E-commerce trends 2025: Top 10 insights and stats driving online shopping as AI goes mainstream

2024 brought some seismic shifts in the e-commerce world, specifically in the realm of AI. Emerging technologies, volatile market dynamics, and consumer expectations that seem to be changing more often than ever are creating big opportunities — and challenges — for commerce leaders. For online retailers, e-commerce trends in 2025 reflect a hybrid shopping reality. Customers expect to move fluidly between digital and physical purchases with a brand – and the brand better know them well enough to serve up personalized suggestions, great customer service, and an outstanding CX, or else they’ll bail.

Last year, global retail e-commerce sales landed around $5.8 trillion. Experts are anticipating ongoing growth, with 2027 projections surpassing $8 trillion by 2027.

Want a piece of that trillion-dollar pie? Better get your electronic commerce in best-of-suite shape.

E-commerce trends 2025: How customers will shop online and how brands will sell

To keep up with the digital Joneses, brands need to excel across all cycles and cylinders, offering intelligent e-commerce that provides exactly what consumers want, from product searches and recommendations to post-sale care. Above all, brands must have a customer experience that makes people forget about the competition. To do this, they need a deep understanding of the industry trends and buying behaviors shaping e-commerce.

Aligning with these trends is essential for brands, whether they’re selling to consumers or businesses. Study after study shows that B2B buyers have shifted to digital channels and expect the same kind of buying experience they have as a consumer.

For example, 33% of B2B buyers say they search for products on mobile devices and social platforms more than in the past.

With that in mind, here are the top 10 e-commerce trends in 2025:

1. AI-driven personalization: From product search to creative email marketing, AI personalization is foundational to e-commerce in 2025.
2. Data security & privacy: Customers are worried about their personal data. In 2025, e-commerce brands need to implement data encryption, secure payment gateways, and responsible AI.
3. Social commerce: When it comes to finding new products, interacting with brands, and authentic product recommendations that consumers trust, social shopping will be a juggernaut for online sellers in 2025.
4. Voice commerce: Smartphones, messaging apps, and AI are driving conversational commerce to the forefront of the industry in 2025.
5. Augmented reality (AR): AR can ease online shopping anxiety by allowing customers to “try on” clothes or makeup, or see how furniture or paint will look in their space.
6. Sustainability in e-commerce: Eco-friendly packaging, carbon neutral shipping, and sustainable sourcing and production will become more prevalent for commerce brands.
7. Supply chain optimization: Robotics and automation are revolutionizing warehousing, as technologies like AI, automation, and drones will hone delivery and last-mile operations for retailers.
8. Subscription commerce: Consumers expect more than just regular shipments; they want subscriptions that adapt to their preferences and habits in real-time.
9. AI-powered customer service: In 2025, AI-driven customer service will play a crucial role in improving user experiences and CX across e-commerce platforms.
10. Composable commerce: Brands will lean even more on composable commerce in 2025 to quickly integrate features like shopping carts and payment gateways without redesigning their platforms.

1. AI-driven personalization: The new e-commerce standard

2024 felt like the year of AI — despite talking about it for years, it’s suddenly everywhere. Generative AI in particular has integrated itself into our daily lives, with 92% of businesses already using it to enhance the e-commerce experience for more powerful personalization. As AI moves from tech trend to mainstream, it’ll be a cornerstone of successful digital storefront strategies in 2025.

Generative AI’s global market revenue is projected to reach $208.8 billion by 2032. And Gartner predicts that generative AI will account for 10% of all product data produced by 2025, compared to just 1% in 2021.

Here are some examples of how brands will use AI to propel their 2025 e-commerce personalization efforts:

• For social commerce and real-time buying recommendations
• To enhance product searches using images
• Via chatbots for customer service and product suggestions
• To improve the return process
• For business-to-agent commerce

Brands are already using AI to analyze customer behavior at a granular level and create experiences that resonate, including product recommendations, search results, email promotions, and delivery options — even dynamic webpage content.

Most importantly, experience matters: 45% of millennials and Gen Z said they’d like personalized product recommendations when shopping online, according to Statista.

2. Data security, privacy, and consumer trust: Mission-critical for C-suite in 2025

As AI becomes more pervasive in e-commerce, consumers are becoming more concerned about data security. While generative AI offers brands the ability to analyze customer behavior so it can perfect personalized shopping experiences, it also requires handling large volumes of sensitive data. This is pushing security to the top of the agenda for e-commerce companies in 2025.

Brands must understand that transparency is NOT a trend; it’s a requirement: Businesses have to be transparent about how they use consumer data to build and maintain trust. Implementing practices like data encryption, secure payment gateways, and AI systems designed with privacy in mind are critical steps.

Over 81% of consumers are concerned about how businesses use their data, and 67% don’t understand what companies do with the personal information they collect, according to recent studies.

Addressing these concerns involves not only meeting regulatory standards, like GDPR, but also communicating clearly with customers about how their information is protected. This approach ensures that as businesses leverage AI for personalization, they’re maintaining customer trust.

By aligning AI innovation with data security best practices, e-commerce companies can provide personalized experiences without compromising customer privacy. It’s a balancing act that, when done well, can set a brand apart in a competitive market.

