Customer Voice and Retailer Sensemaking: A Framework for Well-Being in Phygital Grocery Retail
(A2026-133046)

AUTHORS

Monica Grosso, EmLyon Business School; Giulia Miniero, University of Milan; Sandro Castaldo, Bocconi University

ABSTRACT

This study examines how to improve customer experience and well-being in grocery retail using a multi-method qualitative study. 27 participant observations and two focus groups offer insights into collective sensemaking, social validation and cultural interpretation of the journey. Our analysis unveils a voice-sensemaking framework that enhances the phygital customer journey paradigm by introducing social encounters as a fifth key dimension. We suggest a dual perspective on the grocery experience: “customer voice”, which reflects how consumers describe and interpret their shopping practices, and “retailer sensemaking”, which shows how organizations understand and apply these insights. This dual perspective offers a new way to conceptualize the co-construction of experiences and their effects on customer well-being. We contribute to the theory on customer experience and well-being and offer managers a practical lens to design more relational and value-enhancing grocery retail practices.