These are the key questions explored in NRJ Global’s latest industry study.
Conducted by NRJ Global’s Research & Insights team, in collaboration with sociologist Jean-Emmanuel de La Saussay, founder of the research institute Storymind, the study explores the key drivers and barriers shaping consumer behavior across five home retail categories: home appliances and consumer electronics, furniture, home decor and accessories, DIY and gardening, and kitchen retailers.
The analysis is based on three quantitative studies conducted among adults aged 25 to 59: Fifty5Blue TGI, Storymind, and NRJ Global x Insights Panel.
Its objective is to decode evolving consumer expectations and identify the levers that can transform the in-store experience into a powerful driver of brand preference, store traffic, and business performance.
89%
of consumers who visit stores less frequently say the main reason is reduced purchasing needs or tighter budgets.
62%
say that a store offering a pleasant sensory atmosphere would make them more likely to visit rather than continue shopping exclusively online.
Consumers are not turning away from physical stores. They remain an essential touchpoint for home retail brands. However, shoppers now expect much more than a simple product showroom. The main barriers are practical ones: time-consuming visits, a lack of price transparency, and the difficulty of comparing products or making confident purchasing decisions.
The customer journey has become increasingly hybrid. Consumers want to be able to research, reserve, compare, test products, visualize them in their own homes, and receive expert guidance. This is no longer simply a question of sales channels—it is about delivering a compelling experience that builds confidence and creates desire.
At the same time, brands need to rebuild trust. In the home retail sector, where purchases involve significant financial investment, personal comfort, and long-term lifestyle aspirations, radio and audio advertising enjoy a strong trust advantage. Seventy-one percent (71%) of home retail shoppers say they place greater trust in brands that advertise through radio and audio, ahead of television, YouTube, and social media.
AT EVERY STAGE OF THE FUNNEL, FROM THE BRAND TO THE STORE:
audio addresses every challenge
01. Branding & Capital trust
building a strong brand image in a sector where purchasing is involved.
INSIGHT STUDY
The buyer has become more demanding: he buys less, but better.
Buying a home is not like any other purchase. Modernizing one’s living space, changing the atmosphere, moving, or buying property are the primary drivers of housing-related projects. For consumers, investing in their home is also about taking care of themselves and their loved ones.
In a context of more selective consumption, sustainability , quality and the ability to reassure become central.
38% of consumers who explain their decrease in visits by the evolution of their needs or budget say they invest in higher quality and more durable products.
ACTIVATION NRJ GLOBAL
Audio, a brand asset that speaks to everyone and especially to each individual.
The Listen&Feel studies (NRJ Global × Iligo) identify four creative codes that maximize the effectiveness of an audio message: music (intensifies emotion), sound signature (+50% attribution on average), story (narrative immersion) and mental imagination each listener creates their own images, spontaneously enriching the brand universe.
Case study — Monsieur Meuble × NRJ
Monsieur meuble: A personal statement to bring the promise of comfort to life.
To promote a special offer and support the launch of a new collection, Monsieur Meuble activated a 25-second audio campaign featuring a distinctive creative concept and an immediately identifiable voice.
A system designed to combine memorability, brand awareness and a call-to-action towards the website and the store.
The Monsieur Meuble campaign made it possible to measure the impact of audio on several indicators: +12 points on brand awareness , +14 points on drive-to-web and +20 points on drive-to-store.
“Thanks to the radio campaign conducted with the NRJ group, we have significantly increased Monsieur Meuble’s brand awareness. The post-testing solutions for the message allowed us to refine our communication, rework the message, and maximize its effectiveness and memorability among our target audience.”
Delphine Azot, Marketing & Communications Director, Monsieur Meuble
02. Consideration & Engagement
Transforming awareness into preference through proximity and influence
INSIGHT STUDY
Radio presenters: true purchase influencers
In home retail, consumers need support. They need to choose, compare, feel reassured, and sometimes make decisions as a couple or family. Radio and audio have a specific role to play because they are embodied by trusted voices, familiar to everyday consumers.
Radio presenters influence decisions and turn them into actions: 74% of listeners say they have bought a brand following a radio presenter’s recommendation , and 63% of 25-59 year olds say that a radio contest allowing them to win something in store makes them want to go there.
ACTIVATION NRJ GLOBAL
The presenter endorsement: talks, dedicated segments, and social influence
Our 360° campaigns combine on-air broadcasts by presenters (Manu’s morning show, Réveil Chérie, etc.), custom-made segments integrated into the editorial flow, and social media amplification via our presenter-influencers (reels, stories, TikTok). Presenter-led content generates 16 points more brand recall compared to a traditional message and puts 51% of listeners in a good mood.
Case study — Botanic × NRJ
“Botanic offers you your Christmas tree”: a radio campaign designed to generate in-store traffic.
As Christmas approached, Botanic partnered with NRJ Group radio stations on a powerful campaign: special days, on-air games, appearances by presenters, and social media outreach. The campaign offered the chance to win gift vouchers and encouraged listeners to visit stores to prepare for the holidays.
Overall, the campaign generated over 55 million contacts and over 400 radio insertions with quotes from Botanic.
03. Drive-to-Store & Retailtainment
Generating in-store traffic by transforming the visit into an experience
INSIGHT STUDY
Physical stores remain essential when they simplify, reassure, and inspire. Consumers expect to be able to reserve items before visiting, test them with an expert, check compatibility with their interior, and visualize the possibilities through realistic showrooms, decorating advice, and decision-making tools.
But the store also needs to become a vibrant place again. 54% of consumers say that special in-store events – competitions, fun challenges, photo shoots – would make them more inclined to visit.
