With every New Year, we have to look a little back to understand future trends better… and 2024 proved to be a groundbreaking year for eCommerce. Artificial Intelligence took center stage and transformed how we shop, sell, and connect online forever. From innovations that enhanced personalization, efficiency, and customer engagement, to Amazon’s AI assistant, Rufus, offering that unique shopping experience online has come a little bit closer to perfection. Thanks to them and many other technologies in the pipeline, the outlook for 2025 appears highly promising. So, let’s take a moment to explore the strategies eCommerce companies can adopt to capitalize on this optimistic trend and the technological advancements set to shape the eCommerce landscape in the months ahead.

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2024 for the major eCommerce platforms

Last year, Adobe Commerce strengthened its status as one of the most robust platforms in the eCommerce ecosystem. First of all, version 2.4.7 was released, focusing on security, performance improvements, GraphQL coverage, and high-severity bug fixes. This release applied to Magento OS too.

Second, the masterminds at Adobe focused on the notion of composable commerce, which allows businesses to integrate only the services and functionalities that they require.

With that in mind, the API Mesh tool is something to shout out loud about, because it helps developers to integrate multiple private or third-party API sources into a single entry point, simplifying the integration process and improving data exchange.

On the features side, Adobe introduced an AR Viewer extension. Compatible with both Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce, the extension enables shoppers to experience products in augmented reality through their mobile devices.

2024 was a busy year for Shopware, the main competitor for Magento and Adobe Commerce. Shopware pressed the pedal really hard on the events side, managing to bring together a community that spans now further than the DACHS region.

This year, the platform was first in line to integrate complex AI-driven functions. Here, we can underline AI Copilot, a set of AI-driven functions that provide assistance in various aspects of the platform, from optimizing e-commerce operations to streamlining workflow processes, but also analyses customer behavior, preferences, and purchase history, providing personalized product recommendations . You can read more about it here…

The latest Shopware version is 6.6.9.0, which beyond top-notch performance, offers some really incredible features for online sellers. First to mention, the new Scene Editor allows merchants to create custom scenes for their products, without the need of costly photoshoots. 

Second, the Shopware team worked on improving their Analytics tool, adding new KPIs to help users have a better understanding of their business.

Not least, a new helpful feature called Digital Sales Rooms has been introduced. With it, sales agents can now offer real-time discounts to customers during digital meetings and can quote easily during live shopping events.

2024 was a great year for Shopify, too. Following the trend, they expanded their AI-powered tools, including Shopify Magic and Sidekick, to assist merchants in generating product descriptions, managing customer interactions, and automating tasks. 

One other prominent update is making Shopify Flow – a complex tool that permits the automation of tasks like sending emails and managing product availability – available to all merchants.

Already prised for its intuitiveness, the platform worked hard to keep its and introduced Flex Sections. These offer enhanced editing capabilities, including alignment adjustments, element additions, and section resizing. The feature helps merchants do dynamic and seasonal design changes without the need for complex coding.

But probably one of the most notable feats is that 2024 saw Shopify tap massively into the middle and big enterprise sector. New B2B features were introduced, including customized storefronts for B2B sales, PayPal support, storage of previous purchasing information, workflow automation, and the ability to migrate historical bulk orders.

Strategic trends for 2025

Helped by numerous AI technologies which experienced a rapid growth last year, eCommerce followed its usual ascending trend and total global online sales exceeded $6 trillion. According to data released recently by Adobe, due to the adoption of AI-fueled shopping assistants, global online sales hit record after record. 

AI-driven tools have reached high levels of capability and those merchants that had the financial means to invest in them reaped incredible rewards.

Here, notable releases are two of Amazon’s complex AI-driven tools – the Shopping Guides and the Rufus assistant. Why are they so important? Not only did they drive incredible sales during the Festive Season, but, by the way we know the eCommerce industry, many will follow suit and implement similar features.

Brick and Mortar retail remained significant, with many shoppers still preferring it for the tactile experience and immediate gratification. In 2024, Brick and Mortar drove sales of almost $22 trillion. The ability to see, touch, and try products in person, paired with the social aspect, made physical retail hold pretty strong.

Hyper-personalization is now the term on many retailers’ lips and although at present, employing such tools implies hefty costs, the surge in apps tailored for eCommerce, designed to effortlessly integrate with major platforms, gives a strong sign that in the not-so-far future, this democratization will allow everyone easy access to advanced features. 

So, as far as strategic trends go, 2025 will see businesses with large budgets investing heavily in upgrading their technology and eCommerce platforms with complex AI solutions, and hiring and training employees to become skilled in using these advanced tools.

User-friendly platforms like Shopify, even if not at the same level of complexity, will provide an excellent starting point for new businesses entering the online retail space. At the same time, the fact that they invest heavily in offering AI-driven tools to their higher plans, will start to appeal to merchants in the middle and even large category, as a good alternative to much more expensive counterparts.

Another important development is the growing role of Marketplaces, which now offer a wide range of services, from fulfillment centers to handling payments and customer service, making storing, packing, and shipping products more efficient.

A further advancement which will definitely affect online retail, is the new General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), which introduces stricter safety requirements and accountability measures for products sold in the EU. The work required for having clear labeling and comprehensive product documentation, will definitely put a dent in many retailers’ budgets.

Sales Channels

More and more, customers want the flexibility to shop effortlessly across various gadgets. And most frequently, this gadget is the smart phone.

With the rise of smartphone usage, having an online shop that is optimized for mobile devices is a key component in delivering a seamless shopping experience. 

Retailers with serious budgets go even further and develop mobile apps, because they offer unparalleled convenience and engagement through features like push notifications, augmented reality, and integrated payment systems, making it easier than ever for customers to shop anytime, anywhere. 

Social Media continues to be an indispensable platform for connecting with customers and showcasing products. More than that, channels like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and WhatsApp Business have evolved into real sales tools, where users can easily purchase products live, in real time.

That’s why businesses that dedicate time to creating engaging content, live selling sessions, either conducted by their own staff or by collaborating with influencers, will see significant rewards.

Technology and eCommerce in 2025

2025 will be governed by several major elements: 5G coverage, AI developments, Blockchain technologies and Immersive experiences. 

With 5G well under way, covering most of the urban areas, the benefits for eCommerce are immense. 5G brings faster load times for e-commerce websites and apps, making the mobile shopping experience smoother and more efficient.

5G also helps AI and blockchain technologies to be used at their full potential. The increased data transfer speeds and 5G’s low latency can streamline online transactions, making payment processes quicker and more secure. 

As AI becomes more powerful (think of the way models like ChatGPT have evolved only in one year) shopping experiences are set to become hyper-personalized due to the fact that analyzing customer behaviors will be even more accurate.

Thinking of Amazon’s Shopping Guides and the Rufus assistant, this level of automation is set to become widely available to the masses through the development of various third-party platforms.

5G’s high speed and low latency brings a more effective use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). This allows eCommerce to be more fun, shifting from a purchasing process to an immersive and pleasant experience. Adobe have released an Augmented Reality Viewer extension for both Adobe Commerce and Magento. The other major eCommerce platforms are also well equipped in this area, with Shopware and Shopify offering complex Spatial Commerce functionalities.

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