To find out, we surveyed over 50 senior decision-makers from brands including PUMA, Dormeo, Hamleys, Selco, and Numatic. The result is our eCommerce 2025 Insights Report - a grounded, honest look at how businesses are investing, evolving, and adapting in a challenging market.

This report gives you data AND direction. It’s shaped by the thinking behind our eEvo Model™, helping you:

• Get clear on where you are

• Understand what’s holding you back

• Map your next strategic move with confidence

Here’s our Top 5 take-aways from the report:

1. Growth expectations are high. But investment remains cautious.

• 74% of respondents expect higher sales in 2025

• But 46% will reinvest less than 5% of their online revenue into platforms

• And only 20% have a well-defined roadmap

"When the market is noisy, expensive, and shifting fast, caution isn’t a weakness - it’s a strategy." – Carl Walker, eCommerce Strategist at GENE

Businesses are making small, deliberate moves, not sweeping overhauls. The priority? Getting the basics right. Performance, personalisation, and platform stability dominate the agenda.

2. Platform performance is priority #1

Performance topped the list of eCommerce challenges in 2024. But underinvestment is leaving many businesses exposed:

• 38% experienced infrastructure failures during peak

• 32% saw slow page loads

• 20% faced checkout errors

“They’re not just IT headaches - they’re barriers to revenue, loyalty, and trust.” – Osvaldo Spadano, Akoova

3. AI: Trending. But not transforming.

56% of brands say AI will have the biggest impact in 2025. But right now, usage is largely tactical:

• 24% use AI for product recommendations

• 18% for search

• 12% for email automation

“From streamlining workflows to accelerating testing and iteration, AI is reshaping day-to-day operations behind the scenes.” - Catherine Rees, Numatic

Strategic use of AI remains rare. Most businesses are still laying the foundations - cleaning up data, stabilising platforms, and building capacity for smarter automation.

4. Personalisation is underused and underperforming

Despite being the top planned AI use case, personalisation still isn’t widely adopted:

• Only 24% plan to introduce AI-driven personalisation

• Even fewer apply it to search or content

“In a marketplace overflowing with options, personalised experiences cut through the noise.” – Catherine Foot, Klevu

Brands that get it right are seeing:

• Up to 300% more revenue from product recommendations

• A 30% lift in conversion from improved on-site search

5. Strategic alignment is the real unlock

“Clarity and cohesion are what separates eCommerce leaders from the rest.” – Duncan Copeland, Client Services Director at GENE

Most brands are still working from fragmented plans and siloed teams. Only a fifth have a structured roadmap that aligns tech, marketing, CX, and commercial outcomes.

That’s exactly what the eEvo Model™ is designed to fix.

Where do you go from here?

If your ambition is to grow, but your tech, team or roadmap is stuck, you’re not alone. The 2025 Insights Report shows that many brands are in the same place: cautious, constrained, and looking for clarity.

Whether you need a benchmark or a blueprint, we can help you take the next step.

• Take the eEvo Model™ assessment

• Download the full eCommerce 2025 Insights Report

• Book a discovery session with the GENE team

GENE Commerce. eCommerce evolved.