Ecommerce in 2025 looks very different from just a few years ago. The shopper journey is non-linear and increasingly shaped by AI, social platforms, and shifting trust signals.
To help retail leaders navigate this complexity, for a joint report with Shopify, Constructor surveyed more than 1,500 shoppers across the U.S. and Europe. The findings reveal both the opportunities and the risks that executives need to address now.
Two-thirds of shoppers (68%) say retailer site search still needs an upgrade — the same figure as last year, suggesting little progress. When results disappoint, 66% immediately defect to Amazon, reinforcing its role as the competitor that “just works.”
Shoppers are so frustrated with irrelevant results that 40% say they’d rather endure unpleasant real-world experiences like waiting at the DMV than scroll through irrelevant search results. Over half (55%) even say they would pay more for a product just to avoid slogging through six or more pages of listings.
Takeaway: Broken search isn’t a UX bug. It’s a direct threat to loyalty and revenue. Every failed query represents a lost transaction and possibly a lost customer. Retailers that continue to tread water with search risk training shoppers to default to Amazon. Executives must elevate search improvement from a product backlog item to a board-level priority, funding AI-driven, intent-aware discovery that reduces abandonment and builds trust over time.
Generative AI (GenAI) is no longer a novelty. In 2025, 64% of shoppers report having tried GenAI tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity — up from 51% just one year ago. Comfort levels are rising in parallel: 58% now say they’re comfortable with AI-assisted shopping, compared with 52% last year.
Adoption among younger demographics is even more striking. More than two-thirds of Gen Z and Millennials say they feel comfortable with AI-driven recommendations, compared with just 38% of Boomers.
Takeaway: Leaders who frame AI as “future tech” are already behind because shoppers expect it today. The opportunity is to move from experimentation to execution: deploying AI in ways that cut noise, anticipate intent, and build trust. Executives must push for transparent, responsible, and measurable revenue impact in AI adoption. Retailers that hesitate risk looking outdated in a market where younger shoppers already view AI as part of the default experience.
Social media has firmly entrenched itself as a starting point for ecommerce journeys. Instagram (38%), Facebook (37%), and TikTok (34%) are now major sources of product discovery.
The numbers are most pronounced among younger shoppers: 58% of those aged 18–29 report discovering and buying products directly via TikTok. But social-first discovery isn’t limited to Gen Z. Millennials lean on Instagram, while Gen X and Boomers are more likely to start on Facebook.
Takeaway: Discovery has shifted outside of retailer-owned environments into algorithm-driven spaces where retailers have less control. Executives must recognize that social is no longer just a marketing channel; it’s often the first impression of a brand. Winning strategies bridge inspiration and transaction, ensuring that when a shopper clicks from TikTok or Instagram, the on-site experience feels personalized and seamless. Retailers who fail to connect social sparks with smooth on-site journeys will lose relevance.
Convenience is now currency. More than half of shoppers (55%) say they’d pay a premium for the right item if it saves them the hassle of scrolling through irrelevant results.
On the flip side, 86% of shoppers admit they often have to reformulate queries just to surface relevant results. Each retype chips away at confidence in the retailer’s ability to help — and accelerates defections to Amazon.
Takeaway: Retailers that reduce friction can capture more conversions and margin. Executives should prioritize investments that make product discovery faster and more precise, whether through better query understanding, contextual filters, or personalization engines tuned to intent. The payoff isn’t abstract: it’s higher average order values and customer willingness to pay more for a smoother experience.
Despite years of investment, personalization hasn’t lived up to its promise. 41% percent of shoppers say their favorite retailer treats them like strangers, and only 20% report regularly seeing personalized results. Shoppers often describe product recommendations as repetitive or irrelevant, showing them more of what they’ve already bought rather than what they actually need now.
In fact, 63% say the most important factor when choosing is finding products that match their current mission, regardless of brand. Encouragingly, over half (52%) of shoppers say they would share more personal data (such as style quizzes or saved preferences) if it led to truly cohesive experiences.
Takeaway: Executives need to move their organizations beyond surface-level personalization and toward intent-driven discovery. That means using in-session signals, clickstream data, and broader product trends to infer what shoppers are trying to accomplish in the moment (not just mirroring past behavior). Retailers that succeed here will reduce friction and earn trust and loyalty by demonstrating they understand the shopper’s mission.
