Consumers prefer online shopping and the commute to physical stores decreases

The consumption pattern has been changing and recently shoppers have preferred to purchase products in online stores and marketplaces rather than physical stores. This is one of the conclusions of the CX Trends 2025 survey, developed by Octadesk and in partnership with Opinion Box.

According to the survey, 64% of respondents reported attendance to visit in-person stores. This number represents a decrease of 3 percentage points of the indicator found in the last year's edition of the same study. On the other hand, the proportion of consumers who prefer to be served on websites and virtual stores increased to 77%. In addition, 43% of respondents claim that they make purchases through store applications, while 15% claim to make social purchases via Whatsapp and Instagram.

The practicality and associated costs further stimulate this consumer preference for online. The study points out that among the motivations of online shopping, the following stand out: Free shipping (62%), Quality of product or service (56%), and Price (53%). Regarding channels, the main sources of acquisition were: Online stores (68%), Marketplaces (66%), WhatsApp (30%) and Instagram (28%).

In recent years, strategies involving the use of AI for personalized content delivery have gained prominence.

Merchants and advertisers have been looking for new methods of engaging customers.In addition to free shipping and convenience, hyper-personalization and artificial intelligence (AI) influence 6 out of 10 product or service purchase decisions.

High proportions in a considerable year have occurred in the survey responses when pointing to AI use and customer service as decision factors: unmatched 68% highlighted personalization in the last 12 months, while 50% claimed to have interacted with AI during their purchases, an increase of 8% compared to the previous year.

In addition, 35% of respondents said they have experienced personalized recommendations through AI in their product purchases or service contracting.“Today, in addition to quality or efficiency, the consumer wants an experience that understands and connects to their needs,”, said Rodrigo Ricco, Founder and Managing Director of Octadesk.“Technology should be employed as a service partner to enhance human interaction and not suppress. This mix delivers an experience that will make a difference ready for customers and that provides more profit to companies.”

CX Trends 2025 consists of a survey conducted by Octadesk, together with Opinion Box and support from Vindi, Locaweb, Moskit, Bling and KingHost and more than 2,000 consumers over 16 years of age, from all social classes and regions of Brazil. The survey has an estimated error of 2.2 percentage points. Click here to access the full report.