Retail is in the midst of a digital reckoning. At Shoptalk 2025, one message echoed across every keynote, panel, and hallway conversation: the future of growth won’t be won by optimizing the past. It will belong to the brands bold enough to challenge legacy metrics, decentralize control, and rewire how they engage with consumers.
From AI-powered discovery to the rise of social commerce and the rapid evolution of retail media, every corner of the customer journey is being rewritten. For CMOs and marketing leaders, the question isn’t whether to adapt—it’s how fast you can pivot.
Social Commerce Is No Longer Optional
TikTok Shop’s influence proves it: consumers are comfortable shopping through creators, not just platforms. Social commerce is expected to outpace overall e-commerce growth—more than doubling by 2028. This isn’t a niche trend. It’s a fundamental shift in consumer behavior.
With growth comes a challenge; control is no longer the goal—connection is. Brands that thrive here will stop dictating the story and start enabling it. That means:
- Leaning into influencer-led strategies
- Empowering communities to become co-creators
- Prioritizing authenticity over precision
Social shopping is here to stay. The playbook must change.
Retail Media Is Scaling—But Still Stuck
Retail media spending is on track to hit $100B by 2029—yet brands are navigating a fragmented mess. With most marketers expected to juggle 6–9 RMNs by 2026, the lack of interoperability is slowing momentum.
Amazon dominates the space, but with dominance comes demand. Advertisers expect:
- Greater automation across campaign setup and bidding
- Offsite innovation, including CTV and programmatic integrations
- Creative optimization tailored to platform-native experiences
Retail media is evolving from performance lever to growth engine—but to realize its potential, brands and retailers must align on tools, transparency, and speed.
The Funnel Is Dead. ROAS, Too.
Consumer behavior doesn’t fit neatly into a funnel—and neither should your metrics. ROAS has long been the comfort metric. It’s also dangerously misleading.
Traditional models overstate performance by up to 190% and undervalue brand-building by as much as 90%. Measurement isn’t keeping up with reality.
What’s next:
- Media Mix Modeling (MMM) for a clearer view across channels
- Incrementality testing to identify true drivers of growth
- Rethinking attribution for the multi-touch, multi-moment world we’re in.
Growth is no longer about what’s easy to measure—it’s about what actually works.
A2C Is the Next Disruption
Discovery is decentralizing. AI is becoming the first touchpoint, not the last. In Q4 alone, retail traffic from AI tools rose 1,300% YoY. Amazon’s launch of its AI assistant, Rufus, signals where the market is headed: Agent-to-Consumer (A2C).
For brands, this means:
- SEO and SEM strategies must adapt to AI-native discoverability
- Product data, reviews, and content need to be machine-readable and context-rich
- Optimization will shift from keyword-based to conversational and contextual
AI is no longer the future—it’s the new front door to commerce. If you’re not visible to AI, you may not be visible at all.
Rethinking What “Value” Means
In a high-noise, low-trust environment, value goes beyond price. Shoptalk made one thing clear: brands that win are those that respect time, simplify decisions, and add meaning.
The new value drivers:
- Ease: One-click checkout, AI-powered service, frictionless reorders
- Time: Smart bundling, BOPIS, and checkout-free tech
- The Hunt: Drops, exclusives, and curated recommendations that make shopping feel personal
Loyalty is earned through utility, trust, and experience—not discounts.
Key Takeaways
Shoptalk 2025 didn’t just spotlight trends—it clarified priorities. For marketers and growth leaders, the playbook is evolving. Those ready to move fast, rethink measurement, and build for AI-led discovery will lead.
Key actions to take now:
- Build systems that scale creator content, not just brand messaging
- Invest in platform-specific creative strategy
- Transition from attribution to incrementality-focused decision-making
- Ensure your product data is AI-optimized
- Redefine value around experience, not just economics
The bottom line: The brands that win in 2025 won’t be the ones with the most impressions or the cheapest ROAS. They’ll be the ones who rethink the rules, reimagine value, and meet the customer wherever, whenever, and however they choose to shop.
In today’s shifting digital landscape, we help brands navigate complex challenges—whether it’s adapting to new consumer behaviors, maximizing marketplace presence, or scaling with precision. Our agile team leverages our proprietary AI tool, real-time analytics, and omnichannel expertise to deliver measurable outcomes.
If you’d like to get in touch with one of our experts or learn more about our capabilities, please contact [email protected].