Many consumers don’t see value in store technology – here’s why
U.S. retailers are investing heavily in store technology, but many shoppers are not reporting benefits.
Slightly more than half (52%) of U.S. consumers say in-store technology makes their experience somewhat or much better, while 48% say it makes no difference or makes the experience worse. Results of the "The State of the Connected Store 2026” survey from AI retail communications solution provider X-hoppers also reveals that 63% of surveyed consumers say they get frustrated when they still need employees to fix or override in-store technology such as self-checkout.
In addition, 50% of consumer respondents cite long checkout lines as a top in-store frustration and nearly half (48%) say they will leave a store if they wait too long for help. Four in 10 say not being able to find a staff member when they need one is a significant source of irritation in the store.
Consumer respondents also provided insight into what helps them have a satisfactory in-store experience:
- 95% say getting help quickly matters to their in-store experience.
- 84% say consistency across locations improves their perception of a brick-and-mortar retailer.
- 67% say it is important that store associates can provide instant answers without leaving their side.
[READ MORE: One bad experience can send a customer elsewhere]
Retailers lag customer expectations
The study also examined retailer efforts to implement store technology and found them often lacking. For example, more than half (52%) of surveyed U.S. retailers are already allocating up to 30% of their connected-store budget to frontline communication tools, and 47% say their top desired outcome is increasing conversion and sales.
However, 44% of retail respondents are operating without a formal connected-store strategy, while 79% admit associates must leave the customer’s side to use store systems and only about one-third say notifications and information “almost always” reach the right person.
"Retailers have made meaningful investments in modernizing the store, but shoppers are telling us something important: technology only earns its place when it actually makes the experience easier," said Lyndal Newman, head of marketing at X-hoppers. "The stores that stand out are not the ones with the most devices or dashboards. They are the ones where teams can respond quickly, stay present with customers and turn technology into a support system rather than another point of friction."
In partnership with Sago, X-hoppers commissioned a U.S. retail and consumer research study that took place in late April and early May 2026. The survey collected responses from 1,140 participants, including both retail decision-makers and consumers.
