Why 85% of Shoppers in Retail Stores Walk Out Empty-Handed

Why do Shoppers Ghost those Aisles?

Picture this: A shopper walks into a store, scans the shelves, interacts with a product, maybe even picks it up… and then walks right out. No purchase, no engagement, just gone. It’s the retail equivalent of a cliffhanger, except there’s no sequel—just lost revenue. And the worst part? This isn’t rare.

Nearly 85% of in-store shoppers leave without making a purchase. That’s a staggering number when you consider the effort it takes to bring them in—ads, store design, inventory planning, and staffing. What’s sending them away empty-handed? A mix of friction, frustration, and the feeling that their needs aren’t being met.

The ‘Just Browsing’ Illusion is one of retail’s biggest myths. Shoppers don’t walk into stores aimlessly. There’s always intent—whether it’s finding a specific item, exploring new options, or even just getting a feel for a brand. But when they don’t immediately find what they’re looking for or feel uninspired by their surroundings, they disengage. They came in hoping for something, and the store simply didn’t deliver.

One of the biggest reasons shoppers leave? The item they wanted isn’t available. Out-of-Stock = Out of Patience. In a world where online shopping offers endless stock, walking into a store only to find that their size, color, or model is missing feels like a waste of time. And customers don’t just leave that store—they leave with a mental note that shopping there might not be reliable in the future. A survey from iVend Retail found that 67.3% of respondents say that they walk out of a retail store empty-handed because they couldn’t find the product they needed and 66.3% said it’s because the store didn’t have the items they wanted.

The role of in-store staff is make-or-break, yet 90% of shoppers say they’ve walked out because of poor assistance. Either they’re too aggressive, making customers uncomfortable, or they’re nowhere to be found when someone actually needs help. Both are dealbreakers. When shoppers feel invisible or pressured, they opt out. Customer service is as much a part of your brand as your logo. It is what creates a perception of your business in the mind of your customer. If you aren’t doing as well in your business as you’d like, it’s time to take a closer look at how you and your team represent your business. Are you causing customers to walk instead of buy?

Every customer who walks out without buying isn’t just a missed sale—they’re a missed relationship. Many won’t return, and some may never give the store another shot. In today’s world, where every brand is fighting for attention, stores can’t afford to let walkouts become the norm.

Hope isn't a Management Strategy - Here's What You Can Do

Studies reveal that a whopping 66% of consumers say their in-store experience significantly shapes how they perceive a brand (Emplifi).

If customers aren’t finding what they need at your store, you could be having issues with product availability, product visibility, or both.

Of course, there are some basics.

If the issue is a lack of inventory, pay closer attention to your stock management system and reporting. Maybe you’re under-ordering critical items and need to up the quantities. Perhaps you’re not ordering your products as often as you should, so your shelves aren’t stocked at the right times. In these cases, it may help to set re-order points, where your POS or retail management system automatically alerts you when it’s time to buy new stock. A lack of product availability could also stem from an issue with your forecasting. Depending on your store, you and your team could find ways to better anticipate the needs of your customers. Look into seasonal and industry trends and start carrying products in line with those trends.

If you have a presence on multiple channels, make consistency a top priority. Pay close attention to things like pricing, and make sure you’re promoting the same prices across the board. If you’re running a promotion, it’s best to allow customers to redeem discounts across multiple channels, unless there is a very good reason to run a channel-exclusive offer (e.g., a special in-store event.) Another helpful tip for maintaining omnichannel consistency is to use a tightly integrated platform to run your retail business.

If you have the right products in stock but people just aren’t finding them, you may need to make changes with your merchandising. Maybe it’s time to revamp your displays or reposition the products.

Identify your store’s peak hours and ensure that you always have adequate staff on the floor to cover your customers’ needs. Understaffing leads to fewer employees at the checkout counter, which could lengthen wait times.

Have your associates go through customer service training if necessary. When bringing in new people, you’ll want to partner them with seasoned employees that they can shadow in the store, so they can learn what great customer service looks like on the job.

