The world of e-commerce is changing at breakneck speed. New technologies are readily available, whilst stricter privacy regulations and changing consumer behaviour are forcing businesses to innovate constantly. By 2025, something that works today could be completely obsolete tomorrow. So the big question is: which trends do you need not only to be aware of in 2025, but also to implement yourself so as not to be left behind?
In this white paper, we explain everything you need to know about the seven key e-commerce trends that will dominate 2025. These include automated campaigns, founder-led growth and AI-driven marketing, which are no longer just ‘nice to have’ but are indispensable to your e-commerce strategy. We’ll show you how to use these trends to your advantage and provide practical guidance on how to implement them yourself.
1. Generative AI: the turbo boost for your content production
You’ve no doubt heard about it before: generative AI. But what exactly is it? Generative AI is a form of artificial intelligence that independently creates new content, such as text, images, videos and even code. This is achieved using large amounts of existing data and advanced machine learning algorithms. Whereas traditional AI mainly recognises patterns and analyses existing information, generative AI goes a step further: it produces completely new output that does not come directly from a pre-inputted dataset. What does this technology mean in practical terms for e-commerce?
From ad visuals generated in seconds to fully AI-driven websites: more and more companies are using generative AI to optimise marketing and sales processes. What used to take hours or days, AI now handles in the blink of an eye. In addition, AI-generated websites and landing pages can be used for faster testing and better conversion optimisation, leading to more efficient processes and an improved customer experience.
A good example of this is Bol.com, which uses AI to automatically complete and improve product descriptions. For many sellers, adding product information is a time-consuming manual task. To automate this process, Bol works with an AI company that extracts missing specifications from photos, PDFs, texts or even other online sources and automatically adds information about, for example, materials, dimensions, shape and colour.
At DRIIVN, we’re already actively using AI for automated content creation, targeting and personalisation. We’ve found that this enables us to scale up campaigns ever more quickly and ensures they’re better tailored to specific target audiences. This allows us to test and optimise more quickly without relying on time-consuming manual processes.
2. AI Agents: 24/7 customer interaction with no waiting time
AI not only takes content creation off your hands, but is also changing how businesses manage customer interactions. If you take it a step further, you’ll come across AI agents: self-learning systems that make decisions independently and automate processes. Our forecast: by 2025, we’ll be seeing them everywhere in the e-commerce sector.
An AI agent may sound futuristic if you’ve never heard of them before, but the impact of AI agents on e-commerce is already far-reaching. In a nutshell: AI agents are software programmes that independently collect, analyse and respond to data. Unlike traditional automation, they do not operate according to fixed rules, but continuously learn from real-time interactions. Imagine a customer service agent who not only answers questions, but also resolves issues independently, amends orders and makes personalised offers based on purchasing behaviour. No waiting times and available 24/7. But AI agents go further than that: they analyse purchasing behaviour and automatically optimise prices and campaigns, enabling businesses to respond more quickly to market demand and consumer behaviour.
This marks a fundamental shift for e-commerce. Online shopping is no longer a static process, but a dynamic, personalised experience. For e-commerce businesses, this has an impact not only on conversion rates and customer satisfaction, but also on operational costs. AI agents can take over tasks normally carried out by customer service staff, marketers or stock managers, leading to significant savings. Furthermore, they minimise unnecessary advertising expenditure by automatically optimising campaigns based on performance, making adverts more effective and, above all, more cost-efficient. Inventory management also benefits: through smart demand forecasting, AI agents help businesses prevent overstocking and stock-outs, which has a direct impact on margins and profitability.
And this is just the beginning. According to Gartner (2024), by 2029 as much as 80% of e-commerce will be managed by AI bots. The question, therefore, is not whether AI agents will become the norm, but how quickly businesses will adapt to this new reality.
3. Tracking is becoming more difficult – time for a new data strategy
The phasing out of third-party cookies and stricter privacy regulations have been making tracking increasingly difficult for some time now, but the challenge is only set to grow. Gaining insights into user behaviour is becoming increasingly difficult, and companies that fail to prepare for this will find that their advertising campaigns become less effective and that retargeting becomes increasingly difficult. And what about traditional client-side tracking? That is becoming less and less reliable. So it’s time for a new approach. Fortunately, there are solutions that can help companies maintain control over their data.
Server-side tracking
More and more companies are switching to server-side tracking. Whereas tracking data is normally sent directly from the browser to external platforms such as Google Analytics or Meta Ads, with server-side tracking it is first routed to the company’s own server. This gives companies full control over what data they collect and share, making them less reliant on third-party cookies.
