The customer of the future in 2025: price and convenience above all else

VML’s Future Shopper 2025 report can provide valuable insights for brands. Following also published this year’s Future 100 trend report, this report maps shopping habits with a special focus on the digital shopping experience and the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence. According to the report, brands must prioritize human-centric experiences and address consumers’ current digital offerings frustrations. The popularity and relatively high usage rate of artificial intelligence predict that shopping habits will fundamentally change in the coming years.

How it affects customers

The report discusses, among other things, how customers are using artificial intelligence in their purchases. 68% of consumers have already used ChatGPT to make a decision regarding product selection, and 52% of those surveyed would even outsource the purchase process itself to their own AI Agent. Social media also plays a decisive role in customer decision-making, although not to the same extent as a year ago. Its influence has decreased by nearly 20% compared to last year, despite the fact that younger generations continue to primarily access the products they want to buy through TikTok and Instagram.

Regarding advertising opportunities, more than half of consumers say that personalized offers help them discover and learn about new products, despite the fact that they believe that brands do not properly carry out the targeting processes. But this is not the only criticism that companies have received. According to half of those surveyed, brands only have partial ideas about what potential customers actually expect from e-commerce platforms.

Convenience above all

In addition to the opportunities offered by the digital space, customers prioritize the speed and convenience of the shopping process. 32% of shoppers expect delivery within two hours, and 40% will not order if same-day or scheduled delivery is not available. 45% of users become nervous if a keyboard or mouse is required to complete a transaction. So it is no coincidence that a large number of shoppers purchase their products on mobile due to its fluidity. However, despite the fact that shoppers prefer convenience and speed when shopping, 62% of respondents prefer brands that have a physical presence as well as a digital one. This allows for a real connection with the business.

Inevitable factors

The Future Shopper report also addresses sustainability and political factors that are now unavoidable. Despite climate change, only half of consumers have changed their purchasing habits for sustainability reasons. The vast majority still prioritize price, fast delivery, and product availability over green solutions. In some markets, economic uncertainty is making it harder for 60% of shoppers to commit to larger purchases.

“In today’s risk-averse market, every purchase is a deliberate decision. Consumers are looking for more than just products, they are also looking for reassurance – about price, speed, trust. Future Shopper 2025 makes it clear that commercial success now depends on delivering tangible value at every stage of the purchase, from product discovery to delivery. At VML, we translate these consumer needs into strategies that deliver a more effective brand experience,” says Tamás Balog, CEO of VML Hungary.

“Future Shopper 2025 The message is clear: the market advantage will be gained by brands that can simultaneously manage the challenges of speed, price sensitivity, AI-based personalization and experience-centric shopping”

– adds Simon Illés, VML’s Hungarian Business Development Director.