As we approach 2025, Manchester Digital is excited to share Picturing 2025 - a series of essays from our members offering insights into the tech trends and challenges ahead. Below, ecommerce experts Venditan share their expectations for next year around consumer digital behaviour.
Consumer digital behaviour is in a constant state of evolution, we see that first-hand working with retailers across the UK.
While emerging technologies and innovative features often play a role in shaping these shifts, the reality is that much of this change stems from broader social and economic factors.
These forces drive trends influencing how people interact with eCommerce websites and visiting the high street.
As we look ahead to 2025, we’ve identified four notable trends that go beyond the usual buzz around AI and AR.
Hopefully, this offers a fresh perspective on how consumers are adapting and what businesses should consider to stay ahead:
- Consumers are searching for community
- Consumers are green-dubious
- Consumers are embracing recommerce
- Consumers are finding their feet with social commerce
Let’s take a closer look at each of these trends.
Consumers are searching for community
In a world increasingly shaped by digital interactions, consumers seek more than just transactions - they want connections.
The shift toward community-focused digital behaviour is driven by a longing for belonging and shared experiences, amplified by the isolation many felt during the pandemic.
This trend reflects the rise of ‘tribal’ consumer behaviour, where people align with brands, retailers, hobbies, or causes that resonate with their values and interests.
Digital platforms are central to this movement. Social media, forums, and niche apps have become hubs for communities where people exchange ideas, recommendations, and support.
In the retail sector, we’ve seen Peloton successfully cultivate spaces for customers to engage with one another over shared lifestyles or missions.
For businesses, fostering community goes beyond selling products - it’s about creating authentic spaces where customers feel heard and valued. This could mean launching a brand-led forum, hosting interactive events, or supporting user-generated content that amplifies peer-to-peer engagement.
Companies that embrace this approach often enjoy higher loyalty and advocacy, as customers who feel part of a community are more likely to remain invested in the brand.
Consumers are green-dubious
Sustainability remains a priority for many consumers, but trust in brands’ green claims is waning.
Increasingly sceptical of environmental promises, consumers scrutinise whether companies truly practice what they preach—or if their efforts amount to little more than greenwashing.
This shift toward scepticism stems from years of overstated or misleading marketing. Words like “sustainable,” “eco-friendly,” and “green” have become ubiquitous, often with little concrete evidence to back them up.
Scandals exposing brands for exaggerating or falsifying their environmental impact have only fueled this doubt. Today’s informed consumers demand more than vague statements—they want proof.
This scepticism is shaping digital behaviour.
Consumers are dedicating more time to researching brands before buying from them, combing through websites, reviews, and third-party sources for information on sustainability practices.
Transparency is critical: businesses must ensure that details about their products, sourcing, and environmental impact are easy to find and presented online.
In 2025, authenticity will be the key to winning over green-dubious consumers. Companies that prioritise real environmental action over performative marketing will not only build trust but also position themselves as leaders in the movement for meaningful change.
Consumers are embracing recommerce
Recommerce—the buying and selling of secondhand or refurbished goods—has become a mainstream consumer trend.
From fashion and electronics to furniture and luxury goods, we can already see consumers turn to recommerce as a cost-effective and sustainable way to shop.
This shift is driven by economic pressures, environmental concerns, and a cultural rebranding of secondhand shopping as both ethical and savvy.
Consumers are spending more time exploring recommerce platforms like Vinted, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace, where user-friendly interfaces and robust search tools make it easy to find pre-owned items.
We’ve noticed several brands and retailers tap into this opportunity, with the emergence of brand-led recommerce initiatives, such as Patagonia’s ‘Worn Wear’ or Apple’s certified refurbished store, providing customers with secondhand options and the added trust of quality assurance.
Consumers are finding their feet with social commerce
After a couple of false dawns, social commerce is only starting to take off, thanks to platforms like TikTok transforming the experience into something seamless, engaging, and content-driven.
Social commerce—shopping directly within social media platforms—has been around for a while, with Facebook Shop and Instagram Shopping paving the way.
However, TikTok Shop has revolutionised the space, offering businesses the ability to upload product catalogues directly from their eCommerce platforms; a feature we’ve enabled in our platform, Venditan Commerce.
What sets TikTok apart is its integration of product tagging with dynamic short-form videos and live streams. This allows brands to showcase products in creative, real-world contexts while linking directly to purchase pages.
Viewers can watch a live demonstration, click on a tagged product, and complete their purchase—all without leaving the app.
This functionality is reshaping consumer digital behaviour as shoppers now spend more time engaging with brands through entertaining content rather than traditional product listings. Live-streamed events, influencer collaborations, and interactive product showcases are becoming key touchpoints in the purchasing journey.
Social commerce offers businesses a dual opportunity: to reach audiences where they spend their time and turn engaging content into direct sales. Adapting to this trend means embracing platforms like TikTok to not just promote products but to create authentic shopping experiences.
