August 15, 2025
Hyper Informed Customers Are Becoming Retail’s Biggest Challenge
Almost half (36%) of retailers say that keeping up with hyper-informed shoppers is one of the top threats to their business, and 45% admit that store associates spend too much time searching for answers to customer questions instead of engaging with shoppers. These stats highlight a knowledge gap between consumers and store employees, a gap that’s eroding trust and diminishing the in-store experience, according to new research from Retail Systems Research (RSR), sponsored by Jumpmind.
“In-store shopping is now tightly connected to the digital experience, with customers arriving to collect online orders, check items they’ve researched, or find something new,” said Lauren Cevallos, Head of Strategy and Customer Success at Jumpmind. “Associates need technology that lets them easily handle whatever comes their way, whether that’s picking and packing an order, processing a return, arranging a ship-to-home item from another store, or scheduling repeat deliveries.”
The study surveyed retail executives and store managers to pinpoint where retailers are falling short and where technology investments could make the biggest difference. The results paint a challenging picture: today’s shoppers are more informed than ever before, often arriving at stores armed with reviews, pricing comparisons, and detailed product specs. They expect store associates not just to keep up, but to deliver insights and guidance that go beyond what they can find online.
What Can Retailers Do?
Yet, 35% of retailers say meeting these higher service expectations is among their biggest operational challenges. Consumers feel the gap too; only 32% say their favourite retailer offers easy access to customer service when they need help. And while shoppers expect a smooth handoff between browsing online and buying in-store, many retailers admit they’re falling short. Most say they have “some but not all” of a shopper’s online data available to associates in-store, creating a fragmented and often frustrating customer journey.
The lack of integration is taking its toll: 21% of retailers list dissatisfaction with the online-to-in-store experience as a top concern, while 36% again point to the demands of hyper-informed shoppers as a business threat. Adding to the strain, store employees have too many non-selling tasks, from troubleshooting technology (42%) to administrative work (38%), leaving less time for critical duties like shipping, inventory, and restocking.
