From the rise of AI to purchasing on social media, instances are altering quick. Some client traits are a flash within the pan, however others characterize a everlasting change in shopping for habits. If your enterprise doesn’t sustain with the latter, you possibly can get left behind.

To assist entrepreneurs and enterprise homeowners keep forward of the curve, we’ve surveyed 700+ U.S. adults for HubSpot’s annual Consumer Trends Report. Maintain studying to maintain a pulse on:

• How customers spend their time on-line.
• How and the place they like to buy.
• Which requirements they’re holding their favourite manufacturers to.

Meet the Future Shopper

I spent just a few hours digging by HubSpot’s survey outcomes to uncover the highest client traits in purchasing, customer support, and expertise. With voices and responses from over 700 folks, right here’s what I discovered.

The longer term client is digitally savvy, preferring cell commerce and social media platforms for product discovery. Youthful generations choose influencer suggestions and short-form video content material to get concepts and inspiration. Search patterns are altering, with prospects beginning to flip to social media and AI chat over conventional search engines like google and yahoo.

Shoppers need choices from manufacturers: Extra cost choices and channel choices for customer support. Whereas extra persons are experimenting with AI, many don’t belief the tech but.

Though comfort is essential, it isn’t the one consideration for customers. Sustainability, social advocacy, and knowledge privateness have gotten extra essential for customers making selections between manufacturers.

Digital Media Developments

Let’s dive into these traits one after the other.

1. Social commerce is rising.

Social media platforms have turn into a prime place for folks to each uncover and purchase merchandise.

Our Shopper Developments Report discovered that social media is the highest channel for product discovery for Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X.

This may be each passive, by scrolling by posts and movies, and energetic — like when somebody searches for a specific product.

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One in 4 social media customers (and 43% of Gen Z) have purchased a product instantly by a social media app up to now three months.

Of the social media platforms, Instagram, Fb, and TikTok are the preferred for direct purchases. Some customers stay cautious, nonetheless, about subpar customer support or getting scammed by pretend outlets.

2. Gen Z embraces new social media platforms, whereas legacy platforms stagnate.

87% of U.S. adults use social media. Whereas legacy apps like Fb and Instagram aren’t going anyplace, additionally they aren’t rising like they used to. Newer social media platforms like BeReal, Twitch, and TikTok are gaining traction, whereas established platforms like Fb and Instagram see slower progress.

This shift is especially pronounced amongst youthful customers. Fb doesn’t crack the highest three platforms Gen Z makes use of, whereas TikTok tops the checklist. Shoppers are embracing decentralized platforms like Bluesky, Mastadon, or Discord as they retreat from X.

When selecting a platform to be on, remember the fact that customers like completely different social media platforms for various causes. Folks like Fb and Instagram primarily to maintain up with family and friends, whereas they choose up YouTube and TikTok to be entertained.

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3. Search habits is altering.

Whereas conventional search engines like google and yahoo stay dominant, social search and AI are disrupting the panorama.

Google loved 90% of the search engine market share from 2015 to 2024, however in January 2025, the large’s monopoly dipped below 90% for the primary time in a decade. The explanations for this are three-fold:

• The rise of alternate search engines like google and yahoo. Small numbers of customers are migrating to privacy-centric search engines like google and yahoo like DuckDuckGo and Bing.
• AI-enabled search. Quite than turning to Google, customers are beginning to seek for merchandise and concepts on apps like ChatGPT or Perplexity. Experts expect ChatGPT alone to take 1% of the search market in 2025. Our survey discovered that 72% of customers plan on utilizing gen AI-powered seek for purchasing sooner or later. Of these already utilizing it, 79% mentioned their expertise was higher than purchasing experiences with conventional search.

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• Social product discovery. As I’ve already coated, youthful customers are turning to social media platforms to search out inspiration and merchandise. 36% of social media customers say they seek for manufacturers and services or products on platforms, and 24% seek for native outlets or companies. 18% of customers (and 31% of Millennials) say they flip to platforms like YouTube to seek for solutions to questions as an alternative of Google.

4. Financial uncertainty means tighter budgets.

Most companies aren’t positive what to make of the economic system in 2025. Shoppers aren’t both. Whereas folks we surveyed disagree about whether or not we’re in a recession, the impression is actual: 47% say they’ve taken steps to arrange for a possible recession.

Right here’s how that interprets to spending: 55% of individuals say they’re tightening their budgets due to present financial situations, whereas simply 11% say they’re loosening them. This doesn’t imply customers aren’t spending — they’re merely prioritizing intention and requirements over impulse purchases.

5. Knowledge privateness reigns.

75% of customers now imagine that knowledge privateness is a human proper. Whereas knowledge protections are a lot stricter in Europe than within the U.S., customers are making their preferences identified.

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We requested what would make customers extra snug sharing knowledge with corporations, and it comes right down to belief, transparency, and safety.

Of customers, 75% need to be in charge of what’s taking place with the data they supply — what knowledge is collected, the way it’s used, and with whom it’s shared.

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6. Shoppers are divided on social advocacy from manufacturers.

Shoppers are divided in regards to the function corporations ought to play in social advocacy. There are massive variations of opinion on whether or not corporations needs to be vocal on social points or keep out of it: 43% say manufacturers shouldn’t take a stance, whereas 36% say they need to.

Check out Goal, for instance. The retailer was some of the outspoken advocates of DEI in the course of the Black Lives Matter wave of 2020 and 2021. In early 2025, Goal dropped its DEI initiatives, sparking reward from just a few however a big outcry and a 40-day boycott from many longtime prospects.

The highest points customers need to hear about are inexpensive healthcare, local weather change, and revenue inequality. 55% of customers imagine corporations ought to advocate for racial justice, whereas simply 15% say they shouldn’t.

