Over half of today’s consumers want shopping to be efficient, even if it means less brand experience
Insight
12 November 2025
Retail’s rude awakening: Consumers ask for efficiency first, experience second
The investment pivot: Consumers want less tech, more touch in physical stores
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.