By setting up server-side tracking correctly, businesses can collect conversion data more accurately, which in turn improves the quality of data fed into advertising algorithms and makes campaigns more effective. This makes the transition relatively straightforward for you and ensures that your tracking strategy remains not only future-proof but also privacy-compliant. At DRIIVN, we have been using this approach for some time to minimise data loss and ensure we can continue to optimise campaigns effectively.
Billy Grace
Billy Grace is an AI-driven platform that helps e-commerce businesses improve tracking, allocate budgets optimally and provide insight into campaign results. Originally developed to automate data-driven decisions, Billy Grace was found to deliver an ROI increase of between 30% and 120% during a trial period involving 50 clients. This success led to the independent launch of the tool.
We ourselves use Billy Grace to make the most of first-party data and gain a complete picture of the actual contribution of each channel. Within AI-driven attribution models such as Unified Marketing Measurement, views are taken into account alongside clicks. As a result, you can see that more conversions are attributed to channels such as TikTok and YouTube. This helps with better budget allocation and provides insight into which adverts and creatives have the greatest impact. This enables us to manage campaigns in a more targeted way and to properly substantiate which investments really deliver value.
CDP & Marketing Automation
Want to take it a step further? For businesses that really want to make smart use of their data, Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) and marketing automation (MA) systems are indispensable. CDPs collect customer data from various sources, such as your website, CRM and advertising channels, and combine this into a 360° customer profile. This enables companies to create hyper-targeted marketing campaigns and deliver a personalised customer experience.
Using data from a CDP, companies can not only display more relevant adverts but also automate marketing processes. Marketing automation uses this data to send personalised, automated communications via channels such as email and social media. This makes it possible to reach customers at the right time, with the right message — without the need for manual intervention at every interaction.
Stricter privacy regulations are, of course, being introduced for good reason. They ensure transparency and protect consumers, but do make it more difficult for e-commerce businesses to utilise data effectively. Through tools such as server-side tracking, Billy Grace and CDPs & MA, e-commerce companies can continue to operate in a privacy-friendly manner, without having to compromise on performance and personalisation.
4. Automated campaign set-up: more time for strategy
Automation is bringing about major changes within e-commerce. Whereas marketers used to be the only ones pulling the strings when it came to targeting and optimisation, campaign types such as Advantage+ (Meta) and Performance Max (Google) are now taking over some of these tasks. This means fewer manual tweaks and more time to focus on strategy and creativity.
These smart campaign types determine for themselves where, when and to whom adverts are shown. Advantage+ optimises adverts and target audiences within Meta’s network, whilst Performance Max automatically distributes adverts across various channels within Google.
However, all these automated processes do not mean that marketers will be redundant in a year or two. On the contrary: the new challenge lies in strong creative work, sharp positioning and the strategic use of data. After all, campaigns are only successful if the message, visuals and proposition are perfectly tailored to the target audience.
At DRIIVN, we’re already making full use of these types of campaigns and are already seeing promising results – often even better than standard campaigns. But please note: always check carefully that the settings are correct and that, for example, music isn’t suddenly added in Meta or the image isn’t altered. A human check remains essential!
5. UGC & EGC: real people, real stories, real impact
Everyone knows that TikToks, Instagram Reels and Snap Stories are the way people consume content these days: short-form content is nothing new, and its popularity isn’t going to disappear any time soon. But within this format, there is a significant trend emerging: fast-paced, spontaneous and authentic videos are performing better than ever. The old rules of marketing, where everything had to be perfect down to the last detail, are giving way to a new reality: content can be raw, human and unpolished.
The key lies in authenticity. People want real stories, not yet another professional advert. User- and employee-generated content (UGC & EGC) cleverly capitalise on this. Brands utilise their own community and staff as content creators, meaning that promotions no longer feel like adverts, but like genuine recommendations from people who truly believe in the product. This builds trust and makes a brand more credible.
The figures back this up: research by Stackla shows that 79 per cent of consumers allow their purchasing decisions to be influenced by UGC content, and 93 per cent of marketers consider EGC to be more trustworthy than brand-produced content. We expect the role of UGC and EGC to grow even further in the coming years. Not only within social media, but also in other media and broader brand strategies. Think of an enthusiastic traveller sharing their dream trip on TikTok, booked via Cheaptickets, or HEMA, who puts one of their own interns on a rollercoaster to promote their partnership with Walibi in a hilarious way. This kind of content feels authentic, and that’s precisely what makes it so powerful.
Brands that embrace this development and actively involve their community in content creation will benefit enormously from this in the coming years. At DRIIVN, the focus is on performance marketing and online campaigns, whilst our sister company, Flik Flak, helps brands on a daily basis to conceive, create and optimise UGC and EGC on TikTok and Instagram. The results speak for themselves. This isn’t just any old trend. This is the future of content marketing.
