E-commerce businesses are set to see significant changes to search engine results pages in 2025. From October 2024, Google began introducing changes regarding authenticity, legitimacy and social proof that now directly impact search visibility and ranking position for e-commerce businesses.
The first change was the introduction of store ratings:
(Source: Google Store Ratings Overview)
Google now gathers on-site reviews to calculate a store's rating, which is then displayed on the search results page. Websites with higher ratings are given priority in rankings. As a result, it’s crucial to actively collect reviews and showcase social proof to avoid losing ground to competitors who may be displaying a greater volume of reviews.
These reviews and ranking correlations continue into individual product sections:
(Source: Google Store Ratings Overview)
Product sections are no longer dedicated to sponsored products – these products are now entirely organic and are ranked highly due to large quantities of verified reviews.
Further changes are expected in 2025, as AI advancements and the introduction of Apple’s AI will create significant market disruption. Siri, Apple’s built-in intelligence, will integrate ChatGPT-4, enabling it to provide results directly, bypassing the traditional search engine results pages. This shift means Siri will rely on ChatGPT-4 to pull information from its own sources, offering users immediate answers without the need to navigate through a list of websites.
However, it's important to note the recent issues surrounding Siri, which have raised concerns about the reliability of Apple's AI. Following reports of Siri providing incorrect or incomplete responses, many users have begun to question the accuracy of the technology. This could impact public perception, as people may develop a negative opinion of Siri's capabilities, especially when compared to other AI services.
This means it is crucial for businesses to adapt by optimising for different types of search. This includes ensuring their content is accessible to AI bots, as well as AI-powered search engines like Perplexity.
It’s also vital to focus on local search optimisation. Using techniques like GeoSEO, can help businesses appear in local search results and ensure your business is listed and up to date on platforms such as Google My Business. With AI playing a larger role in how people search for information, these strategies will be essential to maintaining visibility and staying ahead in the search rankings.
It's also likely that product search results will change to become entirely shopping feed-focused – which means a new type of optimisation strategy on product listings. It’s expected that Search Generative Experience will change results pages to appear more like Amazon feed listings than a normal Google search. This means that product photography, optimised product descriptions and social proof will become increasingly important to show authenticity, trustworthiness and legitimacy as well as match and beat competitors.
These ongoing and anticipated changes are making the e-commerce landscape increasingly difficult for brands seeking to capture organic traffic. In addition to this, there are three other key areas that e-commerce businesses should be mindful of, which are also contributing to the growing challenges of the organic search environment:
Major marketplaces like Amazon and eBay have solidified their dominance in search results. Google often prioritises these platforms due to their authority, vast product offerings, and seamless user experience. Their extensive SEO resources, vast product catalogues, and high domain authority give them an edge over smaller e-commerce websites.
Source: Ahrefs
Additionally, their aggressive paid advertising strategies often complement their organic visibility, making it even harder for independent brands to compete. Amazon's product listings frequently appear in shopping carousels and featured snippets, while eBay benefits from its extensive backlinks and established trust signals.
This dominance means smaller e-commerce brands must work harder to compete for top positions, especially for high-intent transactional keywords. Without the scale and resources of these giants, niche brands can struggle to gain visibility in competitive product categories without an intelligent or robust organic strategy.
Google's SERPs have evolved far beyond traditional blue links. Rich snippets, featured snippets, product carousels, and local packs now occupy prime real estate on the results page. These interactive features provide users with quick answers and product comparisons directly in the SERP, often reducing clicks to organic listings. E-commerce brands must now optimise for these SERP features or risk being overshadowed, as users engage more with visually rich and interactive content.
With these changes, results are also much more focused on price and ratings as this information is front and centre, meaning it can be harder to differentiate brands and products in SERPs. So, to stay visible in search results, e-commerce brands must prioritise high-quality product photography, detailed product descriptions, and user-generated content like reviews and ratings. Engaging visuals can enhance product carousels and image searches, while authentic customer reviews and high store ratings build trust and influence purchasing decisions.
Google's continued investment in AI technologies, such as BERT and MUM, has transformed how search queries are interpreted. BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) allows Google to understand the context of words in a search query rather than just matching keywords, leading to more relevant results. MUM (Multitask Unified Model) takes this further by processing information across different formats—text, images, and even video—to provide comprehensive answers to complex queries.
This shift means that Google is now better equipped to understand user intent and deliver personalised, context-rich search results. While this improves user experience, it complicates traditional SEO strategies. To stay competitive, keyword targeting alone is no longer sufficient and e-commerce brands must now focus on:
Technology has become a pivotal driver of e-commerce growth, empowering businesses to achieve unparalleled efficiency while delivering highly personalised, high-quality customer experiences at speed. By harnessing the power of AI, automation, and predictive analytics, e-commerce brands can revolutionise the way they engage with their customers whilst streamlining their operations.
AI has been transformative in enabling tailored customer experiences. Platforms like Klaviyo and HubSpot leverage AI to simplify and accelerate the creation of marketing campaigns and automation. AI can be utilised in these platforms to create features such as workflow design, dynamic list segmentation, and AI-driven email copy creation quickly, allowing users to develop impactful marketing campaigns at scale without compromising on quality.