3. Social shopping is a top e-commerce trend in 2025

Social commerce is set to dominate the e-commerce landscape in 2025, merging the convenience of online shopping with the interactive nature of social media. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest are evolving into comprehensive buying experiences where users can discover, explore, and purchase products directly within their feeds.

Influencer marketing and user-generated content (UGC) is brand content that’s created by users, rather than the brand.

These potent content marketing tactics have been wildly successful, helping fuel social media’s rise as an e-commerce hub. That success will continue to skyrocket in 2025 as consumers and B2B buyers turn toward communities they trust rather than brand advertising before they make a purchase.

Social channels are crucial touchpoints for e-commerce: In fact, by 2030, social commerce revenue is expected to reach $6.2 trillion.

When it comes to finding new products, interacting with brands, and authentic product recommendations that consumers trust, social shopping will be a juggernaut for online retailers in 2025. With AI improving the experience, social commerce offers a tremendous opportunity for online retailers to hone in on truly personalized shopping experiences and product recommendations in real-time.

Social shopping makes the customer journey easier and more engaging, especially for digital natives who spend a lot of time on those platforms. For businesses, it’s a shift in how they market products—focusing on creating shoppable content, live-streaming events, and leveraging influencers to reach potential customers will be key to e-commerce in 2025.

4. Let’s talk shop: Conversational commerce, voice commerce trend up

Voice commerce has been around for a while now, but hasn’t yet gained real traction in the market. That may change for e-commerce in 2025, as smartphone usage, messaging apps, and AI become a normal part of the shopping journey within the e-commerce industry.

Smart speakers like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant enable users to search for products, make purchases, and track deliveries using voice commands. The actual experience, however, can feel clunky and unreliable. But with recent advances in natural language capabilities, more e-commerce platforms are optimizing for voice search, giving consumers a hands-free, convenient way to shop.

Between the launch of Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT’s “advanced voice mode” earlier this year, we’ve seen a big leap forward in the world of voice technology. And the more natural and intuitive this tech becomes, the more we’ll see consumers saying “Hey, Siri” or “Hey, Alexa” as part of their shopping experience.

By 2028, the number of voice assistant users in the U.S. will top 170 million, up from 145 million in 2023, according to EMARKETER. Meanwhile, the conversational commerce industry is slated to reach a whopping $34 billion USD by 2034.

“Alexa, what will be your impact on e-commerce?”

Voice is now a consumer channel, with conversational commerce expected to reach $34 billion by 2034. Does your organizational strategy include voice? It should.

5. Flipping the conversion switch: AR is bringing e-commerce to life in 2025

Advances in augmented reality (AR) are changing how buyers interact with products, offering more immersive online experiences. One of the biggest challenges in e-commerce is helping customers visualize the sensory aspects of shopping: how a product will look on them, or work for them in their space. Augmented reality can help ease that anxiety, making online shoppers more likely to click buy.

AR technology lets customers visualize products in their real-world environment by placing it virtually in their space. Consumers can visualize their room in a different paint color, see how a new piece of furniture will fit in their space, or virtually try on new glasses, clothing, makeup or even hair colors—simply by activating the camera on their phone.

Thanks to smartphones, consumers already have access to AR experiences – and brands will embrace this trend in 2025, using AR activations as part of their marketing strategies.

It’s also opening the door to experiential retail, which essentially turns brick-and-mortar stores into immersive showrooms where customers can explore products physically but make purchases online. By integrating AR and VR (virtual reality), brands are able to offer dynamic shopping experiences that seamlessly blend the digital and physical worlds. Physical stores become less about direct sales and more about brand immersion.

In the US, the AR market is estimated to grow to about $723 billion by 2034, up from about $20 billion in 2023, according to Precedence Research.

Done well, this technology can help slash return rates by boosting customer confidence in their buying decisions. As AR continues to become more accessible, sophisticated and user-friendly, it will be a powerful tool for creating interactive shopping experiences that build trust and drive sales.

AR examples in e-commerce: A whole new shopping experience

Augmented reality is transforming online shopping. Find out how brands are using AR technologies to deliver innovative e-commerce experiences.

6. Smaller footprint, bigger and greener bottom line: Sustainability record is crucial factor for buyers

Growing concern for the future of our environment has consumers and governments alike putting pressure on companies to curb emissions and invest in sustainable practices. For e-commerce businesses, that means delivering a high-quality customer experience that’s also eco-friendly.

According to an IDC study, 46% of consumers believe that a retail brand’s sustainability record is an important deciding factor for whom they’ll do business with.

In 2025, e-commerce companies are looking at everything from their product packaging to their manufacturing and warehousing facilities to assess their emissions baseline and identify opportunities to improve.

Key sustainability practices in e-commerce include:

• Eco-friendly packaging: Many companies are transitioning to biodegradable, recyclable, or reusable packaging to reduce waste and environmental impact to appeal to eco-conscious customers.
• Carbon-neutral shipping: Businesses also investing in carbon offset programs to neutralize the environmental impact of shipping, with some offering customers the option to choose slower, more environmentally friendly shipping methods as part of their purchasing decisions.
• Sustainable sourcing and production: Beyond shipping and packaging, brands are focusing on creating products using sustainable resources, ensuring fair trade practices, and reducing energy consumption across their supply chains.

Expect to see sustainability stories take the spotlight in around e-commerce in 2025, as more and more commerce brands adopt eco-friendly practices.

Packed with purpose: Sustainable packaging examples, stats, and how-to tips

As 85% of single-use plastic packaging ends up in landfills, brands are looking to reduce their environmental impact through sustainable packaging.

7. Optimized supply chain and logistics: Sellers seek reliable last-mile + delivery methods

In 2025, the efficiency and speed of e-commerce operations will heavily rely on supply chain innovations. By integrating technologies like AI, automation, and drones, logistics processes are becoming faster, more precise, and increasingly sustainable. This allows businesses to meet consumer demand for quick, reliable, and eco-friendly delivery options.

For example, with AI-enabled demand forecasting, machine learning models analyze vast amounts of sales data, seasonal patterns, and even external factors like weather or geopolitical events to predict demand. This improves inventory management, reduces overstock and understock situations, and minimizes waste.

Meanwhile, robotics and automation are revolutionizing warehousing, with autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) and robotic arms optimizing sorting, packing, and distribution.

And the long-awaited drones and autonomous delivery systems are finally being piloted (no pun intended) in several major cities. By 2025, drone delivery services are expected to be more common, especially in urban areas, providing faster delivery while reducing carbon emissions.

Experts at Prophecy Market Insights estimate that the market for drone package delivery will grow to $38.5 billion by 2034, up from $2.1 billion this year.

8. Subscription e-commerce models reboot to meet customer demands in 2025

Subscription models have been a staple of e-commerce for years, but in 2025, expect to see them become more flexible to meet consumer demands around personalization and convenience as online retailers use technology to refine their subscriptions and offer more relevant experiences than before.

The global e-commerce subscription market size is projected to reach $904.28 billion by 2026.

Today’s consumers expect more than just regular deliveries; they want subscriptions that adapt to their preferences and habits in real time. AI and machine learning help businesses quickly analyze customer data and adjust subscription offerings accordingly.

In 2025, companies will continue moving beyond fixed monthly boxes to create flexible subscriptions that allow customers to swap products, adjust delivery frequencies, or receive personalized recommendations based on their browsing and purchasing history. Predictive analytics helps businesses anticipate customer needs before they even realize them.

The continued growth of this model shows that while subscriptions may not be new to e-commerce trends, they’re constantly being revamped to boost customer loyalty and create consistent revenue streams for brands.

9. AI-powered customer support: The best of humans and machines

Automated customer support tools like chatbots are becoming increasingly sophisticated – they aren’t the chatbots of old. In 2025, AI-driven customer service will play a crucial role in improving user experiences and CX across commerce platforms.

According to Gartner’s research, 47% of AI-mature companies see customer service as one of the top three business functions benefiting from AI.

In 2025, online sellers should be taking advantage of the benefits that AI-based tools can provide when it comes to customer service, including:

• Instant responses rather than long hold times
• Rapid resolution of common issues like returns or product information
• Suggesting personalized product recommendations based on past browsing behavior, 24/7

With AI taking over routine inquiries, human customer support teams can focus on more complex issues, making sure customers receive the help they need without delay. This shift improves operational efficiency, and can make for happier customers by providing faster fixes. Ultimately, these factors can lead to higher conversion rates.

But it’s not just about quick resolutions to basic questions—AI in customer service is about helping brands unlock the bandwidth and data needed to foster the personal and humanized experiences that consumers value.

The best e-commerce platforms in 2025 will make sure AI systems are integrated with customer data to provide tailored support so that customers feel seen and understood.

10. Composable commerce: Scalability + agility so brands can respond quickly to market conditions

Composable commerce will continue to reshape the e-commerce landscape in 2025 by offering businesses even more flexibility in how they deliver their digital storefronts.

Unlike traditional monolithic commerce platforms, composable commerce setups are modular, allowing brands to create and then adapt their e-commerce infrastructure using various components or microservices instead of one, traditional full-stack commerce application.

Since customer headwinds and technology trends seem to be changing at lightning speed of late, flexibility and agility will continue to be crucial for online selling in 2025. Brands that use composable commerce can easily integrate and customize components like payment gateways, shopping carts, and content management systems to scale quickly without a full redesign of their platforms.

For businesses aiming to scale globally or cater to niche markets, the composable commerce trend provides the agility needed to create unique digital experiences for diverse audiences.

As e-commerce grows more complex, more brands will look to composable commerce in their quest for innovation and competitive differentiation.

2025 e-commerce trends: AI + the human touch is the heart of CX

From hyper-personalized shopping experiences to customer support and advanced security measures, one thing is clear: In 2025, AI will be a driving force working behind the scenes – and alongside humans – to deliver seamless, efficient, and personalized e-commerce experiences.

The key to e-commerce success in a world run more and more by machines is to embrace AI’s abilities while staying laser-focused on the humans who make up your business.