The retail industry has spent billions on "frictionless" technology, automated checkouts, smart carts, and walls of digital screens. Yet Amazon quietly closed several automated stores in the UK, and consumer pushback is growing. The problem? We've been optimizing for our jobs, not theirs.

The Job Customers Hire Your Store For

When a customer walks into your store, they're not hiring you to eliminate friction; they're hiring you for one of several distinct jobs, such as “Help me feel confident in my purchase decision" or "Help me discover something that fits my context". 

Every piece of technology in your store should serve at least one of these jobs.

When Tech Fires Itself From the Job

The Invisible Checkout Problem

Research from the Journal of Business Research reveals why fully automated checkouts failed: customers don't fear technology, they fear losing their locus of control. When shoppers can't verify charges in real-time, for example, uncertainty triggers anxiety, not convenience.

This phenomenon, called "Spendception," shows that eliminating the "pain of paying" entirely can backfire. Customers need what researchers call "positive friction points": moments that confirm they're making conscious, secure decisions.

The job customers hired the checkout for: "Help me feel in control of my spending". But what invisible checkout delivered is uncertainty and anxiety.

The Digital Signage Disconnect

A seminal study by van de Sanden, Willems, and Brengman found that screens are systematically ignored when content is incongruent with the customer's current task. If they're in a rush, emotional content is an obstacle. If they're browsing, technical specs are noise.

Worse, research on digital fatigue shows that screen-saturated environments elevate cortisol levels. Your expensive displays become "digital wallpaper" as brains shut down to protect themselves.

The job customers needed screens for: "Help me make better decisions without mental effort".  But again, what rotating ads delivered is environmental stress and banner blindness.

Aligning Tech With Customer Jobs

To succeed, retail technology must transition from "intrusive seller" to "silent facilitator." Here's how to align with actual customer jobs:

Job: "Help me feel confident about what I'm choosing"

Solution: Use digital signage for decision support, not advertising

• Real-time stock transparency and wait times
• Contextual curation ("Which wine pairs with this?")
• Research shows that tech that reduces choice paradox is the only kind that actually lowers purchase anxiety

Job: "Let me control the pace and depth of information"

Solution: Phygital integration on customer terms

• Digital signage as a trigger for mobile devices
• QR codes and NFC that let users take information with them
• The most accepted technology is what they already carry in their pocket

Job: "Make entering your store feel effortless"

Solution: Facade appeal, not transactional pressure

• Low-cognitive-load stimuli that communicate brand identity
• Lifestyle context over product features
• Reduce entry barriers without demanding mental effort

From Optimization to Empowerment

The uncomfortable truth is that most retail tech optimizes the retailer's logistics, not the customer's cognitive architecture. We've been measuring the wrong metrics, transaction speed instead of decision confidence, andautomation instead of empowerment.

Customers aren't hiring you to build a futuristic store. They're hiring you to help them feel like the protagonist of their own shopping experience. That's the real job and that's the friction worth eliminating.