Restive forecasts 2025 retail trends: convenience reigns

Technology consultancy Restive has released its predictions for retail trends in both online and brick-and-mortar settings for the year 2025.

Restive forecasts that for online retailers, the focus will be on personalisation, recommerce, seamless omnichannel integration, and sustainability. Meanwhile, for physical stores, the consultancy expects data-driven experiences, real-time inventory, and regional adaptation to be crucial.

Convenience appears to be the overarching theme in Restive's analysis, with online retail predicted to be dominated by the demand for same-day delivery, instant returns, and streamlined checkout experiences. Similarly, for in-store retailers, efficient staff training and fast checkout processes are highlighted as essential developments.

Commenting on the anticipated trends, Restive's Founder and Managing Director, Stuart Oliver, stated, "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."

Oliver further explained, "One critical driver of online customer loyalty is sustainability and it's not enough for the product to be responsible. The retailer, along with their packaging and logistics partners are as important 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."

Among Restive's predictions for online retail trends are enhanced personalisation through AI, allowing retailers to use data from browsing habits and purchase history to offer tailored experiences. Seventy-nine percent of customers are likelier to shop with retailers that provide personalised offerings.

The consultancy also notes the increasing consumer demand for payment convenience, with growing preference for mobile payments and options like gift card integration and deferred payments.

Restive anticipates a continuation of the trend towards sustainability, noting that 73% of customers are willing to pay a premium for sustainable products, affecting loyalty and satisfaction substantially.

For in-store retailers, the integration of AI for automating repetitive tasks and enhancing analytics and forecasting is expected to be pivotal. Restive also predicts significant developments in real-time inventory management and data-driven personalisation to deliver a more tailored shopping experience to consumers.

Regional adaptation is important, necessitating localised strategies for retailers to accommodate various market preferences and cultural norms.

Regarding in-store trends, Oliver commented, "The checkout experience is proving just as important for in-store retailers as it is for online providers, with shoppers dissatisfied with long queues - they're seeking intelligent check-outs 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."

He added, "Personalisation is a key trend for instore 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 instore 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."