Consumers are seeking out value, and that extends beyond discounts. According to Placer.ai, winning in 2026 will require retailers to consider the value and experience they bring to the table. One major shift has been that convenience is no longer the sole or main attraction for a store visit. Although there are still some limits to how far shoppers will travel, today more is factoring into their decisions — including price and brand. They are visiting more stores in the same category and venturing farther to get a good deal. Retailers therefore need to focus on their ‘reason for being’ and deliver value to continue to compete.

In-store visits are valuable, since the time spent is usually 20 to 30 minutes, compared to the two to three minutes that a shopper might engage with an e-commerce site on average. Consumers who have made it in the door are also more open to impulse buys. To generate bigger baskets and engage shoppers, stores can integrate retail media, offering product suggestions and creating spaces for advertising, such as signage, endcaps or shops-in-shop.