.svg){kind=logo}
Retail used to be much more straightforward. A customer walked into a store, found what they needed, and paid at the counter. Now, that same journey might start on social, continue in an app, pause in a store, and finish online later that day.
While this kind of flexibility is great for shoppers, it creates far more complexity for retailers. Every additional channel means another system to manage, another dataset to keep aligned, and another opportunity for something to slip. Even the smallest gaps in service - an inconsistent discount, delayed loyalty reward, or inaccurate stock level - can chip away at consumer confidence. And over time, those minor moments add up to lost trust and lost sales.
That challenge is the focus of One Shopper, one journey, our new report created with Shopify.
Understanding the new shopper mindset
Through fresh research with 2,000 UK consumers, the report explores how shoppers now blend channels instinctively, what they value most when everything works as it should, and where retailers can make improvements that have real impact.
It focuses on the moments that shape confidence - from checking stock and comparing prices to earning rewards and completing a purchase - revealing how accuracy, consistency, and connection influence every decision along the way. The findings show where shopper expectations have shifted, what causes frustration, and how the most joined-up retailers are setting new standards for simplicity.
The report also looks ahead, highlighting how younger consumers are leading the shift towards unified commerce experiences that feel instinctive, integrated, and effortlessly connected.
Where confidence is won and lost
The picture that emerges from One Shopper, one journey shows just how deeply this instinct for connection now shapes behaviour. Almost eight in ten UK consumers buy both online and in-store with the same retailers, turning what used to be two separate worlds into one continuous experience. Shoppers move between channels instinctively, expecting data and details to stay perfectly aligned.
That expectation for reliability runs through every part of the research. Nearly seven in ten shoppers say mismatched prices between online and in-store make shopping stressful, and more than eight in ten want to be able to return online purchases in-store. When those moments don’t work as they should, trust starts to erode, not because customers are impatient, but because they’ve come to see consistency as the baseline for good service.
Loyalty follows the same pattern. Seven in ten shoppers say they’d buy more often from retailers whose loyalty programmes work seamlessly across every channel, and for younger consumers that figure climbs even higher. For them, recognition matters as much as reward, and they expect retailers to know who they are and to pick up where they left off, no matter where they shop next.
Across all of the report’s findings, the same theme emerges. The strongest connections come from getting the fundamentals right. Accuracy, reliability, and joined-up experiences make shopping easier, build confidence, and show customers that the brand is paying attention.
Why seamless shopping can’t wait
Going beyond shopper sentiment, the report includes real-world examples from retailers already putting unified commerce into practice, showing how a connected approach can turn consistency into confidence, uplifting sales while bringing online and in-store together without adding complexity.
One Shopper, one journey also gives retailers six clear priorities for action, drawn from the research and grounded in everyday practice - from building a single source of truth and treating accuracy as a brand value, to designing tech around effortlessness and loyalty that feels genuinely personal.
Together, it brings the advantages of unified commerce into focus for bricks-and-clicks retailers, making clear why now is the time to move towards seamless shopping.
Get the full insight. Download the full One shopper, one journey report to discover what seamless shopping really looks like, and how unified commerce can help you deliver it.
