Prices and product availability among biggest pain points for customers, according to new data

The report dubbed “retail’s biggest customer experience trends in 2025” uses 57 million feedback points collected globally.

The data showed 24.7% of those surveyed said price was the biggest pain point and plays a critical role in customer decision-making.

Improving price perception can drive sales growth of 2-5% and increase margins by 5%-10%, while also boosting customer satisfaction, according to research by McKinsey.

Completing the top five pain points for customers were checkout processes at 21.3%, product availability at 20.4%, product quality at 19.4%, and product selection at 16.4%.

The report also identified sectors with high customer experience scores. Pharmacies came top with 96.7%, convenience stores had a score of 93.9%, and home and electronics was 92.4%.

All had top highlights of staff friendliness, but its main challenges were staff availability, prices, and product availability, respectively.

In terms of global customer satisfaction, the happiest time for customers is between 7 and 8am due to a quieter shopping environment, whereas the least happy time is between 6 and 8pm due to late-day congestion.

In North America, customer experience levels dropped to their lowest in August 2024 at 91.6%, while they saw their highest levels of 92.6% in February and December 2024.

For European shoppers, customer satisfaction also dropped to its lowest of 90.4% in August 2024, and its highest reached 92.2% in November 2024.

The report adds that in 2025 and beyond, “ AI-driven automation, immersive shopping experiences, and predictive analytics will redefine customer interactions.”

It urges retailers to prepare through investment in AI-powered customer experience tools for enhanced service speed and personalisation, equip staff with data-driven insights, and upgrade real-time analytics to predict customer needs.

It concludes: “By taking small, data-informed steps today, retailers can set the groundwork for smarter, more responsive operations that meet rising customer expectations in 2025 and beyond.”