In a market where customer experience has become a critical success factor, analyzing the most awarded retail brands is not a theoretical exercise but a strategic step for anyone designing retail spaces. The “Best Retail Brand 2025” survey, conducted by Largo Consumo in collaboration with Ipsos, offers valuable insights into not only who the leaders are, but more importantly, why they stand out.
At Sferica, we turn visions into retail spaces—spaces that are not only visually appealing but also functional, scalable, and fully aligned with brand identity. In this article, we share our insights into the survey results, with a focus on two key retail sectors: beauty and food.
The Experience That Wins: What Customers Want Today
The survey involved 7,500 consumers, collecting over 34,000 evaluations on 120 retail brands operating both in physical stores and online. The goal: measure the perceived quality of the experience through variables such as assortment, store layout, assistance, brand identity, and after-sales service.
This analysis highlights the key drivers that strengthen the bond between customers and brands today: the need to feel valued, seamless experiences, a sense of belonging, and the ability to build emotional connections at every interaction.
Cross-Sector Trends in Retail Design for 2025
The New Luxury? Everyday Well-Being and Accessibility
In the beauty sector, the concept of luxury is evolving into more democratic experiences. The store becomes an accessible space of well-being, where every detail is designed to inspire and reassure. Design merges with personalized advice, hospitality, and brand consistency, offering simple yet meaningful rituals.
Food Experience: Social, Efficient, Replicable
Food is also taking on new forms. Today, a store doesn’t just sell food—it creates moments. The environment, service, and concept must work in harmony to deliver an experience that is fast, clear, and replicable. From fast formats to poké bars, efficiency meets visual identity.
Design + Technology = Seamless Retail
Integrated technologies—self-service checkouts, intuitive apps, digital screens—are no longer optional. They are part of the experience, and design must make them invisible yet essential, seamlessly blending them into the store’s flow without friction.
Beauty Focus: Designing Well-Being, Not Just Selling Products
The most recognized brands—such as KIKO Milano, Sephora, Bottega Verde, GrandVision, and Dr. Max—confirm that today, a beauty store is much more than just a product showcase. It’s an experiential environment where design becomes strategy.
Customers look for well-lit spaces with guided pathways and testing areas that make the purchasing process intuitive and rewarding. The presence of staff is essential: expert consultants—attentive but never intrusive—build trust and foster loyalty. Online, the experience must reflect the same level of care, with functional apps, smooth checkouts, and consistent communication.
The survey highlighted that customers perceive the strengths of each brand differently. Bottega Verde stands out for its personalized advice and well-trained in-store staff; Dr. Max for its special promotions and easy website navigation; GrandVision for the quality of its purchase guidance; and KIKO and Sephora for their ability to combine product quality, immersive layouts, and a seamless connection between physical and digital experiences.
“For us, this recognition is just the beginning: we will continue to work to maintain the high quality of our products and services, always in the service of beauty and our customers.”
— Fabio Lo Frato, KIKO Milano
Case Study: In 2024, Amazon opened its first physical store in Italy dedicated to personal care and beauty, acquiring a former pharmacy in Milan’s Piazzale Cadorna. The store offers dermocosmetic brands such as Eucerin, La Roche-Posay, and Rilastil, integrating technologies like electronic labels, informational displays, and a digital skin analysis system. This is a notable example of how even major digital players are investing in physical retail to provide a hybrid, informed, and personalized experience.
Focus on Food: efficiency, modularity, and hybrid spaces
The survey results clearly highlight which aspects of the purchasing experience are most valued by customers in the world of modern dining. The top-ranked brands—McDonald’s, Eni Cafè, Old Wild West, Poke House, and various poké bars—stand out for specific reasons: McDonald’s for the efficiency of its checkouts and in-store technology; Eni Cafè and the poké bars for the speed of service and staff presence; Old Wild West for its combination of speed and hospitality; and Poke House for the quality of its customer assistance.
McDonald’s is awarded for its technological integration and fast checkouts, Eni Cafè for the availability of staff and speed of service, as well as the poké bars. Old Wild West emerges for its winning combination of quick service and attentive staff presence, while Poke House excels in purchase assistance, making the experience smoother and more engaging.
In general, the customer journey is built on tangible elements: intuitive environments, functional technology, and attentive customer service. Successful dining formats offer accessible spaces that reflect the brand’s identity and are designed to enable smooth interaction between customers, products, and staff. Self-service solutions, clear pathways, and fast payment processes all play a crucial role.
Case Studies: Bar Atlantic (Esselunga), Fiorfiore Cafè (Nova Coop), Ricò (Unicoop), Spazio Sapore (Gruppo Arena). These risto-café formats—developed within the large-scale retail sector—have become benchmarks thanks to their versatility, evolving from in-store spaces to true standalone urban venues. Bar Atlantic enhances the integration between food retail and conviviality; Fiorfiore Cafè focuses on a consistent offering and a premium atmosphere; Spazio Sapore expands both space and variety, becoming a prime example of cross-category dining designed to suit all times of the day. These concepts reflect a new vision of food retail: cross-functional, flexible, and tailored to increasingly hybrid lifestyles.
Sferica’s Perspective: Designing Tailored Experiences
For us at Sferica, these insights confirm what we encounter every day with our clients’ projects.
In the beauty sector, the store is not just a space—it’s an amplifier of brand identity. It must welcome, inspire, and respect the customer’s time and personal rituals.
In the food sector, on the other hand, the layout must meet complex operational needs without compromising clarity, brand identity, or a welcoming atmosphere.
This is how we work: with transparency, method, and attention to detail. But above all, with the goal of making every store a point of reference—not just a place of purchase.
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