The Blog>11 Top Consumer Trends That Will Shape Retail in 2025

11 Top Consumer Trends That Will Shape Retail in 2025

Posted by Anastasia Prokofieva

The retail industry isundergoing atransformation, and2025isset tobeapivotal year. For business owners, staying informed about emerging trends isnot just anice to󲹱—i’s amust fǰstaying ahead ofthecompetition.

This blog post highlights 11key consumer trends shaping retail 2025andoffers actionable insights tohelp your business thrive this new landscape.

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Supply Chain Transparency

Today’s customers want toknow more than the—t want thestory behind theproduct. Shoppers increasingly ask questions like, “Where was this made?” and“Is itsustainable?”

According toPwC’s 2024Voice oftheConsumer Survey, shoppers are willing tospend 9.7% more onsustainably sourced goods, even amid cost-of-living andinflation concerns.

Sustainability incentives have asignificant impact onwhat people choose tobuy (Source: )

Make your supply chain transparency your superpower byshowcasing detailed sourcing andsustainability processes. For example, highlight thefollowing onyour website, social media, andmarketing materials:

Social Commerce Dominates

Social platforms like TikTok andInstagram are nolonger just fǰپԲ—t’r becoming theleading destinations fǰonline shopping.

Seven out often online shoppers aged 27to42worldwide are already making purchases directly through social media, according toa. That makes millennials thetop generation embracing social shopping. Gen Zecommerce users (ages 18to26) are right behind them, with over half reporting they’ve shopped through these platforms.

TikTok lets shoppers purchase products directly from videos without leaving theapp

Want tobewhere theconsumers are? Create shoppable posts andlive-stream sales tomeet your audience real time.

Running an store comes with asignificant advantage: theability toset upshops ontop social media platforms seamlessly. With , you can sell your products onTikTok, Instagram, andFacebook, reaching your audience where they already spend their time.

The Resale Boom

Second-hand ishaving its dzԳ—t resale market isbooming! Major brands like Zara, Harley-Davidson, The North Face, andIkea already launched platforms fǰpre-loved items.

Reselling isn’t just good fǰtheԱDzԳԳ—i can also beaprofitable business opportunity. Itnot only attracts eco-conscious shoppers but also acts asastrategic move toreclaim business that has been shifting tothird-party resale marketplaces.

Zara Pre-Owned helps customers extend thelife oftheir clothing, including resale options

Tostay ahead ofthis trend, consider implementing some resale options within your online store. For example:

Ifyou’ve been thinking about starting anew business, reselling pre-owned ǰvintage items can beagreat way toenter themarket. With , you can Գܳٱ—pڱ𳦳 fǰtrying out new product ideas.

Embracing resale can also positively affect customer loyalty andtrust. Offering ways fǰcustomers toextend thelife cycle ofyour products shows that your brand iscommitted toreducing waste. This can help build astrong connection with eco-conscious consumers looking fǰbrands that align with their values.

Gen ZIsTaking Over theShopping World

Gen Zmakes upnearly 30% oftheglobal population andisexpected torepresent . Asthefirst fully digital generation, they spend more time online than anyother group, with growing spending power.

The share ofglobal population andspending each generation made up2024(Source: Visual Capitalist)

According tothis , Gen Zisprojected toexperience thefastest growth spending power compared toother generations. Byage 25, their per capita spending theUSwill surpass previous generations, debunking themyth that they are the“most broke generation.”

Gen Z’s spending power isgrowing fast— itisprojected toreach animpressive $2.7trillion thecoming years.

Some key takeaways fǰbusinesses toappeal to include:

With these tips, you can tap into Gen Z’s purchasing power andset your business upfǰsuccess thefuture.

Generative Customer Experiences

Gone are thedays when personalization meant slapping acustomer’s name onanemail. Generative AIistransforming theshopping experience 2025.

Generative AIrefers totechnology that can produce new, original content ǰideas byanalyzing existing data. This means retailers can use AItocreate personalized product recommendations, targeted marketing campaigns, andeven unique shopping experiences fǰeach individual customer.

This approach helps make recommendations soprecise they feel intuitive. For example, Walmart uses GenAI-powered tools topredict thetype ofcontent shoppers want tosee onthesite. With this technology, Walmart tocreate aunique homepage fǰeach shopper.

Alternative Options fǰSmall Businesses

While AI-powered tools have grown increasingly prevalent recent years, many small business owners may lack theresources todevelop their own custom AIsolutions.

The good news isthat plenty ofoff-the-shelf ٴǴDZ can help retailers implement generative AIinto their business without breaking thebank.

These tools might not beable tocreate asophisticated shopping experience fǰevery customer. Still, they’ll save you time onroutine tasks like writing product descriptions, sprucing upproduct photos, creating marketing materials, andmore.

Ifyou have an store, you can leverage AIusing thefollowing built-in tools:

Generating adomain name with AIan store

Hyper-Personalization

Promotions are shifting away from DzԱ--ھٲ- tactics. 81% ofcustomers , meaning businesses need tofocus onhyper-personalization. What isit, you ask?

Hyper-personalization refers toapersonalized experience tailored specifically fǰeach customer based ontheir unique preferences, past purchases, browsing behavior, andmore. This approach helps create anemotional connection between thecustomer andthebrand, ultimately increasing loyalty.

