Digital innovation is transforming retail...but is it what consumers actually want? New research suggests brands should prioritize human connection over tech.
Insight
16 October 2025
Beyond the bot: How human connection could be retail’s real secret weapon
Why physical retail's advantage is human connection
By overfocusing on convenience and technology, many physical retailers are sacrificing their unique competitive advantage: the ability to bring people together in person and create real-world interactions.
More than half of global consumers (57%) agree that physical locations should offer a compelling reason to visit versus shopping online. That reason increasingly centers on human connection. For most people, visiting stores or restaurants has become a deliberate choice, serving as a tangible escape from screen fatigue or the isolation of online-only engagement. While this sentiment spans all age groups, older cohorts like Gen X and Boomers emerge as the strongest advocates for maintaining human connections in physical spaces.
Leading brands are taking note. This year Starbucks is closing 90 of its "Pick Up" stores across 20 states and bringing back handwritten notes on cups—ordering 200,000 Sharpies to reverse years of efficiency-focused strategies. Capital One Café has opened more than 60 locations that combine financial support with a welcoming coffee shop experience where anyone—not just customers—can enjoy social connection in a no-pressure environment. And the American Express Centurion Lounge at London's Heathrow Airport is transforming a financial brand into a hospitality-forward experience where cardmembers enjoy premium food, local tea, and personal service—proving that even in traditionally transactional moments, human warmth can differentiate the experience.
Broader research supports these connection-driven shifts. In JLL's Experience Matters 2024 survey, 67% of shoppers across 10 countries said they prefer shopping in person to shopping online. A 2025 Harris Poll study found that 78% of Americans would choose a completely in-person social life over a digital-only one, and 81% believe digital detoxes should be routine.
"Personally, I visit stores sometimes for the basic human interaction and social circumstances that I get to experience while I am out," shared one survey respondent from the United Kingdom. "Integrating AI into the picture removes the social connections that humans, on a basic level, require in life."