As ecommerce continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, brands looking to stay ahead of the curve need to understand the emerging trends and leverage them effectively to gain a competitive advantage. This article, the second in our three-part series expanding on Searchspring’s “Thrive in ’25: Achieving Ecommerce Success Through Data-Driven Strategies and Trends” report, explores the top ecommerce trends shaping the future of online retail and provides actionable steps for retailers to prepare for success in 2025 and for years to come.
Key Ecommerce Trends for 2025: Insights and Implications
AI-Powered Personalization is Now a Must-Have
AI has revolutionized the way brands interact with customers online, and now AI-driven personalization is becoming a standard feature rather than a luxury. This technology enables retailers to analyze vast amounts of customer data in real time, creating hyper-personalized experiences that cater to individual preferences and behaviors. According to our survey of over 500 ecommerce leaders, 30% of retailers plan to leverage AI-powered personalization as a core strategy in 2025 and industry research has found that 80% of shoppers are more likely to buy from brands that personalize their experiences.
AI-driven personalization can enhance product discovery, improve conversion rates, and promote customer loyalty by delivering tailored shopping experiences. Retailers that implement AI-powered product recommendations, dynamic site search, and personalized email and SMS campaigns will see increased engagement and sales. Machine learning algorithms continue to refine personalization efforts, ensuring recommendations become more relevant over time. Brands investing in AI will not only meet customer expectations, but also future-proof their ecommerce strategies.
The Continued Growth of Mobile Commerce
The shift towards mobile commerce is accelerating, with smartphones quickly becoming consumers’ preferred device for online shopping. In 2025, successful brands are prioritizing mobile-first design and functionality across all aspects of their ecommerce operations. With 35% of total sales during Cyber Week 2024 coming from mobile orders and U.S. mobile commerce sales projected to surpass $856 billion by 2027, it’s no wonder that 41% of ecommerce leaders are focusing on improving their mobile shopping experience this year. As mobile shopping habits evolve, ecommerce brands should optimize their platforms to ensure seamless shopping experiences and frictionless transactions—from browsing to checkout.
Mobile optimization requires more than just a responsive design. Retailers must focus on fast load times, intuitive navigation, optimized product images and descriptions for mobile viewing, dynamic search capabilities, and streamlined checkout processes to reduce cart abandonment. Implementing one-click checkout, digital wallets, and autofill capabilities can significantly enhance the mobile shopping experience. Additionally, progressive web apps are gaining traction as they offer app-like functionality without requiring a download—ensuring that mobile shoppers receive an optimal experience across devices.
The Rise of Social Commerce
No longer just a platform for engagement, social media has become a major ecommerce channel. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok and marketplaces like Amazon are integrating seamless in-app purchasing, allowing brands to sell directly to consumers without them ever leaving their feeds. Social channels saw a 15% gross merchandise value (GMV) increase year-over-year during Cyber Week 2024. Industry research has found that there are well over 100 million social shoppers in the U.S. and that the GMV of social commerce will reach $150 billion by 2028—nearly twice the value of 2024.
Social commerce enables brands to shorten the sales funnel by meeting customers where they spend their time. To capitalize on this ecommerce trend, retailers can invest in channels like Instagram Shops, Facebook Marketplace, and TikTok Shopping. Additionally, influencer marketing and user-generated content (UGC) have become essential for building trust and driving social commerce conversions. Video-based commerce is also on the rise, with platforms like TikTok and YouTube offering shoppable livestreams where consumers can purchase products instantly.
The Growing Importance of First-Party Customer Data
With third-party cookies being phased out, first-party customer data—which is more accurate than third-party data, collected with consent, and not shared with other organizations—is becoming increasingly valuable. Brands that effectively collect and utilize first-party customer behavioral data will be better positioned to deliver personalized experiences and targeted marketing campaigns.
Retailers can see significant benefits by shifting their focus to collecting data directly from customers through personalized recommendations, interactive content, and loyalty programs. According to Forrester, incorporating first-party customer behavioral data into marketing strategies positively impacts customer acquisition costs by 83%, customer satisfaction by 78%, brand awareness by 75%, conversion rates by 73%, and ROI by 72%.
To make the most of first-party data, brands should encourage customers to create accounts, share preferences, and engage with personalized experiences. Investing in robust customer data platforms can help unify data from different touchpoints, enabling retailers to build detailed customer profiles. Predictive analytics can further enhance brands’ personalization efforts by anticipating customer needs and tailoring marketing initiatives based on past behaviors and preferences.