ACTIVATION NRJ GLOBAL
Retailtainment: in-store activations backed by radio power
NRJ Global designs retailtainment campaigns combining on-air games, field activations, and social media: ticket booths, unlimited shopping minutes, and in-store treasure hunts. All of this is promoted through radio and amplified by geo-targeted social ads, creating an event where the store is the central hub.
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Case study — C&A × NRJ Music Tour Lyon
An in-store ticket booth to win VIP tickets to the NRJ MUSIC TOUR concert.
Objectives: To generate foot traffic at the C&A Lyon Part-Dieu store and strengthen brand awareness. Strategy: Geotargeted radio campaign, co-branded NRJ × C&A point-of-sale displays throughout the week, ticket booth on Saturday, and C&A visibility on the giant screens at the NMT concert that same evening. Result: Strong enthusiasm from shopping center visitors and a boost to team cohesion.
“The ticket booth attracted attention and generated excitement among passersby in the shopping center. This operation fostered goodwill towards the C&A brand and the traffic-generating campaign was successful.”
Pauline Putoto, OMNI & Media Marketing Manager, C&A
Case study — Black Store × NRJ Main theme March to September
Black Card: a 6-month ongoing partnership combining radio, festivals and field activations.
Three radio waves, daily on-air games during Manu’s morning show (with €1,000 vouchers to be won), presence on three NRJ Music Tours, partnerships with Vieilles Charrues and Rose Festival, and Black Cards distributed in stores. A strategy designed to maintain brand awareness and continuous foot traffic throughout an entire season, with key events acting as accelerators.
04. ROI & Media Mix Optimization
Measured performance and proven impact on revenue
MEASURED PERFORMANCE
One of the highest ROIs in the media market
Campaigns broadcast on NRJ Global radio stations (NRJ, Nostalgie, Chérie FM, Rire & Chansons) generate a return on investment (ROI) of €12.70 for every €1 invested in traditional radio, and €17.10 in digital audio (digital radio + podcasts). These results, measured by CSA Data Consulting across 115 campaigns, incorporate short-, medium-, and long-term effects.
ACTIVATION NRJ GLOBAL
Predictive ROI: Simulate the impact of radio in your mix with a constant budget
With CSA Data Consulting’s Amplified MMM (Media Marketing Model) , NRJ Global offers advertisers the ability to model the integration of radio into their media plan without additional budget . In a tested case involving specialized distribution, allocating 17.9% market share to radio resulted in a 25.1% increase in overall ROI —and NRJ Global proved to be 23.9% more ROI-generating than search in this optimized mix.
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+43%
following a radio campaign.
+18%
measured in-store traffic
(incremental drive-to-store).
38M
of daily listeners —
an increase of +253,000 vs. 2024,
half of whom are Gen Z.
93%
major consumers of furniture and decoration
listen to the radio-audio medium.
05. In-store experience & sound design
Extending the impact of the audio brand to the point of sale
INSIGHT study
Sound environment is an underutilized strategic lever.
Sound environment is a strategic lever for physical stores, particularly in the DIY and home improvement sectors.
When a retailer offers background music in its stores, it is perceived as more pleasant, welcoming, and attentive to the customer journey. In DIY/home improvement stores, music alone generates up to 38% of calls to action.
In a sector where consumers want to project themselves, compare and feel, sound becomes a lever of experience in its own right: it accompanies browsing, reinforces the brand universe and makes people want to stay.
NRJ GLOBAL SOLUTION
Canal Music: 30 years of expertise in tailor-made branded radio
Canal Music (NRJ Group) designs customized playlists tailored to the audience, the time of day, and the sales periods of each retailer. The solution integrates targeted promotional and informational messages for each store, music rights management, and consistency with the brand’s sonic identity. More than 3,000 points of sale are already equipped with this solution.
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Case study — IKEA × Canal Music
A musical identity serving a coherent in-store experience.
For IKEA, Canal Music supports the creation of a soundscape consistent with the brand identity: background music that promotes projection, well-being and leisurely browsing, with programming inspired by the Nordic world, acoustic folk, ambient, chill-lounge and soft jazz.
The programming also evolves according to the seasons to create a lively, warm and consistent store experience with the brand’s universe.
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The store remains essential, but it must become useful again.
The physical aspect remains central to the home buying process. But to trigger a visit, retailers must meet three expectations: save time, reassure about the choice, and help customers visualize their future home.
🎧
The sensory atmosphere is a real driver of visitor traffic.
62% of consumers say that a store with a pleasant sensory atmosphere would make them more likely to visit. Sound is becoming a key element of the in-store experience.
🔊
Audio builds trust and enriches brand perception
Music, sound signature, storytelling and embodied voices help to create a brand that is more identifiable, more memorable and closer to consumers.
📈
Radio-audio performs at every stage of the funnel
From branding to drive-to-store, via consideration, web traffic, store traffic and ROI, radio-audio media provides a measurable response to the challenges of home retail brands.
NRJ Music Tour, Summer Tour, Bus Manu, NRJ Music Awards: activation opportunities all over France
A musical identity serving a coherent in-store experience.
From April to October 2026 , NRJ events cover the entire territory: NRJ Music Tour (Compiègne, Paris Longchamps, Cambrai, Lyon, Trélazé, Haguenau), Summer Tour (from Port-la-Nouvelle to Ouistreham), Bus Manu (Strasbourg, Reims, Lille, Rouen and Paris, from June 22 to 26), festival partnerships throughout France and the NRJ Music Awards in Cannes on October 23 .
Each event can be tailored into custom activations: branded stands, competitions, VIP access, social media takeover, influence with our content creators.
Access the full study
This page summarizes the key takeaways from our Home Retail Insights conference . Our teams are available to present the full study and develop a strategy tailored to your brand, consideration, and drive-to-store objectives.Contact us.
