Between rising inflation, an uncertain economy, and the digital transformation revolutionizing shopping habits, consumers are demanding much more these days. More than just a simple transaction, they want value, authenticity, and experiences. And why not? If brands are willing to meet them where they’re at, align with their values, and provide a seamless shopping experience, why would customers expect anything less?
Understanding these new expectations is key for brand owners who want to stay ahead and build genuine connections with their audiences. From increased demand for sustainable practices to tech-driven convenience in ecommerce, each trend reveals how brands can better serve and connect with their future consumers.
Who is the future consumer?
The future consumer has a blend of digital savvy, social consciousness, and a strong desire for personalization. They’re skeptical of generic marketing and more attuned to brands that align with their values. Expect them to demand transparency—from a product’s origin to its environmental footprint. They’re mobile-first, well-informed, and ready to switch brands if they sense a lack of authenticity. This isn’t just a shift but a powerful call for brands to adapt, listen, and build real, lasting connections.
WGSN is a trend forecasting firm, and according to its Future Consumer 2024 report, there are four consumer profiles set to take center stage in the coming years:
- The Regulators are your digital-age control seekers, desperately trying to find order in the chaos of information overload. They’re all about frictionless experiences and predictable patterns, making them perfect candidates for curbside dropoff, click-and-collect, and voice-activated shopping.
- The Connectors are rewriting the success rulebook, ditching the “more is more” mentality for a “just enough” philosophy. These conscious rebels are all about shared resources and transparent sustainability. They’re the ones demanding clear environmental impact labels on everything they buy.
- The Memory Makers are nostalgia’s new champions, using the past as an anchor in uncertain times. They’re reimagining family structures and prioritizing meaningful connections, while actively seeking products and services that celebrate aging well.
- The New Sensorialists straddle both physical and digital realms, embracing everything from crypto to the metaverse. These creative pioneers are driving the creator economy forward, demanding immersive experiences across both physical and digital spaces; they’re not afraid to shop in meta-malls while collecting digital loyalty rewards.
11 consumer trends to watch in 2025
- Buyers impacted by inflation are seeking deals
- Social ads are still a big driver of purchase decisions
- Brand loyalty is waning
- Brand collaborations cut acquisition costs
- Social media is a core discovery tool
- Customers demand low-friction returns
- Brands look to omnichannel experiences to reach more customers
- Building relationships starts local
- Supply chain issues persist, but brands are getting creative
- Personalization is in demand, but it’s changing
- Buy now, pay later options popular with younger shoppers
Keep these trends top of mind as you tailor your marketing efforts to consumers in 2025:
1. Buyers impacted by inflation are seeking deals
Today’s savvy shoppers are becoming strategic minimalists, trimming their retail relationships down to the bare essentials. According to one report, 40% of consumers are swapping their favorite labels for store-brand alternatives (hello, generic goods!).
On top of this, a whopping eight in 10 shoppers are doing the inflation shuffle, with 78% playing a clever game of consolidation. They’re not just shopping less, they’re shopping smarter, hunting down rewards programs, and making those loyalty points work harder than ever.
What to do about it: Offering discounts or other financial incentives to attract price-conscious consumers is one approach—but it may not work for every brand. This can cut into already narrower margins for businesses faced with rising costs. Some business owners may even avoid sales, as this hurts a brand’s image. Bundling products, adding a subscription option, and offering gift cards with a minimum purchase can all help increase conversions.
2. Social ads are still a big driver of purchase decisions
Gen Zers and millennials are driving the growth of mobile advertising. These generational groups make purchases via social media four times more often than older generations. In fact, more than a third of Gen Zers and millennials confirmed they’d made a purchase via social media in the past three months.
What to do about it: Before investing in social media advertising, understand where your ad dollars will be best spent. Choosing the platform where the majority of your target audience hangs out or the channel where you’ve already found success with organic marketing is the best first step. Start small and test, test, test!
3. Brand loyalty is waning
Several factors can push your customers to buy from your competitors. Competition is increasing, while spending power is predicted to decrease, inspiring consumers to be more critical of where they’re putting their dollars.