Optimizing Product Feeds with Data and A/B Testing
A well-optimized product feed is crucial for ecommerce success, ensuring that products appear accurately and attractively across marketplaces, search engines, and social commerce platforms. In 2025, retailers will benefit from taking a data-driven approach to product feed optimization, leveraging real-time insights and A/B testing to refine their listings. By integrating automation and AI-driven product feed management tools like Intelligent Reach, brands can dynamically adjust product titles, descriptions, and images based on performance data, ensuring the most effective content is shown to shoppers.
A/B testing plays a key role in refining product feeds by identifying the most compelling content variations that drive clicks and conversions. HubSpot reports that 70% of marketers say A/B testing is critical for increasing conversion rates, and research from Intelligent Reach found that brands conducting A/B testing improved click-through rates (CTR) by 35% and saw 18% more conversions on high-performing products. By continuously optimizing their product feeds through data analysis and experimentation, retailers can remain competitive in our increasingly AI-driven ecommerce world where online shoppers expect accurate, up-to-date product information before making a purchase.
How Brands Can Make the Most of Ecommerce Trends in 2025
Optimize Site Search and Discovery
With the increasing complexity of online product catalogs, effective search and discovery capabilities are essential for ecommerce success in 2025. Brands that make it fast and easy for customers to find exactly what they’re looking for will see higher conversion rates and customer satisfaction, while poor search functionality will lead to frustration and lost sales. By optimizing the process with AI-driven site search, brands can increase ecommerce revenues by at least 20%—and up to 40% depending on the industry, product, and brand name.
AI-powered search engines use natural language processing (NLP) to understand shopper intent, account for misspellings, and provide relevant results. Smart filtering, dynamic sorting, and voice search capabilities can further improve the online shopping experience. Brands can also analyze zero-results search queries to identify gaps in their product offerings and conduct user testing to refine search algorithms and interfaces. As AI is continually improved to serve up the most accurate and relevant search results, retailers can achieve higher average order value (AOV), increase customer loyalty, and encourage repeat purchases.
Strengthen Your Omnichannel Strategy
The lines between online and offline shopping continue to blur, with successful brands offering seamless omnichannel experiences. This integration allows customers to move effortlessly between digital and physical touchpoints throughout their shopping journey. Omnichannel strategies drive higher retention and customer lifetime value, with studies showing that brands with the best omnichannel engagement retain 89% of their customers.
To improve customer engagement and conversions, retailers need to unify customer experiences across their online stores, social platforms, and physical locations. Omnichannel strategies include consistent branding and messaging across all channels, enabling personalized recommendations across multiple channels, real-time inventory visibility across online and offline stores, and offering buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) options. Brands that successfully implement omnichannel experiences ensure connected shopping journeys that result in lasting customer loyalty.
Invest in AI-Driven Merchandising
Manual merchandising is no longer scalable. AI-driven merchandising helps brands optimize product displays, pricing, and promotions based on real-time data and shopper behavior. By automating merchandising, retailers can ensure that the most relevant products are dynamically displayed based on customer interactions.
AI-powered merchandising tools analyze factors such as trending products, customer engagement, and inventory levels to enhance visibility and conversions. Retailers leveraging AI-driven merchandising strategies can achieve higher order values and generate as much as 40% more revenue from personalization, making it an essential investment for 2025 and beyond.
Next Steps
Brands that want to thrive in 2025 must stay ahead of ecommerce trends, embrace emerging technologies, and prioritize customer-centric strategies. Retailers that proactively adopt these trends and technologies will gain a significant competitive edge, while those that lag behind risk losing relevance and revenue in an increasingly digital marketplace.
By focusing on AI-powered personalization, mobile optimization, seamless omnichannel integration, and other key capabilities, retailers can position themselves for success. Additionally, by taking actionable steps to leverage data, enhance customer loyalty, optimize search capabilities, and promote innovation, brands can build resilient and adaptable ecommerce operations that are ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of 2025 and beyond.
Want more insights? Read Searchspring’s “Thrive in ’25: Achieving Ecommerce Success Through Data-Driven Strategies and Trends” report for in-depth data, analysis, and expert strategies to tackle today’s top ecommerce trends.
Other articles in this series:
