Key trends for online and in-store retailers into 2025

Discover the top retail trends shaping 2025, from personalisation and sustainability for online stores to data-driven, AI-enhanced experiences for in-store shopping—key insights to help retailers stay competitive in a rapidly evolving market.

Personalisation, recommerce, seamless omnichannel integration, and sustainability are among the critical customer trends for online retailers into ‘25, while data-driven experiences, real-time inventory, AI and regional adaptation are predicted to be critical for in-store retailers.

We recently compiled our predictions on the key trends for online and instore retailers to help guide our retail clients through the current uncertain and competitive market for consumer spending. And now we’re sharing them widely to help all retailers navigate this period.

Notably, payment convenience, same-day delivery, instant returns, and streamlined checkout experiences also made the list for online retailers, while staff training and fast checkout in-store are predicted to be critical for brick-and-mortar providers.

We’ll go into these trends in more detail below, but first here’s our founder and managing director Stuart Oliver on the impact of these trends.

“Online shoppers are seeking convenience, personalisation and an unforgettable, seamless shopping experience. They’re being careful where they spend their money, and retailers must earn shopper loyalty now more than ever.

One critical driver of online customer loyalty is sustainability, and critically, it’s not enough just for the product to be responsible. The retailer, along with their packaging and logistics partners are just as important when it comes to customer satisfaction and sustainability. The recommerce and marketplace trend also plays into this, with growing demand from consumers for recommerce options for the products they buy and no longer need.”

Stuart Oliver
Stuart Oliver

Managing Director

Online retail trends

Here are our predictions for online retailers (in-store retail trends follow below):

Personalisation

From tailored product recommendations to personalised email marketing campaigns, customers expect retailers to anticipate their likes and interests and adapt their marketing and online experience accordingly. AI is enabling retailers to analyse data points like browsing habits and purchase history which allows retailers to personalise the customer experience and drive loyalty. To why this is critical for retailers now, 69% of consumers are more likely to shop with a retailer that makes personalised offers.

Same-day delivery and instant returns

Demand for multiple delivery options, including same-day, and instant returns will continue as consumers seek an instant and flexible online retail experience.

Payment convenience

Customer preference is for payments to be convenient, instant and secure. Mobile payments will soon be consumers’ preferred way to pay worldwide and demand for split payments, gift card integration, deferred payments continue to increase.

One-click checkout

Most online retailers today offer streamlined checkout experiences to protect their online shop from the 73% of customers who abandon at cart. Demand for this will increase over the next 12 months with consumers responding well to guest checkout, minimal form fields and one click checkout for returning customers. 

Sustainability

Customer preference for sustainable retailers continues, with their expectations extending beyond a product’s sustainability credentials to sustainable packaging, package recycling, carbon-neutral shipping, and the product’s ethical standards. 73% of customers are willing to pay more for sustainable products, with this trend significantly impacting customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Recommerce

Growth in demand for recommerce options from online retailers will continue to build as consumers become increasingly mindful of the retail industry’s environmental and community impact.

Conversational commerce

The trends that will build on the popularity of chatbots and messaging apps will be voice and smart home integration that allow for personalised recommendations in real time even when a consumer is away from a screen will soon be essential for online retailers to retain customers. 47% of shoppers are open to buying based on recommendations from a bot, as long as it’s expert advice. Bots for customer support are here to stay as well.

Online retailers that get these aspects of their offer right have a better chance than most at capturing market share and maintaining customer loyalty when the cost of living has never been higher and competition for consumer attention is tough.

In-store retail trends

In-store retailers also face challenges, which can be turned into opportunities with the right technology and approach to their staff and customer personalisation in particular. Our predicted trends for in-store retailers are:

AI

In-store retailers will benefit from continuing to automate repetitive tasks like inventory, pricing, and cashless checkout. AI offers retailers analytics and forecasting that can help them navigate the volatile market playing out worldwide right now, while consumers trust AI for assistance, guidance and helping them save

Up-to-the-minute inventory

Tracking stock levels in real-time between online and in-store will continue to be critical for in-store retailers this year ahead, with consumers expecting to be able check stock levels and view where items are located in aisles and on shelves. Out-of-stock incidents are still costing retailers millions, so meeting customer demand on real-time inventory is essential.

Data-driven personalisation

In-store data collection via Wi-Fi tracking and loyalty programs will become more mainstream as customers reward in-store personalisation with their loyalty. Retailers will also increasingly utilise in-store and online data to provide customers with targeted cross-channel recommendations.

Regional adaptation

Bricks and mortar retailers need to incorporate localised strategies that allow for localised markets, product preferences, shopping habits and cultural norms.

Checkout experience

Up to 30% of customers are abandoning their purchase due to long queues at the checkout, so more retailers will be investing in intelligent, in-trolley and in-basket checkouts, as well as mobile point of sale systems and native wallet integration for loyalty cards so all customers need to do is tap-to-pay and claim rewards.

Staff evolution

Shoppers are increasingly valuing in-store staff who are knowledgeable, seeing in-store retailers invest more heavily in training programs.

“For in-store retailers, the checkout experience is proving just as important as it is for online providers, with shoppers dissatisfied with long queues – they’re seeking intelligent checkouts and tap-to-pay. They’re also wanting help from staff who are well-trained and knowledgeable about their products, so staff need to be a value-add when it comes to in-person shopping and they want real-time inventory, down to the aisle and shelf.

Personalisation is a key trend for in-store retailers as much as it is for online providers, with customers responding to localisation strategies that allow for local preferences and habits, as well as loyalty programs and facial recognition. AI has a huge role to play for all retailers as it does in other industries, repetitive tasks can be automated in-store and the analytics and forecasting tools it offers to retailers are allowing them to anticipate the market and trends to a level this industry has never experienced previously.”

Stuart Oliver
Stuart Oliver

Managing Director

While there are other implications for online and in-store retailers, we hope these predictions help you narrow your focus and work the trends that will deliver the greatest market share to your business.

We help retailers like Coles, JB Hi Fi, Super Retail Group and Bed Bath N’ Table navigate these trends and future-proof their offering to consumers. If you think we can help you, you can contact us here.

Liked this article? Get the latest insights straight to your inbox.


More from the Restive Files

How Restive became one of the best places to work
Learn how Restive got ranked one of the top 10 technology companies in the AFR BOSS 2024 Best Places to Work.
How Restive’s rebrand will help it redefine tech consulting
Learn about our story and why we rebranded to redefine tech consulting. Learn more about Restive's capabilities in tech consulting.