Edition 2025 : Nudge and behavioural sciences workshop Retail Ecommerce

In an increasingly standardised, automated and frictionless environment, the real differentiator is no longer the fluidity of the customer journey. It is the memory left behind by the experience. At the One to One Retail E-Commerce event, a workshop highlighted a trend that is having a major impact: the rise of behavioural sciences in the design of customer journeys. What if the retail of tomorrow was also written in psychology?

Moderated by Fanny Auger, an expert in the art of conversation and author, and Étienne Bressoud, Deputy General Manager at BVA Nudge Consulting, the session posed an essential question: why don't customers always act as we expect them to, even when they intend to? The answer lies in one word: nudge. This ‘nudge’, derived from behavioural research, aims to encourage without constraining. In practical terms, nudge supports customers' existing intentions, helping them to take action where they often put off, forget... or give up without really wanting to.

But nudge is only the visible part. Behind it lies a science - or rather a set of disciplines: cognitive psychology, neuroscience, sociology - that can be mobilised to design environments conducive to good behaviour. In retail, this means thinking of customer journeys not just as a series of functional stages, but as emotional, memorable and engaging sequences.

This is where Daniel Kahneman, psychologist and winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Economics, comes in. He has shown that the memory of an experience is not based on the whole experience, but on two key moments: the peak and the end. This ‘Peak-End Rule’ redefines the way in which brands should think about their touchpoints. The aim is no longer simply to reduce irritants, but to deliberately design strong, emotional, unexpected and, above all, memorable moments. Because the memory of a past experience builds tomorrow's behaviour.

To structure this approach, the EPIC model (Elevation, Pride, Insight, Connection), inspired by the work of the Heath brothers, acts as an operational guide. This framework enables brands to evaluate and enrich their customer journeys: to surprise, to enhance, to arouse curiosity and to create a connection. The more these dimensions are combined, the higher the NPS. The more memorable the experience, the more transformative it is.

The examples shared during the workshop illustrated this mechanism. A brand that transforms a loan acceptance email into a congratulatory message activates pride. Air France taking the Paris Opera on board a flight creates an uplift. An EDF advisor who contextualises a customer's consumption with empathy? That's connection. Behind each of these moments lies a behavioural design intention.

Why is this crucial in 2025? Because retail is undergoing a twofold tension: channels are becoming standardised, technologies are becoming more widespread... and customer attention is becoming volatile. In the face of this commoditisation, brands need to cultivate differentiating emotional experiences that engage without manipulating, that leave a mark. Behavioural sciences are not a marketing gimmick, but a strategic tool for loyalty, recommendation and relationship performance.

It's not a question of budget, but of attitude. As Fanny and Étienne have pointed out, even a call centre or a transactional email can become an area of impact if we give ourselves the means to think about it differently. In this sense, nudge becomes a lever for steering service design, a way of moving from an optimised customer journey to an embodied one.

At a time when generative AI is transforming content production and predictive models are shaping offerings, the behavioural approach reminds us of an essential truth: what builds customer loyalty is not what the customer receives, but what the customer feels. And in this battle of emotional memory, nudge is not a detail. It is a lever for leadership.