To stay relevant and competitive, brands must adapt to shifting consumer behaviours and rapidly changing expectations. By identifying and embracing emerging trends, brands can stay ahead of the curve in the development of outstanding digital experiences.
Working with brands across a variety of sectors, I have identified 6 key consumer trends that will continue to reshape the marketplace in 2025. These will ultimately influence how consumers interact with brands and make purchasing decisions in B2C and B2B2C contexts.
The six key consumer trends are:
- Healthier Lifestyles
- Wiser Wallets
- Sustainability Focus
- Filtered Focus
- AI Ambivalence
- Same-Day Expectations
1. Healthier Lifestyles
Consumers are increasingly focused on living healthier for longer – and this includes both physical and mental health. People are more aware everything they do can impact this. Research from Mckinsey reveals that half of consumers now consider healthy eating a top priority. According to YPlus data 71% of Gen-Z consumers like it when brands make mental health a part of their marketing and messaging.
If you are in the health, wellness or fitness space it should be easy for you to embrace this behavioural trend – it should be at the core of what you talk about. However, even if your brand is in a different sector can can incorporate health and wellness themes into your digital marketing and products.
- Offer Wellness Content: Provide blogs, videos, and resources that promote healthy living, aligning your brand with consumers’ focus on well-being.
- Wellness prompts: Ensure your digital products encourage healthy behaviour and usage through messaging and prompts.
- Embrace hybrid: Embrace the hybrid-working model by creating ways for people to interact with your brand from home, including webinars, online workshops, or virtual classes.
Example: Ikea are creating content and tools around ergonomic workspaces and living areas, along with Healthy Living Campaign and general wellness content.
2. Wiser Wallets
Wiser Wallets describes the trend of consumers being more strategic and intentional about their purchasing and spending decisions. The cost-of-living crisis has impacted almost everyone. A recent survey by IPSOS highlights that worries about the cost of living crisis are on the rise.
Your digital experience can make a huge difference in helping people make intentional purchasing decisions, for example:
- Provide Transparent Pricing: Clearly display prices and break down costs to build trust with consumers seeking value for money.
- Offer Detailed Product Information: Include comprehensive descriptions, specifications, and benefits to help consumers make informed decisions.
- Incorporate Comparison Tools: Implement features that allow users to compare products or services easily without feeling overwhelmed.
Example: Everlane believe in radical transparency and break down the cost of their products, along with providing detailed production information.
3. Sustainability Focus
Consumers continue to be more aware of the impact we are having on the planet and prioritise sustainability.
According to research from Deloitte 73% of UK consumers recycle household waste, 68% reduce food waste, and 61% limit the use of single-use plastics
You can use your digital channels to not only highlight your sustainability efforts and eco-friendly practices, but also to be more sustainable in how you approach numerous activities from marketing through to communications. For example:
- Highlight Sustainability Efforts: Use your website and social media to showcase your eco-friendly practices and commitments to environmental responsibility.
- Provide Sustainable Options: Offer products or services that are environmentally friendly and make them easily discoverable online.
- Educate Your Audience: Create content that informs consumers about sustainability issues and how your brand is contributing to positive change.
Example: Patagonia has effectively tapped into conscious consumers by showcasing the use of sustainable materials, providing online transparency of their environmental footprint, and initiatives such as “Worn to Wear”.
4. Filtered Focus
Streamlined decision-making continues to become a more prominent trend due to consumers feeling overwhelmed by choices and notifications.
A study by Microsoft found that 42% of employees feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of notifications they receive each day.
Whilst digital can be the cause of consumers feeling overwhelmed, it can also be an opportunity for you to stand out as being different, for example:
- Simplify Your Interface: Design your website and apps with clean layouts, minimal distractions, and intuitive navigation to reduce cognitive load.
- Personalise Recommendations: Use data analytics to offer tailored product suggestions, helping consumers find what they need quickly.
- Reduce Notifications: Limit the number of push notifications and emails to only the most relevant and valuable communications.
Example: Netflix continue to strive to improve their digital experience to minimise friction and noise from an incredibly simple sign-up process, through to personalised recommendations, concise summaries and reduced general notifications.
5. AI Ambivalence
While AI adoption is increasing, consumers remain sceptical about its output and impact – what it will mean for their future and how brands are using it. According to research from Dentsu, 78% of consumers polled think gen AI is the future but only 39% are excited about that future.
You absolutely should leverage AI to improve everything you do, across your digital experience from chatbots to personalised content. But keep the following in mind:
- Be Transparent About AI Use: Clearly inform consumers when AI is being used in chatbots, recommendations, or content to build trust.
- Ensure Responsible AI Practices: Use AI ethically, respecting privacy and data security, and communicate these practices to your audience.
- Maintain Human Touchpoints: Balance AI interactions with opportunities for consumers to connect with real people when needed.
Example: Apple have thoughtfully started to integrate AI, Apple Intelligence, into their digital experience through Siri, whilst maintaining transparency and focusing on enhancing user experience without overwhelming users.
6. Same-Day Expectations
Fast results, whether it’s service provision or the delivery of products is becoming a major trend, driven by consumers’ growing expectations for speed and convenience. Same-day and next-day delivery options have now become standard for many online retailers.
Your digital experience is going to be key in both delivering and supporting this growing expectations. Here are a few examples:
- Optimise Website Performance: Ensure your website loads quickly to prevent user frustration and abandonment.
- Streamline Checkout Processes: Simplify the purchasing steps with options like guest checkout, autofill forms, and multiple payment methods.
- Provide Real-Time Updates: Offer tracking information and timely notifications about order status to keep consumers informed.
Example: Getir is a relatively new grocery delivery company that not only offered a fast way to get groceries delivered but have created a seamless and clear digital experience to facilitate ordering and keep customers updated on their delivery progress through real-time tracking and communication.
In responding to rapidly changing consumer expectations, brands need a proactive and adaptive approach. By embracing six key trends – healthier lifestyles, wiser spending, sustainability focus, streamlined decision-making, AI ambivalence, and same-day expectations – your brand can remain relevant and forge deeper connections with your audience. Integrating these trends into your digital strategies will enhance the user experience and differentiate you in a competitive market.
If you’d like help reimagining your digital experience to leverage these trends, we’d love to help.
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