Execution Satisfaction: The Pillar That Shapes Every Trip

Having covered Price, Product and Assortment, we’re closing the series with the Execution Pillar from our 2026 US Shopper Satisfaction Report findings.

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Key Takeaways

Execution is where the shopper experience becomes real. Strong prices and assortment only go so far if shelves are empty, the layout is confusing, or there’s no one to help.
Out-of-stocks and layout are driving the biggest shifts. The retailers climbing fastest in 2026 are winning on the basics shoppers notice every single trip, not on reinvention.
Execution is often the fastest pillar to move. Shoppers reward consistent fundamentals, making it the clearest and most immediate lever for lifting overall satisfaction scores.

What the Execution Pillar actually measures

Execution is the pillar we spend the most time talking with retailers about, because it gets right to how well a store or website actually works for the person shopping in it. It’s built from five levers: layout, navigation, out-of-stocks, enjoyment and staff/online support.

Put simply, this is where we find out whether shoppers can find what they came for, whether the products they want are actually on the shelf, and whether the people or the experience around them make the trip easier or harder. Walk into a store with an execution problem and it’s often obvious within a few aisles, empty shelves, confusing layout, nobody around to help. Talking to shoppers directly about these things lets us pinpoint exactly which categories most need to get this right, and that in turn drives a big share of overall satisfaction.

Online: Amazon stays on top, Costco and Kroger close the gap

Amazon holds its number one position online, and there was no change in overall rankings within the group this time. The real movement was underneath the surface. Costco and Kroger both posted the strongest rank gains, driven by improvements in out-of-stocks and online support, the two levers that saw the biggest shifts across online retailers generally.

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Grocery Brick & Mortar: ShopRite takes the lead

ShopRite moved into the top spot, powered by rank improvements in out-of-stocks and shelf layout. Meijer and H-E-B both climbed two positions, supported by stronger layout scores and better navigation. Kroger dropped three places as a result.

Non-Grocery Brick & Mortar: Target and Walgreens on the move

Target and Walgreens each moved up a position. Target’s gain came from improvements in layout, staff and out-of-stocks, while Walgreens picked up ground across layout and enjoyment. Costco and Dollar General each slipped a place.

The bigger picture

Execution is where the shopper experience comes to life. Good prices and a strong assortment only go so far if the shelf is empty or the store is hard to navigate. The retailers making gains this quarter weren’t reinventing anything, they were tightening the basics that shoppers notice every single trip: can I find it, is it in stock, and does someone help me if I need it.

That’s the throughline across all four pillars in this report. Shoppers reward retailers who get the fundamentals right consistently, not just the ones who win on a single lever. For retailers looking to lift satisfaction scores, execution is often the fastest place to see results.

Read the Full 2026 US Shopper Satisfaction Report