Shopify, data, loyalty, and AI (of course!) seem to be the buzzwords of 2025 so far, and let’s be honest, I think most of us saw it coming.
With money tight across the board, businesses are looking at how they can make smaller, incremental improvements, and the majority of the time this syncs back to data and how they can either improve the customer experience or internal efficiencies.
We’ve seen this reflected in the job market too with the rise of data-focused positions, the ever-increasing demand for Shopify Engineers, and the more recent rise of Prompt Engineers.
While things are still a little slow, conversations have been fruitful with intent. The general feeling is that there will be an increase in opportunities over the year, we are, however, still feeling the effects of the budget changes last year; retail, for example, being one of the worst hit areas, is looking at approx. £7 billion extra in running costs.
Personal opinion is that the market will remain choppy over the next 2-3 months, however, we will start to see an increase in project sign-off and new opportunities. Growth is on the cards for a lot of organisations, however, this will be steady and organic.
Gone are the days of dramatic increases in headcount… at least for now.
Market Spotlight + Top 5 eCommerce Stories This Month
- WHSmith is in talks for a potential sale of its 500 high street stores as it explores “strategic options”. It signals a more focused and streamlined travel operation which now accounts for ¾ of the group’s revenue and 85% of its profit READ MORE
- Waitrose & Partners is reintroducing free daily coffee for My Waitrose loyalty members from 27 January, requiring only a reusable cup. The complimentary hot drink can be claimed without a purchase, including dairy alternatives, marking a return to the original 2013 loyalty scheme benefit READ MORE
- JD Sports Fashion reported 1.5% YoY like-for-like revenue growth for the nine weeks to 4 January 2025. Organic revenue rose 3.4%, with footwear outperforming apparel and stores exceeding online performance. Pre-tax profit is now expected between £915m and £935m, reflecting market headwinds READ MORE
- Tesco online marketplace now carries more than 300,000 third-party products spanning DIY, garden, homeware, pet care, and toys, less than eight months since its launch READ MORE
- Evri reported “record parcel volumes” over the festive period, including its “best-ever week” following Black Friday. Total parcel volumes grew 12% to reach 173 million in the nine weeks to 28 December, with sustained demand as consumers relied on last-minute deliveries READ MORE
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