Price, though, isn’t the only reason for waning loyalty. Consumers prioritizing their values are increasingly opting for brands with sustainable business practices. Customers are also seeking convenient, responsive, and personalized shopping experiences—and they’re willing to look elsewhere to find them. Roughly half of consumers have switched products or brands when they couldn’t find exactly what they needed. In most markets, over a third of consumers admit to trying out different brands and 40% have switched retailers in search of better prices and discounts.
What to do about it: Retaining existing customers is still less costly than acquiring new ones, meaning investing in loyalty is key. Reward loyal customers with exclusive discounts and perks. Reevaluate your inventory management strategies to avoid losing customers over out-of-stock products. Finally, appeal to the social and emotional interest of younger consumers by implementing a sustainability strategy and communicating environmental impact.
4. Brand collaborations cut acquisition costs
Changing social algorithms and stricter privacy laws governing third-party data mean that achieving reach is more challenging. As a result, brands are turning to collaborations to fill the gap. Influencers are moving from passive product shoutouts to an affiliate-based model where they’re actively incentivized to drive sales. According to Statista, ad spend in the influencer marketing space will reach $56.28 billion by 2029. With the right fit, brands and influencers are co-creating campaigns that feel genuine and align with consumer values, creating a seamless flow from discovery to purchase.
What to do about it: Customer interest in your brand can improve with an endorsement from a trusted company or online personality. Be judicious about finding influencers and work with those who share your brand values. Ask for any potential partner’s media kit so you can verify their engagement rates and set up a commission payment structure, ensuring you only pay out when their work results in conversions.
5. Social media is a core discovery tool
Social commerce is turning scroll-time into shop-time. In 2024, we’re looking at social commerce gobbling up 6.6% of the ecommerce pie in the US, and by 2030, we’re talking about an eye-watering $8.5 trillion.
A massive 82% of shoppers are using social media as their personal shopping assistant. When it comes to platform preferences, it’s a generational tale of two cities: Gen Z is all about that TikTok life (55% of them can’t get enough), while millennials are keeping it Facebook-faithful (52% are still team Meta).
TikTok can be a lucrative secondary sales channel for ecommerce businesses looking to target younger millennials, Gen Z, and the newest Gen Alpha cohort to age into the platform. Social media isn’t just a place to discover trending products; it’s becoming the entire shopping experience. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are integrating more seamless, native shopping features, allowing users to shop directly from posts and videos, and even livestream events. As many as 46% of consumers have bought something through a livestream event and would do so again.
Creators can also monetize audiences by selling through TikTok and a Shopify Starter Plan without having to build a website from scratch.
What to do about it: As more and more young people are shopping via mobile devices, invest in vertical video content for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
6. Customers demand low-friction returns
While free returns have been a staple service offered by large chain retailers for years, many like Zara and H&M are returning to charging shipping fees. But customers, accustomed to the trend of no-hassle returns while online shopping, continue to demand it. How can brands offer a frictionless return policy that doesn’t cut into their bottom line?
Research shows that 55.76% of consumers want free returns for peace of mind (a.k.a. guilt-free shopping). And a further 40.14% said they don’t think it should cost them anything to return items they don’t want to keep.
What to do about it: With margins tightening, offering free returns may be out of the question for some small businesses. That doesn’t mean you can’t find creative ways to make the returns process less painful. Combat returns before they happen by improving size charts, photographing clothing on a variety of models, offering a personal shopping assistant service, or using a virtual try-on app. Another option is to try a returns portal app that creates a smooth and self-directed returns experience.
7. Brands look to omnichannel experiences to reach more customers
With supply chain issues, waning loyalty, and more competition, direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecommerce brands are seeking new ways to reach their customers. Consumers are starting their discovery journeys in places other than traditional search engines. Finding new avenues to get in front of buyers will be key in 2024.
Retailers are transforming their digital shelf space into prime advertising real estate. It’s a logical follow-on from brands listing their products on popular marketplaces like Amazon. This new “retail media” trend is set to account for $150 billion in global ad spend by 2026.
