonstrating a rising desire for scaling back digital in favor of preserving the sensorial, tactile nature of stores. Half say a “compelling store experience engages all my senses,” as demonstrated by a survey respondent from China: “I want to experience things that online shopping cannot provide—feeling the texture of a jacket, trying the comfort of a sofa, hearing music, smelling the perfume or flowers.”

By contrast, 42% were neutral about or disagreed with wanting to “interact with digital screens or touchscreens in-store,” and 51% dismissed the idea that brands need to adopt AI or AR to stay ahead of their competition.

Brands embracing this sensory-first mindset are already seeing results. At Uniqlo, scaled-back digital displays and renewed focus on fabric touch stations and premium lighting led to increased conversion and a boost in satisfaction. Customers spend more time engaging with the brand’s clothing products and less time navigating distractions.

Similarly, Trader Joe’s has long thrived without screens and apps, instead prioritizing empowered staff and streamlined store layouts. This focus on ease and personal connection earns it the highest satisfaction scores in grocery retail and sales per square foot, roughly double the industry average.

Even in premium retail, sensory-rich design outperforms digital spectacle. Tecovas’ flagship store in Austin immerses customers in its Western heritage through leather seating, boot-polishing stations, whiskey at checkout, and a custom branding iron for personalizing each pair of boots. There’s no tech in sight—just a highly tactile space that keeps customers coming back.

At this inflection point for “experiential retail,” retailers’ design strategies should follow a new hierarchy of spend—shifting priorities from attention-grabbing spectacles to renewed focus on what makes brick-and-mortar valuable in an e-commerce-driven world: tactility, sensory engagement, and clear flow.

Consumers' expectations of "experiential" are evolving beyond retail's established wow-factor approach. Instead, they’re gravitating towards spaces where navigation feels effortless and engagement is physical, emotional, and authentically in the moment. They can feel and appreciate the difference of being able to move through a store with ease, to hold the products they like in their own two hands, and to engage with souls not screens.

That means today's retailers must embrace sensory optimization and operational excellence as the winning strategies for 2025.

After all, in a world where attention spans are short and desire for connection is high, brands that give customers the efficient, human experience they crave will awaken the most coveted of retail outcomes—lasting customer loyalty.

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.