Sensory shopping, generative AI tools, and other key stats from the week

A lot happens in a week, so every Friday we're going to analyze all the new data and provide you with some of the key takeaways. Welcome to the Friday 5.

In-store, consumers want experiences that engage their senses, while online, they’re interested in generative AI (genAI) tools that can help them research products. Plus, young men in the South lead in fast-food consumption, retail leaders lean on loyalty to boost growth, and holiday spending remained in check (for the most part).

Here are five key stats to watch this week.

Key stat: 85% of global shoppers say the great thing about physical stores is that stores can engage all their senses, according to VML’s The Future 100 report.

• Almost three-quarters (74%) of global consumers say stores should offer more than products and strive to entertain and engage shoppers.
• 84% say browsing in store is the best way to get inspired while shopping.

Key stat: 18% of US adults spent more on gifts than they intended to during the 2024 holiday season, per Ipsos’ Consumer Tracker data.

• However, twice as many (37%) said they stuck to their budgets.
• Nearly half (49%) of consumers did most of their holiday shopping online.

Key stat: 58% of global consumers have replaced traditional search engines with genAI tools like ChatGPT as their go-to tools for product or service recommendations, according to a recent report from Capgemini.

• 68% of consumers who used genAI are interested in genAI tools to aggregate product searches across search engines, social media, and retailer sites.
• Another 65% want AI-enabled chatbots to facilitate shopping interactions.

Key stat: 30% of consumers in the South regularly eat fast food, compared with 17% in the Midwest, according to data from YouGov.

• Young men are the most frequent fast-food customers, with 45% of young men in the South eating fast food multiple times per week.
• While McDonald’s is the most popular fast-food choice across generations, consumers ages 18 to 34 have more of an affinity for Chick-fil-A and KFC than older generations.

Key stat: 46% of retail executives will strengthen their loyalty programs as a growth tactic in 2025, per Deloitte’s 2025 Retail Industry Outlook report.

• Other tactics include strengthening digital commerce offerings (45%) and enhancing omnichannel experiences (44%).
• Increasing business costs due to climate change (81%) and increasing price wars (80%) are the top challenges facing retail executives in 2025.

This was originally featured in the Retail Daily newsletter. For more retail insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.