And, while nearly a quarter of all retail purchases are set to go digital by 2027, Gen Z shoppers are throwing a curveball into the mix. Despite being the so-called “digital natives,” more than half of them (53%) are still getting their retail therapy fix in good old-fashioned brick-and-mortar stores.
What to do about it: This isn’t a simple case of online versus offline. Both channels need to work together to create a harmonious shopping experience that spans multiple platforms. Taking an omnichannel approach can help you reach new customers in an increasingly noisy space. Alongside your ecommerce store, surface your products on other channels like Amazon, via online marketplaces, and through social selling, and in-store shopping.
8. Building relationships starts local
Consumers are returning to in-store shopping, which is great news for local businesses with a retail presence. But even these businesses need to step up their game, putting more emphasis on creating value for their customers through brand experience. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands are even getting in on the action, with many adding physical touchpoints to the customer experience.
What to do about it: Whether or not your brand has the means to have a retail presence, brand experience is increasingly important to customers. Don’t just sell products. Sell them your brand story, offer them value beyond their purchase, and engage directly on community channels. Alternatives to a full brick-and-mortar experience include launching a pop-up shop, wholesaling to other retailers, and participating in local markets.
9. Supply chain issues persist, but brands are getting creative
In our 2023 global consumer survey, 66% of brands expected supply chain issues to get even worse throughout the year. But impatient consumers aren’t waiting for these issues to resolve and, as a result, brands have had to switch things up.
Businesses are no longer just sitting around waiting for the storm to pass. They’re getting creative with their survival strategies. In fact, 79% are spreading their supplier bets across multiple tables, while 71% are bringing their supply chain closer to home (because sometimes, the best strategy is keeping your suppliers where you can see them).
What to do about it: The Shopify Commerce Trends 2023 report offers this advice to businesses looking to future-proof logistics networks:
- Hold more inventory to avoid going out of stock.
- Find additional vendors and suppliers to diversify product sources.
- Shrink return rates by helping customers make more informed purchases.
- Digitize supply chains by using apps and AI to automate and streamline processes.
10. Personalization is in demand, but it’s changing
Many consumers expect brands to offer personalized shopping experiences both in-store and online. However, consumer interest in shopping experiences tailored to their interests is matched by their concern for privacy.
New technologies like AI will fundamentally change personalization. In the 2024 State of Personalization Report, more than 70% of brands said AI will play an important role in personalization and delivering tailored shopping experiences.
Take a balanced approach to using personal data to create experiences for your customers. Reduce reliance on third-party data solutions and move to collecting data directly, be transparent about how you will use this data to maintain trust with customers, and stay compliant with privacy laws.
What to do about it: You can personalize the customer experience using AI to make product recommendations based on your customer’s activity. Try quizzes or chatbot personal shopping assistants, and send tailored marketing messages specific to their buying habits and preferences.
11. Buy now, pay later options popular with younger shoppers
Fight inflation woes by offering customers a buy now, pay later (BNPL) option. The popularity of this payment method, especially among younger shoppers, continues to increase as consumers watch their spending.
According to one survey, 50% of adults have used BNPL at some point in 2024—a 36% increase from the start of 2023. The payment system is particularly popular with millennials and Gen Z, with almost seven in 10 people from these groups having used the service at some point.
What to do about it: Enable Shop Pay Installments in your online store to easily offer a BNPL option for your customers. This gives them the flexibility to make a purchase within their budgets through interest-free payments over time—removing a potential barrier to making a sale.
Consumer trends by generation
While many of the above consumer behavior trends are consistent among all consumers, businesses should understand the needs of their particular target customers as well. These are notable trends emerging by generation:
Boomer trends
Brands targeting a boomer audience shouldn’t discount more traditional advertising channels. Sixty-two percent of this group reported that they discover products most often through cable television ads.
They also say that brands shouldn’t take a stance on social issues.
Gen X trends
Gen X prefers to discover new products via social media, search, and retail stores. They’re the generational group that discovers new products on social media more frequently than any other channel, even though it isn’t their preferred way to do so. However, only 19% have bought something through an in-app shop in the past three months.
