Retail is really simple; your customers should get what they want, when they want it, every single time.
This is fine, in principle, but not all customers are created equally. One customer might want (and expect) a certain type of experience while another will want something totally different.
Your job is to cater to the needs of your customers, no matter what they want.
In order to do this (and to do it well) you need to understand the different types of shoppers (and their personas) who will walk through your doors, land on your ecomm store or interact with your brand through different social channels and marketplaces.
Here’s the most common types of shopper and tips on how you can meet their needs:
1. The Old School Shopper
The ‘old school’ shopper is the person who likes to pick everything up, touch it, feel it and then usually buy it.
They care about quality, how tactile a product is and have to know how something feels in their hands before they buy it. Their purchasing journey might start online but will most likely end in store.
To help them on their journey, you’ll need attentive staff who are on the shop floor, helping them find what they are looking for and will happily bring them different products to hold and try.
To do this, you need to have the right systems and tools in place to allow your staff to be forward-facing and proactive in their approach - rather than simply being stuck behind a cash register. A mobile POS can empower your store associates to serve your customers on the shop floor showing them recommended products and even sell from stock in different stores if needed.
2. The Expertise Seeker
Similar to the old school shopper, the expertise seeker is someone who is going to need your help.
They find it hard to choose and they need your help to guide them in the decision making process. They are looking to you as the experts. Whether it’s buying a new pair of shoes or a new TV, they want your help to find the best one and will actively seek out your guidance.
As with the above, this means you need to have the right people in the right place at the right time in order to help them and deliver the service they’re looking for. When you have a POS with enhanced product information it’s much easier for your store associates to give the expertise seeking customer what they are looking for.
3. The Fast Mover
On the other side of the spectrum we have the fast mover. These folks want to be in and out as quickly as they can. They know what they want and they want to get in, get it, then get out. They hate lines and don’t want to wait.
This shouldn’t be seen as a negative either. Your job is to still help deliver this experience to them. Whether it’s making sure you have enough staff on the cash registers or even a self-checkout in place, it’s easy to give your ‘in and out’ shoppers a better experience - and it can also increase your average purchase order and (with self-checkout) free up your staff to provide an enhanced service for your customers on the shop-floor.
4. The Bargain Hunter
This person loves a bargain and isn’t afraid to go out hunting for it. Now, you don’t always have to cater to the bargain hunter’s needs, however, if your competitors frequently run deep discounts you can guarantee the bargain hunters will find them. If you do have a sale on, make sure it’s easy for people to both know about it and find the sale items - whether that’s in-store or online.
5. The Shopping Pro
The pro shoppers out there want everything. Shopping is their life, it’s usually a shared social experience and something they put huge value in. The pro shoppers expect perfection. They want knowledgeable staff, recommendations, and an all encompassing experience.
It might not be possible for every single one of your stores to be perfect 100% of the time but that doesn’t mean you can’t use the right tools and have the right staff in place to ensure you’re always striving for perfection.
If you’re looking to stay ahead of the competition and embrace the future of retail, then changing your mindset to retail software & IT architecture is key. Download our free eBook How to ramp up your CX in 2022 for further knowledge on how to cater all of these different shopping personas, enabling you to seamlessly meet the needs of all your customers.
Last updated: november 14, 2025
