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Start your AI journey today and let us help you understand your business better. Send us an email or book a meeting with one click!
9th January 2026
Leo
Retailers often measure success by numbers – footfall, sales, conversion rates – and assume that if these metrics look healthy, the shopping experience must be working. Yet some of the most damaging irritations never show up in data dashboards or feedback surveys.
Customers rarely complain about them. They simply choose not to return. These hidden friction points can quietly erode loyalty, undermine marketing investments and make even the most carefully designed stores feel frustrating.
In retail, silence can be dangerous. Research shows that customers who have a bad experience rarely tell staff or leave a review; they just stop buying. During the pandemic, studies of airport shopping found that when dwell time dropped, so did average spend.
The same logic applies to retail: small interruptions shorten visits, reduce the likelihood of exploration and lower conversion. Stores need to recognise that friction isn’t always loud. Long lines, unhelpful staff and broken equipment cause vocal complaints. Subtle inconveniences – a confusing layout, an item that’s hard to find, unclear signage or a payment terminal that takes a few seconds longer than expected – often go unreported.
Some friction points are obvious: a slow checkout, an unfriendly employee or a messy display. Others are less visible. They live in the details that are easy to overlook when you work in the space every day. Here are a few examples:
Hidden friction point | Why it hurts | How it hides |
Micro‑delays at checkout | When contactless payments take a few extra seconds or barcode scanners misread items, customers feel uneasy and start second‑guessing whether they should return. | Shoppers rarely tell staff; they simply opt for faster options next time. |
Unclear navigation | Poor signage, inconsistent floor plans and product categories in unexpected places force shoppers to wander, which can feel frustrating rather than exploratory. | Most visitors don’t know how to articulate it; they just avoid the store or move online. |
Ambiguous promotions | Shelf tags that are ambiguous or conflicting discount messages create confusion and delay purchasing decisions. | Customers may leave items on the shelf instead of asking for clarification. |
Inaccessible spaces | Narrow aisles, heavy doors, high shelves or lack of seating can make shopping uncomfortable, particularly for older or differently abled customers. | Unless asked directly, these shoppers may never report the issue and simply stop visiting. |
Subtle sensory overload | Music that is slightly too loud, bright screens, strong scents or cluttered displays create cognitive fatigue. | It’s hard to complain about something so subjective; customers just cut their visits short. |
Hidden friction sticks around because it isn’t easy to spot. Mystery shopping programmes can miss it, and feedback surveys rarely capture it because customers don’t notice the issue until later.
Staff who work in the same environment daily become used to quirks and might not realise they are problematic. Budgets and KPIs often prioritise visible improvements (new fixtures, digital screens, loyalty programmes) while ignoring basic issues like a poorly placed shelving unit that blocks sightlines.
A bigger problem is that many retailers still rely on periodic, high‑level reports to drive changes. These can highlight overall trends but they rarely pinpoint the small, everyday frictions that slowly drain loyalty. Real improvement requires looking at what shoppers actually do in the space rather than only reviewing post‑purchase data.
The first step in tackling hidden friction is to look beyond complaints. Here are some practical ways to identify subtle irritations:
Walk your store like a customer.
Enter through the front door, follow common shopping journeys and try to purchase items from different categories. Notice how many micro‑decisions you have to make and where you feel stuck.
Watch and listen.
Spend time observing customers, especially those who seem unsure. Pay attention to body language: are they hesitating, looking around or backtracking? Such behaviours often signal confusion or mild frustration.
Map dwell time and flow.
Use simple tools like heatmaps or footfall analytics to see where shoppers linger or avoid. Sudden drop‑offs can indicate a barrier or discomfort at that point. When dwell time in certain areas decreases, average spend tends to follow.
Ask concise questions.
Instead of broad “How was your experience?” prompts, ask shoppers one or two targeted questions: “Did you find what you were looking for?” or “Was there anything that slowed you down?” This encourages specific feedback without creating survey fatigue.
Empower staff to report friction.
Team members see patterns, but they might not know you want to hear about small annoyances. Encourage a culture where identifying and fixing friction is part of the job.
Spotting friction is only useful if it leads to change. Here’s how to start turning hidden pain points into improvements:
Prioritise fixes by impact and effort.
Not every irritation warrants a redesign. Focus on changes that remove multiple small barriers with minimal cost. For example, re‑labelling aisles to match customer language can help more than an expensive loyalty app.
Test small adjustments.
Move a sign, adjust lighting, change shelf heights or create a dedicated lane for quick purchases. Measure dwell time, queue length and abandonment before and after to see if the change made a difference.
Make accessibility non‑negotiable.
Evaluate your space with accessibility in mind. A single low table or wider aisle can dramatically improve comfort for parents with strollers, older customers or wheelchair users.
Simplify communications.
Keep promotions and signage clear and consistent. Train staff to clarify offers and remove outdated or conflicting signs promptly.
Monitor real‑time behaviour.
Platforms such as Merlin Cloud help teams connect footfall data with live insights. If dwell time drops or customers leave certain zones quickly, staff can investigate and address the friction immediately rather than waiting for weekly reports. These tools do not replace human observation; they augment it by highlighting where to look.
As we move into 2026, improving the customer experience isn’t about adding more technology or launching the next big digital campaign. It’s about removing the invisible obstacles that make shopping harder than it needs to be. When retailers pay attention to how people move through their spaces, listen to subtle signals and empower teams to make small changes quickly, they create environments that feel effortless and welcoming.
In a season when customers are being bombarded with offers and campaigns, the stores that make it easy to find what you need, feel comfortable and leave with a smile are the ones that stand out.
Hidden friction can no longer be ignored; removing it is the quiet differentiator that turns shoppers into loyal advocates. And when these adjustments are guided by real observation and supported by tools that translate data into simple, actionable insights, progress becomes not only possible but inevitable.