Automation tools, such as those offered by HubSpot and Klaviyo, are equally critical in delivering hyper-personalised experiences at scale. Advanced workflows can be triggered based on specific criteria, adapting dynamically to customer interactions within the workflow or their individual attributes. For instance, Shopify’s integration with Klaviyo creates a powerful ecosystem for personalisation. This integration enables businesses to track customer activity, such as viewing specific product pages, and use this data in automation like browse abandonment workflows to re-engage customers with relevant messaging. By automating repetitive tasks, these tools free up resources, allowing brands to focus on strategic marketing initiatives while simultaneously reducing operational costs. Additionally, automation helps deliver targeted promotions and content, ensuring that customers receive offers tailored to their preferences and behaviour.
Example of browse abandonment email. Source: Popups Smart
Additionally, predictive analytics takes personalisation to the next level. Platforms like Klaviyo analyse vast amounts of customer data to deliver actionable insights, such as predicting customer lifetime value or identifying likely churn rates. These insights enable businesses to quickly pinpoint the most valuable segments to target through automation, helping drive engagement and conversions with precision.
In summary, platforms like Klaviyo, HubSpot and Shopify, demonstrate the transformative power of technology in e-commerce. By integrating AI, automation and predictive analytics, businesses can enhance their marketing efforts, deliver highly personalised customer experiences and drive sustained growth. In an industry where price and cost competitiveness often dominate, leveraging these technologies provides a crucial edge, allowing brands to differentiate themselves, optimise operations and maintain long-term success in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.
The role of social media platforms (TikTok, Instagram) is crucial for e-commerce growth in 2025, with their shopping features driving traffic directly to product pages (social selling).
Partnering with influencers or running affiliate marketing campaigns can enhance brand visibility and increase traffic through non-organic channels. Retail media networks, such as Amazon Advertising and Walmart Connect, are essential for e-commerce businesses to tap into new audiences and drive sales.
E-commerce brands must think beyond organic search when it comes to driving traffic and sales. Relying solely on SEO leaves businesses vulnerable to algorithm changes and increasing competition. Diversifying marketing channels by including social media, influencer partnerships, and retail media networks creates a more resilient and dynamic growth strategy. Engaging with multiple channels helps brands to build awareness, reach new customers, and provide a more seamless and engaging customer experience.
In 2025, social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest are set to dominate e-commerce with their powerful shopping features. TikTok’s short, engaging videos make product discovery exciting and viral, Instagram’s shoppable tags turn inspiration into instant sales, and Pinterest remains a hub for product inspiration that seamlessly connects to buying options. With these platforms blurring the lines between content and commerce, social selling has become essential for driving direct traffic to product pages. Savvy brands are also embracing user-generated content on these platforms, such as unboxing videos and reviews, to build trust and increase engagement. Social proof remains a key driver of purchasing decisions, making it vital for brands to build communities, tell their story and create immersive shopping experiences.
Partnerships are another cornerstone of a well-rounded marketing strategy. Collaborating with influencers, affiliate marketers, and other brands can amplify reach and boost credibility. Influencers bring authenticity and trust, turning their loyal followers into paying customers. Affiliate marketing incentivises traffic and sales, creating performance-based partnerships that pay off. Successful examples include Gymshark’s influencer-first approach, which drove its massive growth, and Glossier’s community-led strategy, which transformed everyday customers into brand advocates.
Source: Gym Shark
Additionally, retail media networks like Amazon Advertising and Walmart Connect offer access to vast audiences and sophisticated targeting, making them indispensable tools for e-commerce brands aiming to scale.
In 2025, focusing solely on organic rankings is no longer a viable strategy for sustained growth. The digital environment has evolved, and so too have customer expectations. To stay ahead, e-commerce brands must adopt a multi-channel marketing approach that integrates SEO, paid search, social media and content marketing. By combining these elements, businesses can ensure they reach customers at various touchpoints, increase brand visibility, and optimise conversions.
While SEO remains crucial, it’s now just one part of a larger strategy. The dominance of digital marketplaces and shifting search algorithms means that brands relying solely on organic search risk missing out on substantial opportunities. Complementing SEO efforts with paid ads (Google Ads, social media ads) and utilising social media platforms for direct engagement and brand loyalty can provide an immediate boost while building long-term, sustainable growth. Furthermore, content marketing plays an essential role in nurturing customers throughout their journey, providing the valuable information and emotional connection they need to convert.
To truly stand out, brands must also embrace the omnichannel approach, delivering consistent, seamless experiences across web, mobile, and physical stores. A personalised experience powered by AI and data analytics is increasingly critical for e-commerce success. By harnessing customer insights, brands can deliver hyper-targeted marketing campaigns and tailored offers that resonate on an individual level, driving higher engagement and conversions.
As we look to 2025 and beyond, agility and adaptability will be key. E-commerce brands must stay ahead of trends, invest in emerging technologies, and continuously adapt their strategies to keep pace.
If you’re looking to build a robust, future-proof e-commerce strategy, we’re here to help. Get in touch with us today to discuss how we can assist in integrating the right technologies and channels to accelerate your growth.