Zebra Technologies has published the 2025 edition of its consumer behaviour study

Increasing consumer dissatisfaction: this is the finding of the 2025 edition of the consumer behaviour study published by the digitisation and workflow automation solutions provider Zebra Technologies.

In 2023, 85% of consumers were satisfied with their in-store or online experience. This figure fell to 76% in Europe the following year.

The measures taken to combat theft and loss are particularly to blame: ‘70% of Europeans (78% globally) say they are annoyed when products are locked away. Added to this is the frustration of not being able to easily find an employee in the store: 69% of European consumers (70% globally) report this difficulty,’ notes Zebra Technologies.

Faced with this, retailers are not without solutions. They are essentially technology-based. ‘Many retailers are paving the way for a modern in-store experience,’ says Matt Guiste, Global Head of Retail Technology Strategy at Zebra Technologies. ‘They are investing in mobile and intelligent automation technologies to support operational decisions and enable employees to focus on what satisfies customers.’

For example, while only 38% of retailers in Europe and worldwide were using AI-based prescriptive analytics for loss prevention in 2024, 51% now plan to adopt it in the next three years. The same percentage are considering using automated checkouts equipped with cameras and sensors.

‘The majority of retailers (76% in Europe, 78% globally) are under intense pressure to minimise theft and loss. They are now investing in technology tools to support both the front-line teams and those monitoring operations behind the scenes. Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are currently perceived as the most useful for loss prevention, closely followed by cameras, sensors and RFID devices,’ concludes Zebra, which also provides several practical tips at the end of the article to help retailers combat the downward trend in customer satisfaction.

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