Here are afew examples ofhyper-personalization:

Ifyou’re ready tojump onthis trend, ’s built-in tools are here tohelp. Here are some ways tocreate personalized offers fǰyour customers :

Identifying your most loyal customers an store allows you tocreate tailored promotions

Next-Level Virtual Shopping

Virtual reality ecommerce isn’t about —i’s about delivering apractical shopping experience.

Imagine virtual dressing rooms where customers can try onclothes from thecomfort oftheir homes ǰlifelike 3Dproduct inspections that help buyers examine items closely before making apurchase. These immersive experiences not only enhance customer satisfaction but also reduce returns andboost buyer confidence.

The byHarvard Business Review andaglobal cosmetics retailer found that customers using ARspent 20.7% more time ontheapp andviewed 1.28times more products than those without. More importantly, their likelihood ofpurchasing was 19.8% higher, showing that ARcan help boost business revenue.

Businesses that adopt these tech-driven tools gain asignificant edge ahighly competitive market.

Fortunately, ARtechnology isn’t just fǰbig retail giants anymore. Ifyou’re using byLightspeed, you can create 3Dproduct models that let shoppers use their device’s camera tosee themodel their real surroundings.

Customers can view a3Dmodel onaproduct details page

Imagine virtually placing acoffee table your living room before buying —t󲹳’s precisely what this ARtech can do!

Ambient Shopping Experiences

Today’s consumers move across digital, physical, virtual, andsocial platforms, seamlessly switching between browsing, researching, andbuying. This omnichannel shopping behavior isevolving from afocused task, like looking fǰaspecific item, toanambient experience.

Ambient shopping, ǰalways-on shopping, isanexperience that happens spontaneously while people browse social media, stream videos, ǰuse apps. Instead ofactively searching fǰproducts, shoppers passively encounter opportunities tobuy.

You’ve probably experienced this firsthand: scrolling through TikTok, admiring aninfluencer’s health andbeauty haul, andthen spotting alink their bio that leads you topurchase theitems via their affiliate link.

Consumers come across new products andservices, even while watching afunny sketch

What does this mean fǰyour business? Itmeans you need toconnect with customers where they already spend their time andintegrate your products into their daily lives.

Here are afew ideas toget started:

With these strategies place, you can tap into ambient shopping behavior andmake iteasier fǰcustomers todiscover andpurchase your products spontaneously.

Resilient Supply Chains

Recent years have demonstrated how vital flexible supply chains are navigating anever-changing world. From global pandemics tonatural disasters, disruptions can strike anytime, leaving businesses scrambling toadapt.

Large companies are staying ahead byleveraging AIandmachine learning topredict potential challenges andprepare fǰtheunexpected. These technologies analyze vast amounts ofdata toidentify trends, forecast demand, andstreamline inventory management, ensuring abusiness isalways one step ahead.

Ifyou’re not ready toinvest such tech, here are some other strategies tobuild aresilient supply chain:

Aresilient supply chain means your business isbetter equipped tohandle unforeseen challenges andcan meet your customers’ demands even during uncertain times.

’s inventory management tools allow you toeasily track inventory levels andmake real-time adjustments toensure your business runs smoothly.

AProduct Sales andStock Overview report the admin

For example, built-in inventory andsales reports allow you toidentify popular products andplan fǰfuture demand, while help you avoid running out ofproducts.

Autonomous Retail

Imagine astore that runs itself, where technology takes care ofthehard work.

Autonomous tech ischanging theway businesses operate, offering self-checkout systems, automated inventory tracking, andeven self-driving delivery vehicles. These advancements, which once sounded like science fiction, are now becoming areality.

Better yet, affordable options are emerging, making these tools accessible tobusinesses ofall sizes. For example, cashierless payment systems can speed upcheckouts andreduce lines, improving customers’ shopping experience.

Asfǰonline stores, chatbots andAI-powered assistants can handle customer inquiries andhelp with common questions ǰproduct recommendations, freeing uptime fǰyou tofocus onother aspects ofyour business.

Ifyou run an store, you can leverage chatbots using apps from the App Market, such asDesku, Chaport, andmore.

Privacy-Concerned Consumers

According tothe, consumers increasingly worry about being hacked ǰtracked through their devices. Nearly 60% ofsurvey respondents fear security breaches, like hackers stealing personal data, andanequal number are concerned about being tracked byothers.

Consumers aren’t just concerned about hackers; trust devices andservice providers isalso declining. Only half ofrespondents believe thebenefits ofonline services outweigh their privacy concerns.

Consumer concerns about personal data privacy when interacting with companies worldwide, bytype (Source: )

What does this mean fǰyour business? Prioritize data privacy andsecurity fǰyour customers. This commitment can become your strongest competitive advantage today’s privacy-conscious world.

Here ishow you can dothat:

Plus, following industry rules andbest practices shows you’re serious about protecting customer data, which goes along way toward building trust with your customers.

The Bottom Line

Retail isevolving ڲ—t trends are proof ofthat. But you don’t have totackle them all atonce. Whether implementing generative AI, aiming fǰyour supply chain transparency, ǰtapping into social commerce, even small changes can set your business upfǰsuccess 2025.

Take thenext step toward future-proofing your business byexploring ’s ecommerce tools. With integrations fǰeverything from social commerce toAR, this platform can help you stay ahead ofthecurve.

About The Author
Anastasia Prokofieva is a content writer at . She writes about online marketing and promotion to make entrepreneurs’ daily routine easier and more rewarding. She also has a soft spot for cats, chocolate, and making kombucha at home.

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