Millennial trends
Converting this generation means more than just offering a great product. Millennials are increasingly voting with their dollars, and 47% say they prefer to support brands that offer sustainable products or take a stance on social issues.
Of the millennials surveyed by HubSpot, 43% have bought a product through an in-app shop in the past three months, while 36% have bought something based on an influencer recommendation.
Gen Z trends
Gen Z is all about social shopping. They use Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok to search the internet and discover products, but they also seek out recommendations from their nearest and dearest. In fact, 37% have bought a product based on an influencer’s recommendation in the past three months and a further 43% have bought a product through an in-app shop.
Gen Alpha trends
The oldest of this generation are now teens and are a demographic of future consumers that brands shouldn’t ignore. But even before these kids have their own disposable income, they already wield significant influence over household spending. Appeal to Gen Alpha through transparent, meaningful, and authentic messaging.
Emerging technologies shaping consumer behavior
It’s no real surprise that AI is at the forefront of new shopping technology. It powers everything from recommendation engines to virtual customer support—all aimed at making shopping experiences faster and more intuitive.
AI is taking personalized shopping to a new level, from curating tailored product recommendations to optimizing customer service interactions. In fact, 92% of brands have incorporated it into their selling strategies, and we’re seeing it power everything from conversational AI for instant customer support to predictive analytics that anticipate what a customer might want next.
Another rising ecommerce tech is augmented reality (AR), which has transformed the way many consumers try and buy products. AR tech is thought to boost sales by about 30% because it makes online shopping feel as close to in-store as possible.
From virtual fitting rooms for clothing to interactive 3D product displays for everything from furniture to beauty products and consumer packaged goods (CPG), AR is helping customers make more confident purchasing decisions and reducing the rate of returns. It’s all about building trust through an immersive experience.
The impact of global events on consumer trends
Global events obviously have a huge impact on consumer trends, reshaping priorities and pushing brands to adapt in real time.
Recent economic uncertainties and environmental crises have made consumers more intentional about their purchases.
People are thinking beyond just convenience and low cost—they’re considering the sustainability of their choices, the ethics of the brands they support, and the durability of the products they buy.
This shift toward conscious consumerism has led to a demand for greater transparency around sourcing, production practices, and even delivery methods. Brands that are proactive in sharing their environmental and social impact are gaining trust and loyalty, as consumers look for ways to make more meaningful purchases.
At the same time, global health events and supply chain disruptions have accelerated digital adoption and created a fresh desire for convenience and flexibility.
Consumers are leaning into ecommerce, but they also want more flexible payment options, quicker delivery, and improved customer service.
Adapting to consumer demands in 2025
Many small businesses are still reeling from the impacts of the past few years. Those that survived did so by adapting business models and increasing options for their customers.
As consumer trends shift again, brands should keep the feedback loop open, diversify their supply chains, and explore new sales channels to cater to customer expectations while protecting their bottom line.
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Consumer trends FAQ
Why are consumer trends important?
Consumer trends are important because they shine a light on shifting customer priorities, helping you adapt to meet evolving expectations. By staying attuned to these trends, brands can build stronger connections, encourage loyalty, and stay competitive in markets that change on a whim.
What are consumer trends?
Consumer trends are patterns of shopping habits that change over time. They are generally determined by experts based on data, consumer behavior surveys, and studies that examine how people spend money and make purchasing decisions.
What are examples of consumer trends?
- TikTok trends influence product ideas and shopping habits among younger consumers.
- There’s an expanded use of payment options like digital wallets and buy now, pay later.
- Brand loyalty is now shifting due to more choice and value shopping.
- Consumers are choosing eco-friendly products or brands that take a stand on environmental issues.
- There’s a return to shopping in physical stores.
What do consumers want in 2024?
Consumer behavior is shifting toward making more careful purchase decisions as inflation puts a strain on budgets. Buyers are seeking better value while also looking for positive brand experiences, making sustainable choices, and seeking flexible purchasing options.