Retail runs on SOPs—structured, documented, and essential. They map out everything from daily must-dos like checkouts and inventory management to the bigger resets like audits, merchandising shifts, and staff training. On paper, it’s all perfectly orchestrated.

But here’s the catch: real life isn’t a checklist. Staff call in sick, deliveries run late, tech glitches at the worst moments. SOPs tell you what should happen, but not what to do when things go sideways. That’s where smart management comes in—knowing when to pivot, re-prioritise, and keep the store running smoothly without sacrificing the customer experience.

This is where Intelligent Task Management steps in

Task management involves making judgement-based decisions to keep the operation running.

To elaborate, it is about identifying what needs to be done to deliver the shopping trip for customers, prioritizing these activities among each other based on the importance or value of the output, and communicating the output to colleagues to act on - a three-step model of identify, prioritize, and communicate (by TCS).

Identify: Identifying what needs to be done is the easy part. SOPs, operating models, and day-in-the-life documents lay the groundwork, but they only cover half the equation. Spotting these disruptions before they escalate - this is where algorithms come in. By analysing thousands of data points—POS transactions, stock levels, staff schedules, hardware monitoring, and IoT devices—they can predict issues before they happen. With the right data analysis, stores can uncover blind spots and take action before problems even hit the floor.

Prioritize: With every store activity fighting for attention, deciding what to tackle next isn’t just hard—it’s a losing game if left to manual decision-making. There’s too much noise. Personal biases creep in, managers are overloaded, and there are thousands of data points that no human can process fast enough. Enter AI and ML-powered rule-based engines. By establishing a clear, customizable set of metrics tailored to a retailer’s needs, stores can objectively measure the value of every task, taking the guesswork out of decision-making. Every task gets an objective value, making prioritization seamless and execution consistent across locations.

Communicate: The last piece of the intelligent task management puzzle? Making sure store teams actually get the right tasks at the right time. Most retailers already have some kind of comms setup—whether that’s a generic store email or a more targeted platform for specific managers or associates. But the future needs to be sharper. Every store employee should have a live, personalized ‘to-do list’ that updates in real time, showing only the tasks that matter to them based on their skills, schedule, and location in-store. The right task, to the right person, at the right time—without the usual chaos.

The Data Goldmine that Retailers might be Missing

Emotion Analysis: Some advanced systems can analyze customer facial expressions to gauge satisfaction or frustration. This cutting-edge approach goes beyond traditional satisfaction surveys and provides real-time emotional feedback that can be crucial for service industries.

Heat Map Evolution: Heat maps have advanced to not only show where customers linger but also interact with digital displays or products. This interaction can be measured to gauge interest levels in specific products or marketing materials, leading to more tailored and effective promotional strategies.

Customer Feedback Analysis: Gone are the days when NPS surveys and feedback forms could cut it. You can now tune into audio analytics with Storefox.ai ! Send us a message to learn more.

Why Awakening all 5 Senses should be Every Retailer's Sixth Sense

The desire for retail experiences is on the rise with 52% of millennials saying their spending goes on experience-related purchases. This introduces the concept of ‘retailtainment’.

The term “retailtainment” is used to describe the trend of retailers using entertainment to attract customers and encourage them to spend more time – and money – in their stores. This can take the form of in-store events, interactive displays, and even simply providing a comfortable and enjoyable environment for customers to shop in.

Both retailtainment and experiential retail are designed to make the shopping experience more enjoyable and engaging. However, experiential retail goes a step further by creating an emotional connection with customers. This emotional connection can lead to brand loyalty and repeat business.

Let’s assume you own a bath & body care products store. Does your space boast of the clean theory the brand stands for? Does the music remind you of the most calming beach you have been to, do the corners make you imagine the most aesthetic, relaxing spa you have been to, does the space make you feel like you want to recreate this to have the most blissful mornings?

