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- An overview of consumer trends
- 12 Must-Watch Consumer Trends In 2025
- #1. Preferring AI-assisting shopping experience
- #2. Using loyalty programs to attract customers
- #3. Turning consumers out of in-reality influencers
- #4. Seeking deals while going shopping with the inflation shuffle
- #5. Taking advantage of social media to drive sales
- #6. Promoting brand co-creation to cut acquisition costs
- #7. Buying with low-friction returns
- #8. Developing omnichannel shopping experiences
- #9. Getting creative with supply chain issues
- #10. Encouraging relationships with the local market
- #11. Adapting personalization in products and services tailored to changes
- #12. Buying now but paying later
- Conclusion
- FAQs
Consumer Trends In 2025: What’s Ahead & 12 Must-Watch Insights
“It's our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better,” says Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos. Keeping up with consumers is a challenge as their behaviors aren’t consistent—they constantly change what to like, what to want, and what to buy. Discovering consumer trends in 2025 is crucial for staying ahead of the eCommerce curve!
In 2025, while some trends seem short-lived, others have significant potential for long-term impact. Our blog today will clarify what truly shapes a consumer trend and highlight the 12 must-watch names to follow!
Without further ado, let’s get in!
An overview of consumer trends
Which factor shapes consumer trends?
These days, consumers are demanding much more in response to social, demographic, and economic factors. However, it’s essential to be aware of events that drive consumer trends in 2025 most, then build proper purchasing patterns—directly impacting brand success, including:
- Generation: Understanding the needs of each target generation group can help drive business sales. Gen Z, Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Alpha don’t come up with similar behaviors. Thus, you need to customize distinctive ideas and sales promotions to delight your customers effectively.
Who is the future consumer?
According to the WGSN Future Consumer Report, there are 4 key consumer profiles:
- The Regulators: seek optimal digital-age control in the era of information overload, relying on consistency to live with a survival experience (e.g., curbside dropoff).
- The Connectors: pursue a “just enough” philosophy and reject a “hustle culture,” appealing to shared resources and transparent sustainability (e.g., solar energy).
- The Memory Makers: look to the past for guidance, choosing products and services that align with their sense of "good values."
- The New Sensorialists: are willing to experience both physical and digital realms to find better products for their lives—they’re pioneers driving the world economy forward.
In addition to these profiles, we have other standards to categorize future consumers, like environmental consciousness, shifting societal values, and technological adaptation.
12 Must-Watch Consumer Trends In 2025
#1. Preferring AI-assisting shopping experience
The first consumer trend in 2025 in our list today is AI-assisted shopping, which leverages AI to offer personalized, intuitive, and efficient shopping experiences.
The 2025 Statistia report states, "In 2025, AI isn't just a buzzword; it's the driving force behind smarter shopping decisions.” About 70% of consumers in Western markets admitted that they love maximizing AI tools like Visual CPQ, VR, AR, and auto-bots. In fact, the leading AI-featured builders like GemPages can help optimize your store presence and boost customer satisfaction!
GemPages is an AI-featured landing page builder
In addition, the AI-driven market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 23% from 2025 to 2030, showcasing its increasing relevance in the future. However, some individuals still crave human interaction to feel more trusted when purchasing.
What to start:
- Blend AI-driven solutions with human support;
- Integrate AI tools in your business-operating system;
- Pursue data-driven strategies;
- Train your AI bots with your brand-tailored demands.
Learn more: Mastering GemPages' AI Feature: Image-to-Layout
#2. Using loyalty programs to attract customers
Loyalty programs are old-aged but effective promotions that help build lasting customer relationships while incentivizing repeat purchases.
It sounds great that loyal customers buy 90% more often than new customers—highlighting the role of brand loyalty in your brand’s growth and success. Also, be aware that 94 percent of customers have become more loyal to brands that connect “transparent, specific values.”
As we mentioned, generation can significantly impact consumer behaviors. While “the majority of Millennials (75%) have higher brand loyalty,” says Business Dasher, a smaller number is recorded in Gen Z. Thus, we need a balance-generation approach to achieve success!
What to start:
- Emphasize the added values included in loyalty programs;
- Prioritize multi-faceted loyalty programs;
- Focus on regional preferences in each loyalty program.
#3. Turning consumers out of in-reality influencers
Influencers are individuals who can hold considerable sway, commonly social media creators or celebrities, in specific industries like technology, beauty, and so forth.
Our third consumer trend in 2025 revolves around empowering consumers to become in-reality influencers or Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs). This trend is especially effective in the era of “influence immunity,” when consumers are increasingly skeptical of famous influencers. Instead, honest experiences from daily customers are much more valuable.
The statistic illustrates the distribution of consumer trust in earned media reviews
Impressively, 92% of consumers trust earned media (e.g., peer reviews) over paid advertising—a golden opportunity to turn your existing customers into micro-marketers. They can ensure relatability and credibility in a market flooded with hyper-polished content.
What to start:
- Elevate user-generated content (UGC);
- Focus on micro-communities;
- Develop trust-oriented campaigns.
#4. Seeking deals while going shopping with the inflation shuffle
An inflation shuffle is an event involving customers’ spending habits in response to rising prices due to inflation, typically higher living costs.
Inflation is significantly impacting customers’ purchasing behaviors, with 78% consolidating shopping demands. In addition, 40% of consumers switched to more cost-effective brands, like store-brand and generic products. They’re shopping smarter, not shopping less—working well to optimize their own budgets.
What to start:
- Encourage value-driven offers like loyalty perks or bundles;
- Launch subscription options;
- Consider gift care incentives.
Learn more: GemPages Sales Funnel - The Ultimate Solution For Your Shopify Store Profit
#5. Taking advantage of social media to drive sales
A key consumer trend in 2025 is the rise of social commerce, where social media platforms are becoming significant sales channels.
