A New Euclid Survey Reveals That Consumers Increasingly Want – and Expect – an Amazon-Like Experience in Stores

Euclid, the leading data platform for offline attribution and store visit retargeting, revealed results of a new survey that found consumers, particularly millennials, increasingly expect an “Amazon-like” experience when shopping in-store. According to the survey, retailers must develop engaging, convenient experiences to meet these changing demands

Euclid’s “The Store of the Past Meets the Shopper of the Future: Can Retailers Meet Modern Consumer Expectations?” report, based on a survey of 1500 respondents, found shoppers were increasingly open to a variety of shopping channels, appreciating the unique attributes of in-store and online models. Millennials are the most channel-agnostic, seamlessly switching between buying online (52 percent) and in physical stores (59 percent) weekly, with nearly one in three shopping via convenient subscription services.

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Pop-up stores were flagged as a compelling trend, with 30 percent of shoppers indicating competitive pricing was the most appealing feature, with another 28 percent noting convenience and location. This openness to new, innovative models underlines both the continued relevance of physical stores and importance of a truly seamless multi-channel strategy.

Millennials gravitated toward two different ways of shopping. When in “get-in and get-out” mode, convenience was their primary goal, with nearly half (47 percent) reported that they buy online and pickup in-store frequently (40+ percent of the time), compared to 30 percent of Gen Xers and just 14 percent of Baby Boomers. However, millennials also viewed shopping as an immersive, social activity focused more on the experience than the product they take home, with one in four preferring shopping as an activity shared with friends and family. Just 19 percent of Gen Xers and 20 percent of Boomers felt the same.

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While consumers expect a reasonable level of customized communication, more marketing is unlikely to influence shoppers. All demographics that were surveyed had revealed their united dislike for over-marketing, with more than half of consumers willing to unsubscribe from a retailer’s mailing list because of too many emails, and 40 percent said they are ready to unsubscribe if they received irrelevant recommendations. Millennials are especially skeptical of advertising, with less than a third (31 percent) reporting that seeing an ad would motivate them to visit a physical store.

“This is sink-or-swim time for physical retailers. Over-marketing is a huge turn-off to most consumers. New buying models are winning over millennials and others who value modern shopping channels. And shoppers want from physical stores what they get from Amazon: a frictionless buying experience. The question is, will brick and mortar retailers deliver? They’re certainly positioned to do that if they shape the store experience to align with consumers’ high expectations for convenience,” said Brent Franson, CEO, Euclid.

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