Here's a 3-example masterclass in how experiential retail turns a store into a movement.

VANS: Beyond the Sneakers‍

London’s House of Vans is as “off the wall” as the brand itself. Spanning 30,000 square feet, it’s not just a store—it’s a cultural hub where art, music, BMX, street culture, and fashion collide. From a cinema and café to a live music venue and art gallery, it has everything. The bottom floor, home to a concrete ramp, mini ramp, and street course, it’s a space for people to gather, hang out, and fully immerse themselves in the brand.

VR@Toms - Feel it ‍

Back in 2015, Toms pulled off something genius—they dropped VR headsets into 100 stores, giving customers a front-row seat to their One for One giving campaign in Peru. Slip on the headset, and suddenly, you’re walking through villages, locals smiling, waving—it’s impossible not to feel something. This wasn’t just a cool tech moment; it was brand storytelling at its best. A seamless way to make customers feel the impact of their purchase, not just hear about it.

Lego's Flagship Store in New York City - An Adventure for All

The Lego Group’s Times Square store isn’t just a store—it’s a full-blown, technicolor playground. Think larger-than-life Lego builds, hands-on stations that practically beg you to start stacking bricks, and an AR experience that blends nostalgia with next-gen cool. It’s the kind of place where kids (and let’s be real, adults too) don’t just shop—they create, explore, and lose track of time. This isn’t retail; it’s an adventure in a Lego universe.

Personalise, Personalise & then Personalise Some More

In brick-and-mortar stores, personalization revolves around creating immersive and tailored experiences for customers within the physical space.

To be fair, personalisation has always been at the forefront, for ages now. Remember accompanying your mom to your neighbourhood jewellery store? The person across the counter would always remember her preferences. From the metal color to the intricacies in design, they would only bring forward matches they knew would be a good fit, leading to a potential conversion.

Or maybe your neighbourhood barista remembering your go-to coffee and breakfast order. Does make you feel special, right?

Retailers have plenty of ways to make in-store shopping feel more personal, from tailored product recommendations by sales associates to exclusive discounts based on customer preferences. Even interactive displays can adapt to individual interests, making the experience more engaging.

A great example? Kiehl's Since 1851 personalized skincare services. While online consultations are available, customers who prefer face-to-face interaction can visit a store for expert recommendations and a hands-on experience. Their offerings go beyond just selling products—they build relationships. Kiehl’s in-store services include: Healthy Skin Consultation – A deep dive into individual skincare needs + Skin Pro Treatment – Expert-guided product application tailored to your concerns + Dream-Reader Skin Analysis – High-tech insights into skin health + product reccos and Healthy Skin Facials – Customized treatments for glowing results.

Apparel stores are now offering unique features like fashion workshops, or styling tips from influencers that help customers associate positive experiences with a brand and are more likely to return and remain loyal over time.

With quality AI-driven data insights on individual customers, stores can now provide hyper-personalized service based on a customer’s shopping history and preferences. In-store staff can leverage this to enhance customer engagement, creating loyalty and encouraging repeat visits.

Personalization isn’t just the cherry on top—it’s the whole sundae. Serve it right, and customers won’t just shop; they’ll scoop up more, stick around longer, and treat your store like their favorite spot.

Decoding Retail: Your Insider Glossary

'Endless Aisle'

A modern retail strategy that overcomes the constraints of in-store inventory by seamlessly integrating online and offline shopping. With the help of kiosks, apps, or tablets, customers can browse the full product catalog, ensuring they never walk away empty-handed—even if an item is out of stock on the shelves. This approach not only solves inventory challenges but also enhances customer engagement, making it especially valuable for retailers with extensive product ranges.

Staples is a great case study to understand this better - the brand started experimenting with endless aisle kiosks all the way back in 2013, letting customers order out of stock products for next day delivery. A number of American Staples stores currently have endless aisle kiosks in their stores, which means customers have access to over 100,000 products—far more than can fit on the shelves.

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