6. Founder-led growth: the face behind the brand matters
The success of UGC and EGC certainly doesn’t come out of the blue. Ultimately, it all boils down to the same thing: real people connecting with their audience. At a time when traditional adverts and campaigns are everywhere, there’s a growing need for something authentic. A story that resonates. And who better to tell that story than the founder themselves? Founder-led growth is all about entrepreneurs becoming the face of their brand themselves, thereby creating a deeper connection with their audience. Not through standard marketing spiel, but by sharing their own vision, challenges and successes – preferably in an authentic way.
There are countless examples of successful founder-led growth. Harro Schwalke gives his supplements company Upfront a unique brand identity through humour and transparency; Pieter Zwart of Coolblue inspires ambitious entrepreneurs with his ‘daily vlogs’; and René van der Zel built up XXL Nutrition by sharing his entrepreneurial story and actively engaging his community. They prove that people are more likely to connect with a person than with a logo.
It is precisely this personal approach that makes founder-led marketing so powerful: content from founders often generates far more engagement than that from brand accounts, simply because it feels more human and credible. It is the perfect combination of storytelling, community-building and branding all in one. Founder-led growth is not a one-off gimmick, but a strategy that only works in the long term. Those who consistently speak out, share their vision and are genuinely engaged build not only a strong brand, but also a community.
7. Reducing returns: from a cost to an opportunity
Returns are a well-known pain point in e-commerce. They put pressure on margins, strain logistics processes and incur additional costs, whilst consumers often take them for granted. The impact is enormous: according to research by the Dutch Thuiswinkel Organisatie, in some sectors up to 50 per cent of clothing ordered is returned. In the United States, the total volume of returns in 2023 amounted to 816 billion dollars’ worth of returned products (NRF, 2023). This trend is continuing worldwide and is only set to grow. Yet there are opportunities here too: with the right tools and strategies, you can not only reduce returns but also turn them into customer retention and additional revenue.
The convenience of returns has become a pitfall
These days, for many consumers, online shopping feels like a treat for yourself: you order something and a few days later you can unpack it. But just as with presents, you only know whether it really suits you once you’ve got it in your hands. This has led to an increasingly common pattern: customers deliberately order multiple sizes or colours with the intention of returning the majority of them. This is also the reality for fashion giants such as Zalando and Wehkamp, where almost 50 per cent of all orders are returned.
Returns aren’t free
On average, processing a return costs an online shop between €10 and €15 per order. A product that cannot be resold is discounted, sent to outlet stores or, in some cases, even destroyed. Furthermore, return logistics have a significant environmental impact. As well as the additional CO₂ emissions from return transport (which can amount to thousands of tonnes per year for large online shops), a significant proportion of returned products ends up in the waste stream. In the fashion industry alone, this figure exceeds 30 per cent.
How can you reduce returns?
More and more online shops are using returns software to tackle this problem. Platforms such as Returnista and Returnless not only optimise returns processes but also actively help to reduce return rates. Returnista offers customers an immediate exchange option, making it easy to convert a return into a new purchase. Suppose a customer orders trainers that turn out to be too big. Instead of sending them back and reordering elsewhere, they can immediately choose a smaller size without having to go through the full returns process. This prevents unnecessary returns and increases the likelihood of repeat purchases.
Returnless uses smart returns filters and targeted questions to offer customers alternatives during the returns process. This helps them make a more informed choice and provides online shops with valuable insights into the reasons for returns. Consider, for example, a customer who wants to return a product because of the colour. With Returnless, they can immediately view alternative colour options, allowing a return to be converted into an exchange rather than a lost sale. A smooth returns process is therefore important, but the real benefit lies in helping customers make the right choice from the very start.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, you need to look to the future!
After reading this white paper, you’ll hopefully have an idea of the pace at which the world of e-commerce is evolving. Standing still is not an option, because those who fail to keep up will miss out on opportunities that are there for the taking. Whether it’s Artificial Intelligence, founder-led growth or the power of UGC and EGC: the trends of 2025 offer enormous growth opportunities for companies that dare to look ahead.
At DRIIVN, we always strive to stay up to date with the latest trends. We analyse, test and translate them into concrete strategies, so we know how to capitalise on them. Not simply by going with the flow, but by actively creating opportunities, utilising new technologies and thereby staying one step ahead of the competition.
How can you ensure you don’t fall behind? Brands that are investing now in key developments such as AI, server-side tracking, Billy Grace and Returnista are building for the future. Are you ready to take that step? Let’s have a chat and work together to get your e-commerce strategy ready for 2025.
