With the end of January, the prospects for e-commerce in the coming years have become increasingly solid. Online commerce is one of the segments that gains the most attention, with 56% of Brazilian consumers stating that they make more purchases online than in physical stores, according to a survey by Opinion Box.
Pointing in the same direction, The Global Payments Report 2022 from FIS reveals that the online sales market has an expected growth of 55.3% by the end of next year, surpassing the US$ 8 trillion transaction value barrier. In Brazil, the scenario is the same, with a projected 95% growth in the period, potentially reaching US$ 79 billion.
According to Renato Avelar, Co-CEO of A&EIGHT, a high-performance end-to-end digital solutions ecosystem, the beginning of the year represents a milestone for e-commerce to take advantage of opportunities in the next cycle. “This transitional moment is crucial to plan and implement changes that meet consumer expectations. Considering the market beforehand, brands that invest in innovation, personalization, and responsible practices will have a better chance of leading the sector in 2025,” he opines.
With that in mind, the executive listed the top 5 trends for the e-commerce market in 2025, which are likely to continue for other years. Check it out:
Return of pragmatism in decisions
The high global cost of capital acquisition impacts the retail industry on a large scale, and decisions will increasingly be guided by the assurance of return on investment. “There are many disruptive technologies and innovative methodologies, but executives will need to focus on what truly moves the needle of their e-commerce, always with an eye on the bottom line, the key factor that truly makes a significant impact on revenue or attracting new customers,” explains Avelar.
Retail media as a profitability lever
“Turning traffic into revenue is essential, and for that, retail media [or retail media] is essential, as it leverages physical and digital infrastructures to sell advertising space to brands, generating high-margin revenues and optimizing the use of primary data,” emphasizes the executive. In other words, retailers expect a 10% increase in revenue from retail media. However, the contribution margin of this source can exceed 6%, which has the potential to double the profit of a retail operation with just a 10% increase in revenue, highly profitable and beneficial for the brand as a whole.”
Omnichannel strategies focused on loyalty
Omnichannel is another strong point for retail in the coming years, especially in 2025. Avelar details that this channel integration contributes to customer loyalty, as they can have a wider range of options to search for products and complete their purchase. However, the focus on loyalty requires a robust and integrated CRM, with a single source of data and a ‘composable marketing’ approach, which means ‘composable commerce,’ i.e., a modular approach to building and enhancing online stores enabling consistent and personalized experiences on all channels, according to the co-CEO.
“In this way, e-commerce will be able to use specialized systems and only pay for services they actually use in operation, optimizing processes and costs,” he concludes.
AI for process automation
Artificial intelligence already plays an important role in e-commerce today, but the trend is for technology to take even greater prominence in personalized customer service in 2025, an essential element for brands to gain and retain customers. According to Avelar, the market is waking up and understanding that AI is not just for chatbots. ‘Artificial intelligence will be crucial to automate complex integrations and standardize data, improving operational efficiency and optimizing inventory, marketing, and customer service,’ he explains.
Union of retailers, creation of digital catalogs, and investment in own channels
In the digital environment, it is already possible to observe the movement of major retailers who have joined forces, integrating sellers’ catalogs to offer greater variety and compete with global marketplaces, creating a stronger and more efficient network, such as Magalu and AliExpress. Currently, marketplaces represent approximately 75% of the national e-commerce market, which shows the strength and impact of the sector in the country.
According to Avelar, marketplaces in the country have been built on a base similar to an oligopoly, dominating the sector and defining commerce. “Brands that sell on marketplaces realize that situations are becoming increasingly unsustainable, meaning being a seller is being subjected to high fees, unsustainable profitability models, and the loss of the greatest asset that an e-commerce can have, which is the customer”, reflects the executive, who adds, “Retailers and brands are beginning to see this topic as a risk and loss of assets. Marketplaces typically account for more than 60% of online sales of e-commerce, and 40% of sales or even less are through proprietary channels. Therefore, for companies to regain control, they need to reverse this situation by better distributing their catalog among marketplaces in a diluted manner and increasing investment in proprietary channels”, concludes the expert.
