Enhance Customer Joy at Checkout: In Conversation with Libby Rodney, Chief Strategy Officer at The Harris Poll
Last week, Libby Rodney, Chief Strategy Officer at the Harris Poll, and Michael Rochon, VP of Client Success at Rokt, unleashed revolutionary insights that are rewriting the rules of online shopping. The old, transactional model is history. Today’s digital marketplace delivers a joy-driven experience at every click.
From transaction to entertainment
Libby highlighted a definitive shift in consumer behavior. People are deliberately stepping away from the exhausting cycle of doom scrolling and social media fatigue to embrace online shopping as a source of entertainment. Seventy percent of consumers—particularly Gen Z and millennials—actively seek out online shopping opportunities and enjoy the thrill of discovery as a positive escape from everyday challenges.
The joy of checkout
Research demonstrates that 73 percent of consumers experience genuine joy during checkout, and 52 percent identify the purchase confirmation page as the most exciting part of their shopping journey. The checkout is no longer a drop-off point; it has become a defining moment of celebration. A joyful checkout experience drives repeat business, with four in ten consumers more likely to return to a brand that consistently delivers this moment of delight.
Relevance powered by AI
Consumers expect artificial intelligence to enhance their shopping journey. 48 percent anticipate AI-driven personalization every day, and when delivered correctly, 79 percent of consumers respond enthusiastically to relevant, timely offers. Conversely, 62 percent abandon their cart when faced with irrelevant messaging. This data mandates that brands integrate AI to provide hyper-personalized experiences that meet consumer expectations without compromise.
Key takeaways for businesses
The research sends a clear mandate: brands must amplify the moments of joy throughout the online shopping experience. By investing in hyper-personalized, relevant interactions—especially at checkout—businesses secure not only immediate sales but also long-term customer loyalty. This strategy transforms every transaction into an opportunity to strengthen the brand-consumer relationship.
Check out more of the findings from our commissioned report with The Harris Poll here.
Read the full transcript below:
Michael Rochon:
Today we’re gonna be talking about some really interesting findings from our latest commission report so let’s get into it. I think the first thing is that we’re noticing some really interesting trends when it comes to online consumer behavior. Hit us with some of the most fascinating trends that you’ve seen.
Libby Rodney:
I think what’s really interesting is that we see people intentionally leaning into online shopping right now. So, in the context of a world where people are reexamining their digital behaviors and leaning out of doom scrolling and bad social media behaviors, where they’re actually leaning in is online shopping.
So, for example, we see 70% of consumers, Gen Z, and millennials, wanting to shop and looking forward to shopping online. And also, 80% are actively interested in that online search. So, finding that perfect thing, the highest quality. And so what I think is really interesting about that is online shopping is becoming this kind of positive escape valve for a world that’s very challenging.
This is where people are headed, and they’re headed there because it feels good, like it’s entertaining, but it also feels like they’re getting something out of it, and it’s not draining the way doomscrolling is.
Michael Rochon:
So that’s interesting because online shopping, I think for a long time, retailers thought, what do you do after the checkout moment? I mean, that’s you know, you lose the person and there’s no more engagement, but I think you’ve also noticed some things about checkout that are worth sharing.
Libby Rodney:
So this is my favorite part of the research, Michael, because I think to your point, checkout has always been this point where people get lost. But actually, we find this new, what we coined JOCO, so the joy of checking out, where we see 73% of consumers say the moment of checkout delivers them joy. And we see that across the shopping experience, where people are the most excited, is the actual confirmation page. So what that’s telling us is that there’s an intense amount of joy when people get to experience and buy what they actually wanna buy.
The confirmation page is that exciting part because you feel like this dopamine hit, like, you’ve actually accomplished what you want to accomplish, or you’ve booked that vacation. You know, it feels good. Right?
Michael Rochon:
Yes. I can confirm.
Libby Rodney:
We also see another 52% of consumers who say across the shopping experience, the most exciting part is the confirmation page.
We saw 4 in 10 consumers will shop again at brands that make a joyful checkout experience. So it’s not just a one time moment for brands of this point of joy. It’s actually creating long term loyalty when you create joy at that checkout moment. And the other thing that was fascinating that we saw is 89% of consumers experience a lot of desire when they’re purchasing those long-term items that they’ve been wanting to buy forever. So it’s worth leaning into those moments as well.
Michael Rochon:
So, of course, it wouldn’t be 2025 if we weren’t talking about AI. Tell me how did that come about in the study?
Libby Rodney:
Well, what we saw is that 48% of consumers already expect AI to be part of their curated shopping experience. And so with those expectations, you have to, as a business, lean into what consumers want at this moment.
So what we’re already seeing in the research is they want relevancy and hyper-personalization, but AI can deliver on that. And AI, the expectations around AI is that it should deliver on that. And so those are gonna ramp up over time for the consumers’ shopping expectations. Something that’s really interesting is that 79% of consumers are excited about receiving a well-timed, relevant offer. On the other hand, the flip side is 62% will abandon their cart if they receive an irrelevant offer. So there’s a lot of positivity and a lot of upside if you can deliver on that relevancy, but there’s a lot of risk if you deliver something that’s irrelevant.
Michael Rochon:
Well, Libby, this has been a great conversation. I really wanna thank you again for joining us and sharing all that insight.
Libby Rodney:
It’s been fantastic. It’s so nice to talk with you, Michael.