According to the eMarketer report, social commerce earnings in the US are predicted to be about $80 billion by 2025, with 4.89 billion social media users. This makes social media worth a long-term investment, starting with shoppable posts, paid ads, and viral content.
The eMarketer forecasted the US social commerce sales from 2019 to 2025
It has been proven that 71% of people make purchasing decisions based on social media referrals. TikTok stands out with its algorithm for niche products, pushing your content into your potential audience’s feed, especially in Gen Z. And many businesses take advantage of CRO templates to ensure smooth navigation and high conversions among social channels and websites.
What to start:
- Pay attention to social media advertising;
- Pick the right platforms for your target audience;
- Consider developing short videos on TikTok.
Learn more: 6 Creative Social Media Ideas For Small Business To Grow
#6. Promoting brand co-creation to cut acquisition costs
Brand co-creation is a collaboration between or among two or more parties (e.g., customers, ambassadors, KOLs) to influence a particular brand.
This consumer trend in 2025 can help your business reduce transaction costs by 25% to 30% as it creates a deeper emotional bond with customers, making them brand advocates. In fact, brand co-creation is similar to influencer marketing but involves more parties and activities.
Brand co-creation especially encourages consumers to play an active role in shaping products or services, leading to higher engagement and more valuable UGCs. Here, P&G is a typical example—succeeding in co-creation with $1 billion in annual Febreze sales.
P&Q recorded $1 billion in annual Febreze sales.
What to start:
- Target your customers with co-creation campaigns;
- Create platforms and multi-channels for sharing;
- Offer customer incentives.
#7. Buying with low-friction returns
Returning is an unexpected step in the shopping journey—customers send back what they’ve purchased because the products don’t really satisfy them.
The Digital Commerce 360 shows that 55.76% of online shoppers expect free returns, and more than half of those care about how long it takes the sellers to process the return. Another number is 23.92% of consumers prefer transparency in the costs to return an order. All of these numbers clearly reflect a demand for hassle-free return policies and quick exchanges.
What to start:
- Consider offering free returns;
- Improve size charts and photographing for reduced exchanges;
- Build a returns portal app.
#8. Developing omnichannel shopping experiences
Omnichannel shopping is a shopping method that combines in-store, online, and mobile channels into one seamless experience.
By 2025, more consumers expect a smooth transition across platforms, including websites, stores, and apps. Retailers are focusing on their digital platforms, projecting the “retail media” boom of $150 billion in global ad spend by 2026, with mobile orders accounting for 68%. But physical retail is far from obsolete. Gen Z, surprisingly, still enjoys 53% of in-store preferences.
What to start:
- Optimize mobile-friendly websites and apps.
- Offer services like BOPIS or curbside pickup.
#9. Getting creative with supply chain issues
A supply chain is a network of stakeholders involved in the production and delivery of products or services, which is much more crucial in dropshipping.
“Of the 900 global brands we surveyed, 66% expect supply chain issues to get even worse in 2023.”, reported in the Shopify Commerce Trends 2023. In addition, 62% of consumers admitted that retailers are bad at providing sustainable delivery practices.
DHL logistics services suffers from global supply chain crisis
Call for innovation, highlighting how brands leverage creative strategies to overcome bottlenecks in the supply chain crisis—one of the must-watch consumer trends in 2025. About 50% of companies are in response to balancing multi-shoring outsourcing strategies. Some try to optimize shipping updates, addressing the concerns of 59% of customers.
What to start:
- Contact additional suppliers for diversified product sources;
- Develop mobile apps to automate the delivery processes;
- Reduce return rates for precise info on purchases.
#10. Encouraging relationships with the local market
Local businesses are firms or companies that operate within a specific geographic area, typically serving a particular community.
By 2023, consumers will turn to local shopping, spending a whopping $6.04 trillion in local stores. Many brands have partnered with local suppliers to provide unique, locally sourced products. It also sounds interesting that Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) brands are a “trend,” with physical touchpoints added to local customers.
What to start:
- Engage on community channels with locals;
- Launch pop-up shops to participate in local markets.
#11. Adapting personalization in products and services tailored to changes
Personalization is a demand in such a competitive market, involving customer experiences tailored to their interests.
The global revenue from customer experience personalization is forecasted to increase to 11.6 million by 2026, one of the most indispensable trends among B2B and B2C. Notably, over 70% of brands agree that AI significantly enhances personalized values, helping collect data and predict customer behaviors effectively.
What to start:
- Implement AI-driven personalization in your store;
- Develop quizzes and chatbot to personalize customer experiences.
#12. Buying now but paying later
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) is a payment option that lets consumers buy products now and pay in installments over time, often without interest if paid on schedule.
The BNPL has been a growing consumer trend in 2025, especially among younger consumers facing inflation challenges in the UK. In 2024, the Finder highlighted that 50% of adults used BNPL, a significant rise of 36% from early 2023. This payment method resonates particularly with Millennials and Gen Z, with nearly 70% opting for BNPL to manage their budgets.
Shopify allows you to set up your store with the Buy Now Pay Later button
What to start:
- Design a BNPL button on your eCommerce store;
- Highlight interest-free payment plans for BNPL;
- Clarify terms and policies related to BNPL.
Learn more: What is Shop Pay and Is It Safe?
Conclusion
Our blog has just reviewed 12 must-watch consumer trends in 2025, highlighting key shifts in shopping behaviors and preferences. By staying ahead of these trends, you can drive sales growth, satisfy customer demands, and ensure a competitive edge in an ever-changing market.
Visit GemPages blogs to learn more about eCommerce and Shopify!
FAQs
