Written by Jason Smith,
February 25th, 2025 | Insights

The Assortment Pillar: Building Trust and Captivating Shoppers

In today’s dynamic retail landscape, the Assortment Pillar is pivotal to shopper satisfaction. It reflects how effectively retailers meet shopper needs through trusted brand availability, diverse product choices, and bold innovation. Retailers who excel in these areas build loyalty and inspire exploration, creating a compelling shopping experience.

The 2025 Shopper Satisfaction Report dives deep into the drivers of satisfaction within this pillar, revealing the progress made in 2024 and the opportunities that lie ahead.

Key Insights from the Assortment Pillar

Trusted Brands: The Foundation of Shopper Loyalty

Shoppers consistently emphasize the importance of trusted brands, with the lever “Brands I know and like are available” ranking as the top driver of satisfaction. Retailers who ensure the consistent availability of popular and recognizable brands strengthen their credibility and shopper trust. This strategy has been instrumental in sustaining loyalty and maintaining a competitive edge.

Assortment Breadth: Meeting Diverse Shopper Needs

A comprehensive product assortment is more critical than ever, with satisfaction in this lever ranking #4 among all drivers in 2024. The steady improvement highlights shoppers’ increasing desire for robust options across categories, enabling them to meet their varied needs in one destination. Retailers that invest in curating diverse assortments are better positioned to resonate with a broad spectrum of shopper preferences.

Innovation: A Key Opportunity for Differentiation

Despite ranking lower in priority (#18 of 19 levers), innovation remains a critical opportunity for retailers to differentiate themselves. Satisfaction in this area showed minimal improvement in 2024, signalling untapped potential to excite shoppers. By introducing new, unique products or revitalizing categories with bold innovations, retailers can capture attention and drive interest, even in highly competitive spaces.

Strategies for Retail Success

To excel in the Assortment Pillar, retailers should prioritize:

  • Doubling Down on Trusted Brands
    Ensure the availability of well-loved, recognizable brands to build and maintain shopper trust and loyalty.

  • Expanding Category Choices
    Broaden assortments to cater to diverse shopper needs, making your store a one-stop solution for all preferences.

  • Investing in Innovation
    Focus on introducing fresh, exciting products that capture shopper interest and establish your store as a destination for discovery.

As the Assortment Pillar demonstrates, the key to shopper satisfaction lies in balancing consistency with innovation. By leveraging these insights, retailers can position themselves as go-to destinations for loyal customers and exploratory shoppers alike.

Download the 2025 Shopper Satisfaction Report.