Is your business plan ready for the future of e-commerce? AI and social media marketing must be part of your strategy.
In 2025, winning in e-commerce means meeting customers exactly where they are. Success is not impossible, but it demands a strategy that adapts to how people now discover and buy products. The most significant changes are happening in two specific areas: AI-driven shopping and social media transactions.
The modern consumer has high expectations. We now know that 76% of them have purchased products they first saw in social media posts. Furthermore, the desire for smarter shopping is clear, as AI-powered personalization has been shown to increase customer satisfaction by over 25%. These are not minor shifts; they represent a new standard for online retail.
Understanding this new customer journey is critical. The insights from these trends should directly inform how you build and execute your marketing and direct-to-consumer plan for the year ahead.
AI and Social Commerce: The new pillars of online retail
A new study from DHL, the E-Commerce Trends Report 2025, found that evolving consumer expectations are fundamentally reshaping the future of online retail. The report draws on insights from 24,000 shoppers across 24 key global markets. This year’s study includes eight chapters, featuring six shopper types and four generational segments, all highlighting these significant shifts.
While the findings cover a range of topics, the transformation driven by artificial intelligence and social commerce stands out as particularly critical. These two forces are creating new shopping journeys and setting higher expectations for digital convenience.
AI becomes essential for a smarter shopping journey
The demand for artificial intelligence in the shopping process has become a core consumer expectation. A remarkable 7 in 10 shoppers now want retailers to provide AI-powered tools to guide their purchasing decisions.
Shoppers are actively seeking specific AI-driven features to improve their online experience. The most highly anticipated and demanded innovations include:
- Virtual try-ons for apparel and other goods.
- AI-powered shopping assistants to provide recommendations.
- Voice-enabled product search for hands-free discovery.
The use of voice commands for purchasing is already a growing behavior. Globally, 37% of all shoppers and nearly half of all social commerce users are already making purchases using voice technology.
TechRadar"Every touchpoint in the buyer's journey can now be seamlessly powered by AI, delivering hyper personalized content, intelligent product recommendations, and dynamic pricing, all in real-time."
Social commerce takes the center stage
Social media platforms are rapidly replacing traditional ecommerce websites as the primary point of purchase. Seven in ten global consumers expect to shop primarily through social media by 2030.
This shift is heavily influenced by social proof and viral trends. An overwhelming 82% of shoppers state that trends and social buzz directly influence their buying decisions. The power of these platforms is especially clear on TikTok, which is used for purchases by 86% of online shoppers in Thailand and nearly 50% of Gen Z consumers globally.
Forbes"Social media has become a critical channel for establishing trends, contributing to product and brand discovery and influencing purchase decisions."
Customer experience gap on what buyers want
Despite new technology, fundamental frustrations still drive purchasing decisions. The report identifies a clear disconnect between shopper frustrations and their desired improvements.
Biggest frustrations for shoppers
- High delivery costs: 58%
- Long delivery times: 52%
- Not enough product information: 42%
Most-Wanted Improvements from Retailers:
- Free delivery: 72%
- Free returns: 53%
- Faster delivery: 52%
Global marketplace landscape
These trends and demands play out on dominant regional platforms. Understanding the top marketplace in a target region is crucial for any seller’s strategy.
- Amazon Dominance
The leading platform in the USA (82%), Canada (90%), and India (93%).
- Mercado Libre Leadership
The top choice in Argentina (94%) and Brazil (80%).
- Other regional leaders
Jumia leads in Nigeria (89%), Takealot in South Africa (92%), and Shopee in Thailand (85%).
Another study confirms AI's and Social Media's role in the future of e-commerce
A recent report from Research and Markets forecasts the e-commerce market will double in 2025, identifying artificial intelligence as a primary driver. DHL’s findings are similar to what this research discovered, with both studies highlighting how technology and consumer expectations are shaping the future of online retail.
Rising AI-powered shopping experience
AI-generated features are being used to improve customer satisfaction and provide a deeper understanding of market trends. Virtual fitting rooms, in particular, are gaining popularity by using AI to improve fit prediction and create more captivating shopping experiences.
For example, the European fashion portal Zalando introduced a feature that lets clients create a 3D avatar to see how different sizes might fit them before buying. This trend aligns with DHL’s data, which shows that 7 in 10 shoppers actively want retailers to offer these types of AI-driven tools.
Social ecommerce is also a dominant force
The shift to social media for purchasing is a major trend identified in both reports. DHL’s research found that 70% of consumers expect social platforms to become their primary shopping destination by 2030, often bypassing traditional websites entirely.
This is corroborated by the Research and Markets report, which identifies social commerce as a key trend influencing developed markets like the United States. The reports show that success now requires a seamless, mobile-native presence on platforms where viral trends influence buying decisions.
Balancing innovation with customer trust
While AI can be instrumental in mapping out a successful growth plan, adoption should be done with caution. A new report from Twilio, the 2025 State of Customer Engagement Report, reveals that while AI delivers clear returns, its effectiveness hinges entirely on trust and relevance.
The data exposes a significant gap between business perceptions and consumer reality. Although 96% of companies report that AI is improving their operations, 71% of consumers will walk away from a purchase if their AI-driven experience feels irrelevant.
AI delivers revenue, but not always trust
AI-powered personalization is directly boosting revenue for many brands. However, this financial gain is undercut by a persistent consumer loyalty deficit.
- Financial Impact
More than half of brands (56%) now use AI to tailor experiences, and 75% of those businesses report seeing increased customer spending as a result.
- Trust Issues
A majority of consumers (61%) do not believe brands use their personal data in their best interest, and 55% report being tired of hearing about AI.
Building trust in the AI era requires transparency
To bridge this gap, businesses must prioritize transparency and give customers control over their data. Consumers are open to AI-powered interactions in online shopping, but they have clear expectations for how these tools should be used.
- Customer Control
A significant majority of shoppers (84%) want the ability to control their own personalization settings.
- Desire for Transparency
More than half of consumers (54%) want to be explicitly told when they are interacting with an AI and not a human.
Ultimately, the report makes it clear that brands must move beyond simply implementing AI. The key to sustainable growth lies in building transparent, real-time relationships that respect customer preferences and earn their trust.
Adapting your strategy beyond Amazon
For brands that built their business on Amazon, the platform’s dominance is clear, controlling over 80% of the market in key regions like the United States. However, recent studies on consumer behavior confirm that relying solely on a single channel is no longer a resilient long-term strategy.
To build a stronger brand and secure future growth, sellers must diversify. Establishing an independent direct-to-consumer (DTC) presence on a platform like Shopify allows a brand to own the customer relationship, control its brand messaging, and improve profit margins by reducing marketplace fees.
A standalone website also enables the integration of the very technologies that modern shoppers now demand. For instance, sellers can implement AI-powered virtual fitting rooms, a feature proven to increase customer confidence and significantly reduce return rates—a major operational challenge for any e-commerce business.
Furthermore, a multi-channel approach allows for a more expansive marketing strategy. By running targeted social media ad campaigns, sellers can drive traffic not only to their Amazon listings but also to their new DTC website, capturing a wider audience and building a valuable customer database for future marketing.
Executing a sophisticated hybrid strategy that optimizes a leading Amazon presence while building a new DTC channel requires significant and specialized knowledge. To ensure both channels work in sync and yield the best results, many sellers find success by leveraging an Amazon agency with deep expertise across both the Amazon platform and integrated DTC services.
