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Insight of the Day: Experiential shopping vs bargain hunting: how will consumer behaviour change in the coming years?

Summary:

In 2025, consumers will increasingly prioritize experiences over physical goods, blending shopping with entertainment and social engagement. Despite rising living costs, spending on experiences like events and culture will remain strong. Retailers are predicted to shift their focus toward experiential retail, offering immersive in-store environments where purchases are made online later. Alongside this trend, “doom spending”—compulsive shopping driven by stress—will persist, prompting retailers to focus on creating positive, sensory-driven shopping environments. Additionally, sustainability and community-driven shopping will play major roles in consumer behavior, with customers seeking both conscious consumption and a sense of belonging.

Key Takeaway:

By 2025, experience-based shopping will dominate, with consumers favoring social, interactive environments and brands that provide more than just physical products. Retailers must adapt by offering experiential, immersive spaces, while balancing the need for conscious consumption, community engagement, and reward-based programs.

Trend:

  • Experiential Retail: Shopping is evolving into an experience-driven activity, where stores become venues for entertainment, relaxation, and connection, rather than just product purchases.

  • Doom Spending: Some consumers are responding to economic stress with compulsive buying, leading retailers to focus on creating more positive, emotionally supportive shopping environments.

Consumer Motivation:

  • Experiential Shopping: Consumers, especially post-pandemic, are seeking out social, cultural, and interactive experiences rather than purely material purchases. They want environments where shopping is paired with entertainment or engagement, such as cafes, in-store events, or immersive product experiences.

  • Emotional Spending: Economic stress has led to doom spending, where people buy in excess as a coping mechanism. Consumers need positive, calming shopping environments to combat anxiety and reduce excessive spending.

What Is Driving the Trend:

  • Post-Pandemic Behavior: The desire to make up for lost time during the pandemic is driving increased spending on events, culture, and experiences.

  • Rising Cost of Living: With financial pressures mounting, consumers are becoming more price-conscious, leading to a focus on deals, dupes, and value-driven purchases.

  • Sustainability and Conscious Consumption: Consumers are eager to adopt more sustainable shopping habits, but often need guidance from brands to make eco-friendly decisions.

Who Are the People the Article is Referring To:

  • Consumers in 2025, particularly those interested in experiential retail, are looking for more than just products—they want experiences that combine social engagement, entertainment, and emotional connection.

  • Retailers and brands that are adapting to the shift by creating immersive environments or engaging customers through reward programs and community-driven initiatives.

Description of Consumers, Product, or Service:

Consumers will prioritize brands that offer interactive experiences, like the ability to co-create products or engage in-store through events or sensory-driven spaces. They will also focus on sustainability, seeking products that align with their values, though they may need support in making eco-conscious decisions.

Conclusions:

The shopping landscape in 2025 will be shaped by consumers’ desire for experiential and community-driven retail environments, paired with a need for conscious, sustainable consumption. Retailers that provide engaging, immersive experiences, while helping consumers navigate sustainability and affordability, will be best positioned to thrive.

Implications for Brands:

  • Create Experiential Spaces: Retailers should design stores that are more than transactional, incorporating elements like cafes, events, or sensory experiences to enhance emotional connection with customers.

  • Combat Doom Spending: Brands should focus on creating positive, stress-relieving environments to counter anxiety-driven shopping behaviors, using tools like color psychology, interactive design, and community-building.

  • Embrace Sustainability: Offering sustainable products and helping guide consumers through conscious shopping decisions will be critical to retaining eco-conscious customers.

Implications for Society:

As shopping becomes more experience-driven, it reflects a shift toward seeking emotional fulfillment and social engagement in everyday activities. This can have positive effects on community building, but it also highlights the need for better support systems to manage stress-driven shopping and financial anxiety.

Implications for Consumers:

Consumers will benefit from a wider range of shopping experiences, from immersive in-store environments to community-driven reward programs. However, they must also be mindful of doom spending and seek out brands that prioritize emotional well-being and sustainability.

Implications for the Future:

By 2025, experiential and emotional retail will continue to dominate, with stores evolving into venues for interaction and engagement. Retailers will need to adapt to these shifting preferences by providing immersive, multi-sensory environments and sustainable products that align with consumer values.

Consumer Trend:

  • Experiential Shopping: Consumers are seeking shopping environments that provide entertainment, relaxation, and emotional engagement, turning retail spaces into social hubs.

Consumer Sub-Trend:

  • Community-Driven Consumption: Shoppers are looking to connect with brands and other consumers through experiences like co-creation, product voting, and reward systems that foster a sense of belonging.

Big Social Trend:

  • Emotional Well-Being in Retail: Retailers are increasingly focused on creating positive, emotionally supportive environments, recognizing the role that shopping plays in mental health and emotional well-being.

Worldwide Social Trend:

  • Sustainable and Conscious Consumption: Globally, consumers are becoming more mindful of their environmental impact and are looking for brands that support sustainable and ethical shopping practices.

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