My 2025 Predictions
2025 is here and I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one for lots of businesses 🙏🏼
Covid and the ‘cost of living’ crisis seem long behind us and although there are still lots of people struggling for cash, the tide has definitely turned and so has the conversation around it - like with any negative economic effects, they quickly become the new normal, people adapt, cut their cloth and move on.
Echoing what I said this time last year…people are absolutely spending still, that hasn’t changed. You only need to look at BFCM figures for 2024 and rightly or wrongly the corresponding BNPL figures too. People are buying still.
So where should you focus your energy this year and why?
Let’s take a look…
1.Community
Customers want to be influenced by brands more and more, it’s a fact! Yes you might be sick of hearing marketers talk about this but now more than ever you can’t ignore it. But what does it actually mean??
Think of it like the glue that holds your brand together in the same way you have a good relationship with a friend. What’s it built on? Mainly trust and shared interests. Your business is no different.
However, what lots of brands don’t have still that is an absolute requirement is personality!!
A ‘community’ can be whatever you want it to be, but ultimately you’re bringing people closer to your business core. Selling becomes seemingly secondary. Obviously it’s no.1 but your customers prefer ‘quiet selling’.
2. A switch back to micro over macro
Those big accounts and celebs taking a gift off literally anyone are goners in 2025.
Consumers now demand connections and synergy that are genuine, both between the brand and the account and between the account and themselves. Relationships are the focus - they want emotion and meaning.
With the rise in home working versus 5 years ago along with the younger generations focussing on online versus ‘real’ relationships - socialising looks totally different today. And it’s this that brands need to tap into. Getting into their psyche is so valuable.
No one wants to feel alone and the need to ‘hand hold’ is greater than ever. With this comes a greater demand on brands on many levels also (my next point).
3. Greater focus on product and quality
With better relationship building comes a rise in ‘customer closeness’. And what this means is, they make bigger demands of you. They feel more closely connected and they feel like they can speak their minds more freely - a blessing and a curse.
Gone are the days where you can put an average product on an ad and print some cash. These customers expect more AND they talk. The last thing you want is them ripping your product apart.
Product can’t be an afterthought behind selling. I see this so often - an ok product with a focus on shifting it. Start with the product and the sales will look after themselves (well they won’t but you get the gist).
The same applies for customer service, website optimisation, ease of purchase etc. In summary bring your ‘A game’.
4. Ads focus on creative and experience
More than ever before your ads will need to be really good to stand out.
This doesn’t mean super polished it just means great creative, a great hook and when they click through it means a great experience.
If you’ve not yet used landing pages then now is your time - the smooth transition for a cold customer from ad to brand to purchase is really important for conversion.
It’s always very evident when a brand doesn’t really know its customer versus one that does. The latter feels like it makes sense.
Spend some serious time putting your best foot forward and testing what works.
5. Retention is the pulse of your business
Playing out alongside community, retention is more important than ever. Your current customers are the lifeblood of your business and yes they’ve always been important but it’s now about cloning them. You want people who attach themselves to your brand like glue.
This is about ranging too and how you can give them reasons to come back. This comes with its challenges of course but if you have the opportunity to give them further reasons to shop with you then do it.
These guys are also much easier to get money out of than new customers. Making sure you maximise this in 2025 is an easy win.
6. Brand vs. Personality collabs
Coming together with another brand can be really powerful. I feel like lots gave this a go about 5 years ago but many got it wrong. With their focus solely on gaining access to another audience with no follow up, it wasn’t always successful, lacking any emotion or sincerity.
Again with the focus on community, building something with another brand with an audience perfectly fitted to yours could be really rewarding. When it’s right it’s great.
But another theme I think we’ll see much more of in 2025 is personality collabs - think influencer campaigns but actually building a product or range WITH the ‘influencer/creator’ in question. And on that note creators will be in high demand.
7. Storytelling versus. vibe led content
There’s no doubt that storytelling plays a huge part in branding and it’s something you need to continuously do but there’s a distinct difference between storytelling and creating a ‘vibe’. It’s become more obvious in recent years but in 2025 leaning into this will be well received.
Similar to some of the points already mentioned - community, collabs etc brands need to ascertain the difference in their audiences.
Millennials need a story, everything needs to make sense. They have questions they need comprehensive responses on.
Gen Z on the other hand are more interested in vibes. They’re in touch much more with how they feel and they want to draw alignment between themselves and the general vibe a brand gives off.
Ever scrolled a new brand you’ve come across only to be left thinking what’s all this about, it’s strange, I don’t get it - well you’re probably over 25 like me.
Make sure your content really appeals in this way.
That’s a wrap…
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February 2025 will also see ALL NEW content taking the total module count to 10 covering all the fundamentals you need to run a successful and profitable business. Whether you’re doing £10k a year or £1m a year this is for you.
The Membership distils down my 16 years worth of knowledge and experience in retail into the most important aspects so you can gain focus and clarity and really grow your business from the core.
See you in there!