According to Statista, the eCommerce market is going to surpass eight trillion USD by 2027.
2025 is going to see more growth, thanks to advancing technology, digitalization, and increasing consumer comfort with shopping online.
But with the growth of the eCommerce industry will also grow competition among brands. And so, Shopify brands will have to work a little extra hard to ensure growth, customer retention, and profitability.
This blog explores 10 growth strategies for Shopify stores for 2025.
Ecommerce and Shopify statistics 2025
Before we dive in the growth strategies, take a look at these eCommerce and Shopify statistics that throw a light on the vibrant eCommerce market, the opportunities and possibilities:
- The global eCommerce market is expected to reach $4.8 trillion in 2025
- By 2027, 23% of the total retail sales will take place online
- The global retail sales will reach $9 trillion by 2032
- Social commerce will grow as part of eCommerce
- Artificial intelligence (AI) will help enhance eCommerce
- There are around 5 million Shopify websites worldwide
- 30% of websites in the US are on Shopify platform
- 66% of Shopify website owners are small businesses
10 Growth strategies for Shopify stores for 2025
Ecommerce brands use several growth strategies to ensure consistent traffic, sales, customer engagement, and more. However, there are some growth strategies that perform extra well for eCommerce. Apply these growth strategies on your Shopify store in 2025.
1. Subscription
While you might strive for adding new and more customers to your database, having recurring business strategies can truly benefit your Shopify brand.
For instance, having a subscription program can ensure stability, recurring revenue, enhance your business management, and more.
Come 2025, the kind of brands offering subscriptions is also going to expand. From automobiles to medical to dental care, customers will have subscription offers for everything.
Here’s what you can do for your Shopify subscription program in 2025:
- Design a subscription plan that aligns with your business goals for 2025
- Make your subscription program relevant to your products and services, rather than copying other brands’ subscription strategies
- Install an efficient Shopify subscription app to help you manage your subscription business model
- Make your subscription model stand out by offering unique perks and benefits
- Consistently monitor and optimize your subscription plan with better marketing strategies, such as SEO, content marketing, etc.
Also read: Best practices for subscription customer portal to increase conversions
Example of an automobile subscription model:
2. Membership
Just like subscription models, Shopify membership programs are also going to be a preferred growth strategy for brands.
Membership plans help eCommerce retailers build long-term customer associations, add value to customers, earn recurring revenue through membership fees, and build stronger customer communities of members.
While many brands offer membership plans, few are able to sustain it and benefit from it. Here are some ways for you to ensure an effective membership program:
- Design a unique and meaningful membership program that adds value to members
- Build member communities, personalize their experience, create relevant experiences for members
- If your membership plan is old and outdated, give it a shake up with new features
- Install a Shopify membership app to help you automate tasks, use AI, data and analytics to offer a better experience
3. Referrals
For eCommerce brands, some of the most valuable leads come from existing customers through referrals. And referral leads drive 30% higher conversion. That’s because leads that come through existing, loyal and happy customers are of a better quality.
With high competition amongst brands and everyone trying to grab customers’ attention, people tend to avoid falling into marketing gimmicks. Instead, they trust their friends and family members and recommendations that come from their close ones.
Incorporating a referral marketing strategy for your Shopify store can help your brand grow. Even word-of-mouth referrals from your existing customers can help you bring more genuine leads. Imagine if you strategically make it one of your marketing strategies.
Here’s an example from AirBnB
4. Loyalty
Ecommerce marketers know the value of customer loyalty. Repeat customers not only increase your profits, reduce your customer acquisition costs, but also boost the average order value.
That brings us to loyalty and rewards programs — one of the best Shopify strategies that drive growth. But with every other brand offering loyalty and rewards programs, customers are facing loyalty fatigue. They are participating in only those loyalty programs that add value to their experience.
Here are a few cues to help you design an effective loyalty strategy:
- Design a loyalty program based on the requirements of your business
- Use an efficient Shopify loyalty program app, such as Appstle Loyalty & Rewards
- Offer benefits and perks that differentiate you from other brands
- Ensure consistent communication and engagement with customers
- Automate your Shopify rewards program to offer discounts, reduce churn, and increase repeat purchases
5. Influencers
69% of customers trust influencers. In 2025, customers are not only going to look at influencers for good recommendations, but they will also be able to make purchases via the influencers’ social posts and websites.
While only big brands used influencer marketing earlier, now, small and micro brands are also able to integrate influencer marketing. Besides, influencer marketing works for both D2C and B2B brands.