Even though sponsored listings are now a fixture on ecommerce sites, they come with baggage if they’re irrelevant and aren’t tailored to the shopper at hand. Half of shoppers view sponsored listings with skepticism or frustration, and 25% say they would pay to avoid ads altogether. Nearly 60% report using ad blockers at least some of the time, limiting the reach of campaigns both on-site and off-site.
Yet retail media still drives impact. One in three shoppers says they’ve purchased from a sponsored listing, suggesting significant upside if placements were more relevant.
Takeaway: Retail media can’t be treated as a quick revenue lever. Executives must ensure ad and search systems are unified so sponsored results meet the same relevance bar as organic ones. When shoppers perceive ads as trustworthy, they convert; when they see irrelevant placements, they lose faith in the retailer. The path forward is clear: align monetization with intent or risk burning long-term loyalty.
Trust signals dominate the final mile of decision-making. Reviews are the single most powerful factor: 67% of shoppers cite them as their top trust signal, and 84% say reviews influence their purchase decisions at least somewhat.
Other signals vary by generation. Boomers place more weight on clear return policies (55%) and secure checkout (57%), while Gen Z is more likely to value influencer endorsements (29%) or media coverage (20%+).
Takeaway: Trust is not one-size-fits-all. Ecommerce leaders should push their teams to understand which trust levers matter most to their core audiences and highlight them prominently at the point of decision. Reviews and transparent policies are universal, but personalization of trust — tailoring what you emphasize to different cohorts — can make the difference between conversion and abandonment.
Checkout remains a major point of abandonment. Sixty-two percent of shoppers walk away due to high shipping costs, and 51% bail over long delivery times. Only half of shoppers say they’re satisfied with checkout experiences overall.
Payment preferences also split generationally: while credit cards (53%) and PayPal (51%) remain universal, Apple Pay is nearly on par with credit cards among Gen Z (48%), compared with just 8% of Boomers. Across all ages, 64% expect one-click or accelerated checkout options like Shop Pay.
Takeaway: Ecommerce leaders should see checkout not as the end of the funnel, but as the beginning of the next loyalty cycle. That means treating shipping and delivery as ongoing strategic priorities, not solved problems. Leaders must invest in accelerated checkout, flexible payment options, and transparent policies that reduce hesitation. Every barrier removed at checkout protects the investment already made in discovery and consideration.
Generational differences in shopping behaviors are widening. Half of Gen Z prefer mobile apps over websites. They also lean on TikTok for discovery, Apple Pay for checkout, and influencers as trust signals.
Boomers, by contrast, favor browser-based search, desktop shopping, PayPal, and clear operational assurances like return policies and delivery guarantees. Millennials and Gen X split the difference (which is, more mobile-friendly than Boomers but less socially driven than Gen Z).
Takeaway: One-size-fits-all strategies fail in 2025. Executives must push their organizations to extend personalization beyond products into channels, payment methods, and trust levers. The goal is to meet each generation where they are — whether that means influencer content for Gen Z or seamless checkout security for Boomers. This isn’t just marketing nuance; it’s critical to conversion.
Loyalty is eroding under the weight of rising expectations. Shoppers now fluidly move between search engines, social platforms, apps, and AI agents depending on context. They defect quickly if needs aren’t met: 66% admit they turn to Amazon in “rage-quit” moments, and nearly one in four would pay to avoid ads altogether.
Loyalty isn’t about brand affinity alone — it’s about trust, speed, and relevance delivered consistently at every stage.
Takeaway: Retailers can no longer assume loyalty. They must earn it at every step. Executives should view the journey not as a funnel but as a loop — one where every touchpoint builds (or erodes) confidence for the next purchase. Those who deliver context-aware, frictionless experiences will create a confidence loop that compounds over time. Those who don’t will see traffic drift toward competitors who meet expectations without fail.
The State of Ecommerce 2025 shows a landscape in which the fundamentals of trust, speed, and personalization have remained the same, but the bar for execution has risen dramatically. For retail leaders, the challenge is to meet shoppers wherever discovery begins, guide them with clarity and intent, and close the sale with confidence.
👉 Explore the full State of Ecommerce 2025 report to see the complete data set and deeper insights into how shopper behavior is changing, and how you can stay ahead.