What Retail Customers Really Want You to Understand

Key Takeaway:

Understand the dangers of making assumptions about your customers.
Learn some better questions to ask customers.
Gain a deeper appreciation for marketing methods that help your customer feel seen.

Personalization in retail is a bit like gift-giving. When you get it right – when the color, fit, timing, and tone are all in sync – it feels magical. It shows thought, care, and attention. But get it wrong, and even the best intentions can land flat. A fragrant candle for someone who gets scent-induced migraines. A gym bag for someone recovering from surgery. It’s not just the gift that’s off. It’s the sense that the person giving it didn’t really know you at all.

Today’s retail customers are surrounded by “gifts” from businesses: product suggestions, emails, social ads, loyalty perks. The question isn’t if they’re getting these messages. It’s whether those messages feel like they were chosen with care or generated by a guess. According to a recent annual CX trends report from Acxiom, 51% of consumers appreciate when companies offer product recommendations that align with their personal preferences.

Personalization Is Essential for Customer Retention

Whether you’re running a clothing boutique, a local art shop that creates custom prints, or an online luxury fitness wear brand, the way you personalize matters. According Hyken’s recent The State of Customer Service and CX survey, 84% of consumers prefer companies that offer a personalized experience.

And it’s not enough to personalize email subject lines with the customer’s name. They want relevance, clarity, and consideration. They want you to get it — and when you don’t, they’re quick to disengage.

Why Assumptions Fall Flat

Shoppers get frustrated when they keep getting stuff from businesses that assume things about them. That frustration is easy to understand. Maybe someone buys a bold, colorful art print from your shop – and next time, you suggest black-and-white minimalist pieces. Or a shopper visits your online fitness store for a high-performance outfit and gets emailed a coupon for lounge sets marked “mom life”. These mismatches don’t feel helpful; they feel like proof that no one’s really paying attention.

And sometimes it’s not anything major that a business is doing wrong. It can be small missteps (like suggesting an item someone already bought or pushing irrelevant sales) that chip away at a customer’s trust in your brand. Per Attentive’s The State of Personalized Marketing in 2025 report, 81% of consumers ignore messages that aren’t relevant to them.

Improve Your Question Game

As business owners, we’re not asking enough questions. And we’re not asking those questions at the moment we have their attention. What can this look like in the retail sector?

• A clothing store might follow up post-purchase with a quick text: “Was your new look for a special event or everyday wear?”
• A local art shop could send an email asking, “Are you buying to decorate your home, or is this a gift?”
• A fitness wear brand might use a post-checkout poll: “Want more gear for running, recovery, or rest?”

These small questions can lead to big insights. They open the door to thoughtful, respectful engagement that feels natural, not invasive.

Know What Customers Don’t Want to See

Retailers often ask, “What should we show our customers?” But the better question may be, “What do they NOT want to see from our business?”

Unwanted content, irrelevant products, or generic promotions are more than annoying. They signal that your brand doesn’t see your customers as individuals. And customers notice. In a PwC study, 32% of U.S. consumers said they would walk away from a brand they loved after just one bad experience.

Whether it’s over-promoting a sale that doesn’t apply to their interests, or making assumptions about their age, identity, or lifestyle—misfires can do real damage.

Helping Your Customers Feel Seen

So how can you get it right? Start with what your customers are already telling you. When they click a specific collection, answer a poll, or sign up for a style quiz, they’re giving you data with the expectation that you’ll use it thoughtfully.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• A local art shop remembers the themes or colors a customer browsed and sends updates when new pieces match their style.
• A clothing boutique lets customers build style profiles, so they’re not flooded with trends that don’t reflect their taste.
• A fitness wear brand tracks which categories someone interacts with most. That way, they’re not promoting yoga pants to someone who exclusively shops for high-performance running gear.

At their core, these actions say: “We see you.” These aren’t tricks — they’re signs of respect. They show that you’re not just trying to sell something; you’re trying to serve someone.

It’s Not About Perfection, It’s About Paying Attention

Personalization doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to feel intentional. Most customers aren’t expecting magic; they simply want to feel seen. When messaging reflects real preferences or past behavior, it signals that someone is paying attention.

There’s no rigid formula here. But a bit of curiosity, paired with a willingness to listen, can go a long way. Sometimes the most meaningful improvements start with one quiet question—or by noticing what your customers engage with when no one’s asking.

As you refine your approach, it’s worth considering not just what your customers want from you, but what they don’t. That distinction may be where connection begins.

Power Up with Personalization

Let us help you step up you retail store’s personalization! Connect with a TTG mentor today.

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