Toy store experience design in phygital retail contexts: exploring parents’ interpretations

In today’s phygital retail landscape, toy stores increasingly rely on immersive experiences to capture emotional engagement. This qualitative study investigates how parents make sense of customer experience design in these spaces, interpreting them through emotional, ethical and developmental criteria. Drawing on interviews with parents and complemented by insights from children, the study reveals how parents navigate tension between enchantment and concern: valuing joy, creativity and bonding, while questioning screen exposure, manipulation and commercial pressure. Findings show that parents act as critical sense-makers who co-construct meaning with their children through shared store experiences. Framed by care ethics and design thinking, the study advances a culturally and ethically grounded understanding of family-oriented customer experience and offers actionable guidance for more responsible toy retail design.