We originally published this list in 2024. Rather than delete it, we have reviewed each prediction against what actually happened.
1. AI-assisted product discovery — bigger than expected
Shoppers now ask assistants for recommendations before visiting a store. That means your products need to be understandable to a machine: structured product data, clear specifications, honest availability, and consistent descriptions across your site, feeds and marketplaces. Stores whose product information exists only inside images or JavaScript get skipped. This is the practical work behind Generative Engine Optimization for retail.
2. Conversational commerce — held up
Buying and support through chat and WhatsApp is now normal in many markets. What works: instant answers, order tracking, reminders, and a fast route to a person. What does not: broadcast messaging to people who never opted in. See WhatsApp Automation.
3. First-party data — more important than predicted
Tracking restrictions and platform changes made owned data the difference between profitable and guessing. Email and messaging lists, purchase history, on-site behaviour and a clean customer record now underpin both retention and paid efficiency.
4. Retail media and marketplaces — grew, with a caveat
Selling where customers already search works, but margin discipline matters. Marketplace volume with no owned relationship leaves you renting your customer base.
5. Speed and page experience — still undervalued
Mobile speed continues to be the cheapest conversion improvement available to most stores, and it now also affects whether crawlers can read your catalogue properly. Heavy themes, unused apps and stacked third-party scripts remain the usual culprits.
What we got wrong
We expected more from immersive and AR shopping experiences. For most mid-market retailers they remain a novelty rather than a revenue driver; better photography, clearer sizing information and honest delivery estimates have returned more.
What to do this quarter
- Audit product data completeness and consistency across every channel.
- Test your store's speed on a mid-range phone and fix the worst three offenders.
- Turn on abandoned cart and back-in-stock flows if they are not already running.
- Ask an AI assistant to recommend products in your category and see whether you appear.
That fourth check is new, and it is the one most retailers have never run.