Our retail expert, Zainab Hussain, joins us today to break down the volatile state of the modern storefront. As an e-commerce strategist with a deep background in customer engagement and operations management, she has a front-row seat to the growing friction between digital promises and physical reality. In light of the recent findings from the “Eye on Inventory Report: Shopper Edition,” we explore why consumers are increasingly exhausted by the hunt for products and how retailers can navigate the “chaos” of the 2026 marketplace.
Many shoppers are finding that items listed as “available” online are missing from the shelves once they arrive; how is this inventory disconnect reshaping the fundamental relationship between brands and their customers?
This specific failure in data accuracy is one of the most damaging fractures in the modern customer journey because it directly violates the consumer’s trust. When 57 percent of shoppers find that an item marked as “available” online is actually out of stock once they reach the store, it transforms a simple errand into a source of genuine irritation. We aren’t just talking about a minor inconvenience; we’re looking at a scenario where 78 percent of respondents in the recent gStore survey have attempted to buy in-store items only to find them sold out or available in very limited quantities. This leaves shoppers feeling like they’ve wasted their most precious resource—their time—and it forces them to become their own logistics managers, doing heavy research before they even leave the house. The emotional toll of “the empty shelf” cannot be overstated, as it turns the excitement of a purchase into a frustrating search for a store associate who likely won’t have the answers.
The data suggests that these frustrations are actually driving people away from physical stores entirely. Can you elaborate on how inventory issues are changing where and how people spend their money?
The stakes for brick-and-mortar locations are incredibly high right now because 43 percent of consumers explicitly state they would visit stores more frequently if these inventory headaches, such as frequent out-of-stocks and availability discrepancies, were simply resolved. Because of the current “chaos” in the aisles, a staggering 53 percent of shoppers have fundamentally altered their habits just to avoid disappointment. We are seeing 22 percent of people who now spend extra time comparison shopping online specifically to verify stock before they travel, while 21 percent won’t even leave their homes until they’ve confirmed availability via a retailer’s mobile app. Perhaps most concerning for traditional retailers is the 10 percent of shoppers who have reached a breaking point and now avoid certain physical locations altogether. It’s a defensive way of shopping where the consumer is constantly trying to mitigate the risk of a wasted trip, often choosing the path of least resistance—which is increasingly an online competitor.
We often think of omnichannel services like curbside pickup and on-demand delivery as a net positive, but how are these operations inadvertently making the in-person experience more overwhelming for the average shopper?
It is a classic case of a solution for one segment of customers creating a massive bottleneck for another, as 37 percent of shoppers report being inconvenienced by these very operations. When you walk into a store today, you might find that 15 percent of your fellow “shoppers” are actually on-demand delivery workers who are physically in your way, making it difficult to navigate narrow aisles with a cart. Furthermore, 17 percent of customers feel ignored because store associates are too tied up processing digital orders or prepping curbside bags to offer any real face-to-face assistance. This creates a cluttered, overwhelming environment where 18 percent of respondents have experienced longer wait times at shared checkout lines. This sensory overload has led 28 percent of people to start avoiding certain stores that feel too chaotic, while 23 percent are now carefully scheduling their visits to avoid peak “omnichannel hours” when the store is slammed with digital fulfillment tasks.
Labor shortages have been a persistent theme in retail for over a year now. How is the shrinking workforce compounding the inventory crisis from the perspective of the shopper on the sales floor?
The numbers tell a stark story of declining service standards, particularly since our data from July of last year showed that 51 percent of retail managers had already reduced their workforce. This lean staffing means that 42 percent of shoppers are struggling to find an available associate for help at least once a month, leading to a palpable sense of abandonment in the aisles. When a customer does manage to track someone down, the experience is often subpar; 18 percent report that employees fail to locate items entirely or take several minutes of “hunting” through the backroom. It is no surprise that 28 percent of consumers now rank “rude, unavailable or uninformed” staff as one of the top five deterrents to in-person shopping. When associates are overloaded and lack the tools to see exactly where inventory is located, they can’t provide the “elevated” experience that actually justifies a trip to a physical store.
Beyond internal logistics, how are external factors like the recent tariffs influencing consumer behavior and price sensitivity in the current 2026 market?
The import tariffs that were imposed back in April 2025 are still casting a long shadow over the retail sector, and we see that 45 percent of shoppers have modified their behavior specifically because of those added costs. People are becoming hyper-vigilant about their spending; 22 percent are tracking prices and sales with much higher frequency to offset the tariff-driven increases they see at the register. There is also a growing trend of “retailer switching,” where 14 percent of consumers are actively hunting for stores that are willing to absorb those extra costs rather than passing them on to the buyer. Additionally, 13 percent of the market is simply hitting the “pause” button on major purchases, delaying their spending because they anticipate a price drop in the near future. This suggests that the “tariff turmoil” of last year wasn’t a temporary blip, but a catalyst for a more cautious and price-conscious consumer base.
Why do Generation X and Millennial parents specifically seem to be the most “reactive” to these inventory and service failures compared to other demographic groups?
This demographic is essentially at a breaking point because they are juggling their own busy schedules alongside their children’s agendas and limited attention spans. They often have a sense of nostalgia for the high-touch, reliable shopping experiences of their own teenage years, and the current state of “retail chaos” feels like a significant step backward. If a parent goes to a store with a child in tow and can’t find what they need, they don’t have the patience to wait for an associate to spend ten minutes in the backroom; they immediately pull out their phones to check other stores. Interestingly, they are the group most likely to increase their in-person shopping if these inventory issues are fixed, but they are also the fastest to pivot to a competitor if they feel their time is being disrespected. They are managing high expectations, and when a retailer fails them, the emotional frustration is much higher than it would be for a childless shopper.
What is your forecast for the retail inventory landscape as we move through the rest of 2026?
I predict that we will see a “survival of the technologically fittest,” where success is determined by how well a retailer can synchronize their digital and physical stock levels to eliminate that 57 percent discrepancy rate. We are moving toward a reality where the “foundation” of inventory management must be solved before any fancy marketing or omnichannel perks can actually work. If retailers want to increase their in-store revenue streams, they must invest in tools that show associates exactly where an item is within the store in real-time, giving them back those ten minutes they currently spend hunting in the back. As long as consumers feel they have to “do a lot of work” before they even get inside a store—like checking apps and planning trips around a retailer’s internal chaos—the trend of avoiding physical shopping will only accelerate. My forecast is that the brands that prioritize “frictionless inventory” will reclaim the 43 percent of shoppers who are currently sitting on the sidelines, waiting for a reason to return to the aisles.