Talking out generally is a gamble — however so can staying silent. The bottom line is to know your viewers properly so you may observe their lead and act on the values which can be essential to your model and management.

7. Inexperienced is the brand new black.

Sustainability is a non-negotiable expectation for services throughout all industries. Shoppers are more and more prioritizing sustainability of their buying choices.

In actual fact, 58% of consumers globally are willing to pay more for eco-friendly merchandise, with Millennials (60%) and Gen Z (58%) main this development. Manufacturers that emphasize transparency in sourcing and manufacturing are prone to achieve a aggressive edge in 2025.

8. AI as a private assistant.

AI is changing into the last word private assistant, providing personalised and predictive options in our private {and professional} lives. After I want to search out an acceptable product, test on an order standing, or file an insurance coverage declare, I can typically do it 24/7 by an AI assistant.

This matches the development of self-service that I’ve seen rising for a while. Our analysis discovered that when researching a model or product, 59% of customers choose to assemble info themselves reasonably than converse to a human. Additionally they anticipate quick drawback decision on the channel of their alternative.

This doesn’t apply simply to purchasing, however to buyer companies and gross sales. If you happen to haven’t already, think about organising an AI assistant or chatbot to assist customers reply fundamental questions, request customer support assist, or schedule appointments.

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9. Make it omnichannel.

Prospects desire a seamless integration of digital and bodily purchasing experiences, throughout a number of channels. They anticipate ultra-convenient, frictionless experiences in each interplay with manufacturers and companies.

For instance, if I chat with a enterprise on Fb Messenger a few return, I anticipate them to have the ability to pull up my order. On the enterprise facet, we name this omnichannel expertise.

Listed below are the channels that prospects choose for interacting with manufacturers:

• Cellphone (49%)
• In-person at a bodily retailer (44%)
• Electronic mail (32%)
• Stay chat instrument/chatbot (25%)
• Textual content message/SMS (22%)

That’s a tall order for companies to serve prospects by all of these channels and maintain the context and degree of service the identical throughout every one.

So, what does it take to create an omnichannel expertise? You want an built-in platform that may sync buyer knowledge throughout channels and equip advertising and marketing groups, customer support reps, and AI assistants with the context and company they should serve prospects’ wants.

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10. Cellular commerce dominates.

Big purchases call for big screens? Not anymore. It comes as no shock to me that cell commerce now dominates on-line purchasing.

Shoppers HubSpot surveyed mentioned they use cellphones greater than some other gadget for on-line purchasing and when trying to find questions on-line. That’s notably true for Gen Z, of which 81% use their cellphone as their main purchasing gadget.

11. Recollections over supplies.

Have you ever requested for an expertise present like a live performance or class for Christmas? Or contributed cash to somebody’s honeymoon fund as an alternative of a marriage present?

Individuals are more and more valuing experiences over materials items, with 58% preferring to spend cash on experiences — 14% larger than the worldwide common.

This development is driving growth in sectors like journey, leisure, and experiential retail as folks search significant, shareable moments reasonably than accumulating extra stuff.

12. Influencers are right here to remain.

In 2025, 29% of individuals say they’ve found a product by an influencer on social media.

Gen Z social media customers say that influencer suggestions are extra impactful than household and pal suggestions, although their elder generations disagree.

The quantity of people that think about themselves influencers is surprisingly massive: 21% of individuals — and a whopping 45% of Gen Z and Millennials — think about themselves influencers or content material creators.

24% of brands work with influencers for campaigns, and most say that it’s an effective marketing strategy. Manufacturers have discovered explicit success with micro-influencers with a distinct segment viewers and 10,000 to 99,999 followers.

13. AI adoption is rising, however belief stays low.

AI adoption is changing into widespread, however customers are nonetheless skeptical. We discovered that one in three customers makes use of AI instruments like chatbots and ChatGPT, however belief remains to be low. 17% of shoppers “strongly mistrust” and 16% “considerably mistrust” AI instruments, whereas 35% neither belief nor mistrust them.

That signifies that as you roll out AI instruments, you’ll have to work arduous to construct belief and talk with transparency.

14. Pay the way you need.

With the explosion in cost strategies from Venmo to CashApp to Zelle to even cryptocurrency, customers need the comfort of alternate cost strategies.

There’s additionally a development that prospects don’t need to pay simply as soon as upfront. Our survey discovered that simply 63% need to pay for a product at full worth. Alternately, 21% need to pay in installments (Purchase Now Pay Later or BNPL), and 17% choose a subscription mannequin. Analysis reveals that 8% of customers already use BNPL, and 31% pay for a digital streaming subscription.

To remain aggressive, think about increasing the cost choices you settle for.

15. Shoppers crave genuine content material.

Shock! Folks really need to see your content material. However — and right here’s the catch — they need it to be genuine and relatable. Virtually two-thirds of customers say it’s extra essential for advertising and marketing content material to be genuine than polished.

Whereas it’s excellent news that you simply don‘t want an enormous funds to woo your audiences, you will want to create content material they’ll really take pleasure in, maintain their consideration on, and be persuaded by.

Movies and pictures are an effective way to attach authentically along with your prospects and showcase the folks behind your model. Listed below are the sorts of content material that prospects say they take pleasure in essentially the most:

• Pictures/photographs/infographics (52%)
• Brief-form video content material like TikToks and Reels (45%)
• Stay movies/stay streams (35%)
• Lengthy-form video content material (24%)

Dive Deeper Into Shopper Developments

Within the put up above, I gave only a few highlights of our State of Shopper Developments Survey, in addition to predictions for what’s to come back. Wish to discover the newest Shopper Developments report and see how traits have modified over time? Click on under to obtain the total findings of that survey in our State of Shopper Developments Report.

Editor’s notice: This put up was initially revealed in Could 2022 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.