Find the right way to use eCommerce trends to strengthen your brand. From brand loyalty to agentic commerce – the eCommerce market is one of the most innovative spaces with consumer behavior’s dictating business strategies.
Product subscriptions for higher customer loyalty & market share increase #
eCommerce, especially for consumer goods, is a highly competitive industry that requires you to stand out. If you operate locally, there might come a point when you hit a growth limit. Usually, this leaves you with different options:
- Accept the “wall”
- Expand to other markets
- Expand your product range
- Focus on retention and customer lifetime value (LTV)
By introducing subscriptions, you can cover three of the four named options without having to drastically change your product line. Furthermore, you have different options to introduce subscriptions to your business:
- Surprise boxes
- Convenience subscriptions
- Service subscriptions (e.g. free repairs, free shipping, free returns)
- Paid memberships
How do you start eCommerce subscriptions?
Identify what value (gap) would have the biggest impact on your customer retention and revenue. Depending on your products, customers and markets, you might want to offer:
- Consumer goods subscriptions for necessary products that your customers buy regularly. This could decrease the chance that they will get a similar product from a competitor (example: Matas)
- New or popular versions of your product as a surprise product subscription for your most loyal customers (example: Champagneklubben)
- Free services such as repairs, free shipping, free returns as part of a service subscription and increase the likelihood of customers buying from you once they are subscribed or continuing their relationship with you (for products with high longevity such as cars or computers) (example: Ejner Hessel)
Loyalty programs & club memberships to decrease churn #
Technically, a paid membership is just as much a subscription as a product or service subscription. However, in many markets, a customer club membership usually is expected to be free of charge (In Denmark, paid customer memberships are very common but in Germany, for example, they are expected to be free of charge). The idea is that a membership will increase retention, up-sell and cross-sell opportunities and overall spending due to the advantages of discounts, free shipping, etc.
According to research from CX expert Shep Hyken, loyalty programs can give you a competitive edge when it comes to acquisition, retention and customer lifetime value:
- 53% of customers will pay more for a company that has a good loyalty or rewards program.
- 46% of customers would choose a brand over another (even if it’s more expensive) if they can earn more points.
- 50% of customers stay at a company because of the loyalty program.
Nowadays, customers can get overwhelmed with the amount of loyalty programs, apps and communication they receive. Your program therefore needs to provide competitive value and align with your brand to be memorable.
Additionally, you need to crunch the numbers to make sure that you’re not loosing revenue with your loyalty programs. Usually, your most loyal customers will be most engaged with your loyalty program.
But how many of these loyal customers would still purchase your products even without the discounts? And how can you set up a system that targets customers who would only purchase with a discount and still rewards your loyal customers?
Analytics-based personalized offers can shift certain discounts and offers to customers who need the incentive to purchase. At the same time, you need to identify what your most loyal customers value most in a loyalty program – it might not always be a discount but an invite to an exclusive event or first access to new product lines or limited editions.
AI shopping for more a personalized experience #
Speaking of personalization: AI, specifically GenAI is here to stay but how can it be used to improve the customer experience? According to a recent DHL survey, 7 out of 10 global shoppers want smarter, personalized shopping experiences. But not every use of AI is automatically better for the customer experience.
We see two different approaches to AI and predictive analytics to personalize the shopping experience.
1. AI chatbots (where they make sense)
Almost every single website has their own chatbot that supports with low-level issues and questions. This doesn’t just reduce support tickets but also provides 24/7 support for customers.
However, to enhance the customer experience and not cause friction, the chatbot needs to:
- be easy to use
- provide accurate data (a challenge when it comes to LLM models)
- communicate clearly what it can and can’t do
- include a jump-off point to human support if necessary
- be compliant with data security regulations (e.g. how it processes and provides sensitive information to support)
2. Predictive analytics for personalized offers and campaigns
Predictive analytics can be used in various ways to gain a better understanding of individual customer behavior and anticipate future actions based on historical data of similar customer profiles and behaviors. As such, it can be applied to identify the right actions, campaigns, pricing, product offers and messages that will increase conversions, retention, prevent churn, and increase the customer lifetime value.
You can read how it works for churn forecasting in our blog article or watch our webinar to see how it works at Frisbii.
Social media is your gateway to reach more audiences #
Social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are playing an increased role in eCommerce shopping behavior with 7 out of 10 global shoppers saying that they have made purchases via social media (source: DHL).
From user-generated content (UGC) to influencer marketing – do not neglect your social media strategy since it can drastically impact your reach and brand recognition.
Some highlights from the DHL shopping survey:
- 82% of shoppers report that their purchase decisions are impacted by trending or viral products. However, customer reviews and discounts have – on average – the highest impact.
- Gen Z are more likely to buy from Instagram or TikTok, however, 52% of shoppers still buy from Facebook.
