8 Trends Transforming Retail Marketing in 2025
As we step into 2025, the marketing world is poised for a transformative year. Emerging technologies, shifting consumer behaviors, and evolving digital platforms will redefine how brands engage with their audiences. Here are just some of the marketing trends for 2025 we’ll be keeping our eyes on this year.
Playful Over Polished - ‘Unfiltered’ Content is On the Rise
TRENDS IN CONTENTIn an over-saturated social media landscape, standing out requires more than polished, traditional content. Brands that embrace fun, personality-driven content resonate more with audiences seeking authenticity. By pushing the boundaries of your brand guidelines, you can foster deeper connections and build a loyal community, and we anticipate that many brands will be making this shift in 2025.
Short and Sweet Messaging
TRENDS IN EMAIL MARKETINGWe’ve been fans of the plain text email for years (and it shows in our clients’ email marketing results) – but this year, we’re leaning into even more simplicity across designed campaigns as well. We work in the retail industry, so our emails will always be visually appealing, but we predict that the long, scrolling emails favored by some retailers will lose their luster as smart marketers shift their approach to match consumers’ ever-shrinking attention spans.
High-Value SMS Messages
TRENDS IN SMSAnd speaking of simplicity in messaging – SMS will continue to be a game changer for brands that can nail the timing (and the messaging) just right. In 2025, Yotpo predicts that when it comes to SMS, less is more. It’s more important to send fewer high-impact, targeted, and strategic messages at the right time than it is to send in high volumes.
But brands should beware – customers are receiving more SMS messages than ever and investing in a solid strategy is the best way to drive results this year.
A Full Circle Moment with Static Carousels
TRENDS IN SOCIALIf you’ve been in the social media world for a few years, you know that Reels and videos quickly dethroned all other forms of content when they came onto the scene. While video content will remain powerful, we’re seeing a return to social media’s first ‘favorite child’ – the static carousel. TikTok Photo Mode (AKA TikTok Carousels) have revitalized this content form, and are reported to see 2.9x more comments, 1.9x more likes, 2.6x more shares on average than video posts. With platforms often mirroring each other, we anticipate Instagram will follow suit, making carousels a key part of brands’ social strategies in 2025.
The End of Influencers?
TRENDS IN SOCIALNo – not quite. But the influencer landscape is evolving. Over the past year, we've observed a huge emphasis on community building across brands both big and small. In 2025, we expect to see this change progressing even further, to a rise in UGC (User-generated Content) and EGC (Employee-generated Content). These forms of content tap into consumer trust by showcasing relatable experiences that align with your audience's lifestyle. Not to mention, this opens up further opportunities to embrace more authentic, personality-centric content – another trend we’re seeing!
Audience Segmentation Meets Personalization
TRENDS IN EMAIL MARKETINGSegmentation is the top ranked tactic for improving email performance, which is why it always plays a pivotal role in our email strategies. In fact, 90% of marketers surveyed by Litmus said that increased segmentation directly boosted their results. In 2025, brands will take this a step further by enhancing segmentation strategies to specific lifecycle stages, behavioral data, engagement level, demographics and more.
Leveraging First-Party Data
TRENDS IN MARKETINGBrands are sitting on a goldmine of untapped data from their customer interactions – and the ones who can use that data to develop more personalized and targeted marketing efforts will stand out from the pack. That’s where making sure you have the right resources comes into play. We recommend auditing your tech stack to ensure you’re using best-in-class platforms to achieve optimal results.
Content That Doesn’t Feel Transactional
TRENDS IN CONTENTThink of marketing content as the opposite of a pushy street vendor—your content should resonate and connect with your audience, not just try to make a sale. Show your audience that you understand their lifestyle, interests, and pain points through your content. See Drink Gush’s TikTok on ‘Your Type B friend.’ This video, which taps into a relatable topic/trend while discreetly promoting their product, received 1.1 million views and 157k likes.
While the future of marketing in 2025 holds many uncertainties, there is one thing for certain: embracing the change is the only way to keep up. For brands with small (or non-existent) marketing teams, this all can feel overwhelming. Don't worry – we’re here to help. Sign up for our Digital Marketing Consulting services to get all of the tools you need to succeed in 2025, from an agency that understands your industry. Learn more about our comprehensive Digital Marketing Consulting services HERE.