Airport Experience® News - Retail Issue 2026

DATA CHECK

Key Strategies To Strengthen Customer Shopping Journeys 1 | PERSONALIZATION • Use customer data to tailor recommendations, offers, and in-store interactions • Leverage A.l., analytics, and behavioral insights for a one-of-a-kind shopping journey 2 | EASE • Eliminate friction from browsing to checkout • Ensure customers can switch between channels (online, mobile, in-store) seamlessly 3 | ENGAGEMENT

Retailers’ Top Objectives For Enhancing In-Store Shopper Journeys Through Personalization

INCREASING LOYALTY 51%

• Make shopping immersive: try-ons with A.R., gamified rewards, in-store events, and interactive product demos

Create Your Tomorrow: Crafting Unique Shopping Experiences For The Modern Consumer, 2025

and 46% of retailers struggle to link digital and physical touchpoints. “Our research reveals a clear recognition of personalization’s value but also highlights the complexity of bringing digital-grade personalization into stores,” the report noted. “The gap between current capabilities and strategic ambitions is substantial, yet it also represents a significant opportunity for differentiation. Leading retailers are tackling this challenge by reimagining their technology architecture to enable true cross-channel personalization.” For the second pillar, rapid experimentation of digital tools is thwarted by lack of foundational capabilities for efficient experimentation, the report found. Weighed down by high costs and risks and difficulty integrating new tech, retailers have strong growth ambitions but limited investment and scaling capabilities. “Forward-thinking retailers are breaking this cycle by building systematic approaches that reduce risk and complexity, creating a practical blueprint that smaller and regional retailers are beginning to follow,” the report noted.

Operational excellence (pillar three) is a key challenge due to the necessity of balancing security and innovation. “As stores become more connected – from point-of-sale systems to inventory sensors to customer recognition technology – retailers must protect both digital assets and physical merchandise while maintaining their innovation momentum, the report noted. “This challenge is particularly acute as stores handle more sensitive customer data and face sophisticated threats across both cyber and physical domains,” it continued. “Success requires reimagining store security architecture to protect assets, people, and data while enabling new capabilities, though this remains one of the industry’s most complex challenges.” Finally, on the fourth pillar of sustainability, the report says that forward-looking companies are moving past isolated green initiatives to build sustainability into their core store architecture and operations. The goal, it says, is to create environments that are efficient by design rather than through modification.

IMPROVING CONVERSION 46%

ENHANCING ENGAGEMENT 43%

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AX NEWS SEPTEMBER 2026