- Different countries have a highly different user behavior for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. For example, most (surveyed) Swedish shoppers buy on Facebook whereas German shoppers prefer Instagram.
- 37% of consumers shop more frequently due to social media and 31% will make more impulse purchases.
Mobile experience to bridge the generation gap #
One of the biggest generational differences is the use of phones for shopping online. According to DHL, 83% of millennials prefer shopping through mobile apps with Gen Z likely to top these numbers. In fact, 91% of all online shoppers prefer shopping via their phones which makes it crucial to optimize your shopping experience and checkout for smartphones.
Why is mobile responsiveness important for your eCommerce?
1. If your web shop is not optimized for smartphones, potential new customers might abandon your shop. Worst case, they experience errors during the checkout process which can harm trust and make it less likely that they will return.
2. Many customers are discovering brands on social media which most people access on their phones. Creating a smooth mobile experience means that your customers do not need to switch devices (which can interrupt their journey).
3. Additionally, most search engines are ranking pages based on their mobile responsiveness. If your web shop is not responsive for mobile devices, it’s less likely to organically rank high on Google.
Should you invest in an app?
Apps are still a big opportunity to increase customer loyalty but with a few caveats. According to YouGov, every fifth customer has downloaded an app to complete a transaction but that alone does not mean that they will continue to use it. In the same survey, shopping apps place only 7th out of 10 as the “top apps you couldn’t live without.”
Combining an app with a loyalty program and providing additional values will increase the chances of engagement. But given how many apps the average person has on their phone (an often cited number is 80) and how many of these are being actively used (around 30-40), your core app users are most likely customers who are already loyal to your brand (which does not mean that an app is not worth it).
According to a SAP survey, 36% of brand-loyal consumers install the app of their favourite brand on their phone.
Post-purchase experience to keep consumers engaged #
From buyer’s remorse to customer loyalty – you want your one-time purchases to turn into frequent buyers. Loyal customers are more likely to spend more and recommend your brand. Nurturing relationships is therefore as important for eCommerce businesses as it is for SaaS companies.
Turn buyer’s remorse into regret of inaction
Studies have shown that customers are more likely to experience buyer’s remorse when they purchase a product/object in contrast to an experience (e.g. movie tickets, a vacation). In contrast, more people rather regret not purchasing an experience.
Some theories speculate that this could be due to the high amount of competitive / comparable products and features on the market. In comparison, a specific concert is hardly ever as comparable to another concert than, say, a smartphone or TV set. One could call this FOMO (fear of missing out).
However, research by Emily Rosenzweig and Thomas Gilovich showed that your customer’s state of mind can be changed by focusing your product messaging on the experience instead of the product. What can the customer do with the product, how does it impact their life? This reframing can reduce buyer’s remorse and increase regret of inaction.
Customer loyalty is the baseline for economic stability #
When Covid disrupted the global economy over the course of a few weeks, companies with strong customer communities as well as companies who were quick to change to digital channels and subscriptions handled crisis a lot better than others.
Even today, companies who are flexible in their monetization strategies, e.g. by adding subscription services, memberships or loyalty programs, profit from more predictable revenue and higher customer lifetime value.
- 68% of consumers say that they are loyal to a brand.
- Brand names don’t matter as much as experience. 64% of consumers ignore brand names when they purchase a product.
- Trends and virality have become huge selling drivers. In fact, 28% of consumers have switched brands because they were bored with the offer. Excitement is part of the experience.
- Product quality & range, good prices, discounts & loyalty incentives as well as excellent customer service are still the main reasons why customers stay true to a brand.
Source: SAP
What will get you customer loyalty?
- A product that is exciting, on trend and that feels like an experience.
- A frictionless customer journey and excellent support. This includes seamless payments, transparent invoices, smooth deliveries and service options that are fast and helpful.
- Discounts, loyalty campaigns and incentives that reward consumers for coming back
eCommerce trends outlook: Will agentic commerce change everything? #
What is agentic commerce?
Agentic commerce describes the ability to search for and purchase products all inside a chatbot. The idea is that:
- The user will type in the kind of product they are looking for, including specifications, price limits, etc.
- The chatbot will then search the web and present suggestions.
- The user can then look at the specific suggestions, make a decision and …
- Securely order and pay for the product without ever having to leave the chatbot.
While this technology is not yet available in Europe, some of the big payment players such as Visa are working on it and expect a first pilot later this year. At the Frisbii Community Day 2026, some of our subscription experts predicted that agentic commerce will change the purchase behavior drastically to a point that businesses will have to be ready to change their marketing, sales and product strategy to compete.
To keep up with the trends, you need a payments and subscription management partner who can scale with your business goals. Frisbii provides you with a reliable payment gateway as well as a diverse range of subscription and membership options to expand your portfolio and increase customer loyalty. Additionally, we are ready for agentic commerce as soon as it goes live in Europe.
Interested? Talk to our sales team to see how we can fit into your business strategy.