Let’s look at some influencer trends for 2025:
- Artificial intelligence (AI) influencers will become more popular and accepted among consumers
- Depending on your business and needs, choose from micro or macro influencers
- Be selective when choosing influencers and the number of influencers. Collaborate with only those that resonate with your brand
- Use digital tools and technology to manage your influencer marketing. For instance, enable sales of your products via the influencer’s social accounts
Here’s an example of an AI fashion influencer:
6. User generated content
User generated content (UGC) is created by customers, not brands. However, brands do share UGC on their channels. UGC can be in the form of reviews, photos and videos posted on social media sites, blog posts, articles, unboxing videos, etc.
UGC works well because it is authentic content that comes from consumers and is not marketing content created by brands. Here are some ways you can test user generated content as a marketing strategy for your Shopify brand in 2025.
- Source UGC from various online sources such as review platforms, social media, by searching your brand name, etc.
- Invite customers to submit their content by running contests, giveaways, etc.
- Encourage customers to tag your brand name, share your hashtags, among other ways to generate UGC
- Ensure you ask for customers permission before reposting or resharing their content
- Share UGC via email, newsletters, your social platforms, etc.
- Offer rewards to customers who share UGC
- Integrate UGC strategy with various elements of your Shopify store, for example, subscriptions, membership programs, etc.
7. Integrated marketing
With business and workflows becoming more complicated, it is a must for eCommerce brands to prioritize integrated marketing. It involves syncing various channels across departments. For instance, integrate email, SMS, WhatsApp, social media, etc. so as to create a seamless flow of information within your organization.
Also, integrated marketing helps enhance customer experience. For instance, all customer data gets collected under one umbrella, giving a more accurate understanding of customers needs.
Here’s what you can do:
- Understand your target audience, their problems and needs
- Set your Shopify goals and objectives for 2025 and align your marketing plan with your goals
- Choose the channels you want to incorporate within your marketing strategy and how you will integrate them
- Use a comprehensive Shopify app that helps you integrate various marketing tools
- Consistently monitor your integrated marketing systems and adapt for better ROI
8. Proactive customer support
No matter how digitized your Shopify website is with the most advanced tools, you will still need to prioritize customer support. Brands that offer better customer experience will have a greater advantage.
According to Gartner, 75% of businesses will prioritize customer experience over product and price. A big part of customer experience is the quality or customer service you provide.
Here’s what your customer support should include in 2025:
- Power Shopify customers support with AI and digital tools
- Integrate various channels for a seamless experience
- Incorporate tools that help you collect and analyze data, predict customer wants, and deliver personalized and relevant experiences matching individual preferences
- Provide a mix of AI bots, digital tools, and human intervention when necessary
- Offer a personalized customer service experience
- Prioritize post-purchase customer support to ensure customers come back for repeat purchases
9. SEO
The need for an effective SEO plan is even greater in 2025. However, with new algorithms, new and advanced technologies, and changing consumer behaviors, Shopify retailers need to take a fresh approach with SEO in the coming year.
SEO helps brands drive traffic, improve brand awareness and visibility, offer personalized experiences to customers, and make brands more relevant to target customers.
Here’s what you must prioritize in your SEO marketing strategy in 2025:
- Integrate AI and ML into your SEO strategies to make the most of data
- Base your marketing plan on a deep understanding on how algorithms work
- Hire an expert SEO and content marketing agency to help you navigate this section of your marketing plan
- Aim to generate more engagement, clicks, and interactions through your SEO activities
- Conduct advanced keyword research based on your target audiences needs
- Invest in content creation, content marketing, and a long-term content plan for 2025
10. Automation
While automation is nothing new, in 2025, its use is going to become more strategic. Companies and brands are now more comfortable using automation and AI. Consumers are more accepting and expect brands to provide relevant experiences.
Here’s how you can integrate automation and offer a more intelligent experience to your Shopify customers in 2025, while growing your business:
- Create an integrated system and flow within your company so that all the departments have information collected through customer data
- Incorporate real-time data collection and analysis to enhance customer experience
- Predict product demand, customer needs, identify problems before the arise with the help of automation and ML
- Automate communication with customers to always stay connected with them
- Ensure a secure online shopping experience for customers
Get started with your Shopify growth strategies for 2025
If you’re a Shopify store retailer looking to grow your brand in 2025, try these strategies. However, to ensure a strong foundation and seamless flow through the year, you will require the help of a comprehensive Shopify app, such as Appstle.
Appstle offers tools for subscriptions, memberships, loyalty programs, and bundling plans for Shopify stores across industries. Retailers in lifestyle, service, apparel, jewelry, food, and electronics goods businesses use the various apps offered by Appstle.
