To customers bombarded with so many products and experiences, it is the brave retailer who can claim to offer anything unique by way of merchandising or customer service. So just how do retailers try to hook customers with fresh, unusual and relevant shopping experiences? We aimed to answer that question through a global survey of 180 senior retail executives, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit on behalf of SAP. We investigated three aspects of retail merchandisers’ relationship with customers: understanding customer behaviour, anticipating what their needs are likely to be in the future and inspiring customers to buy. This paper is the first of a three-part series discussing these issues.