with global digital buyers surpassing 2.71 billion. This remarkable uptick, representing a 2.7% year-over-year increase, underscores the relentless growth trajectory of online consumerism. As businesses navigate this bustling marketplace, the quest for consumer attention and loyalty intensifies. Savvy Shopify store owners must proactively adapt to emerging trends like upselling and cross-selling to maintain a competitive edge and drive revenue. Here, we explore five pivotal e-commerce trends shaping the landscape of 2025 and beyond, with a strong focus on enhancing upsell and cross sell strategies.
Table Of Contents 1. Social Commerce: Shopping with Just a Click 2. Voice Commerce: The Future of Convenient Shopping 3. Alternative Support Options: Navigating 24/7 Assistance 4. Subscription-Based Services: Redefining Loyalty and Convenience 5. AI-Powered Personalization: Anticipating Customer Needs with Precision
Dive into these 5 key trends to stay ahead in the e-commerce game!
Social Commerce on the Rise: Shopping with Just a Click
Social media platforms are now powerful sales channels. For Shopify stores, this means embedding upsell and cross sell offers into the browsing experience on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest.
In the era of interconnectedness, social media platforms have evolved beyond networking hubs into high-converting commerce channels. This rise of social commerce allows Shopify merchants to upsell and cross sell directly within the platforms their customers use daily. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok are now essential tools for product discovery and direct purchase.
1. Expanding Market Influence: The influence of social media on buyer behavior is immense. With billions of active users globally, platforms like Instagram and TikTok present an enormous opportunity for Shopify stores to implement cross sell and upsell strategies where their audience already engages. Over 70% of shoppers use Instagram to discover new products, while TikTok’s high engagement—averaging 52 minutes daily—creates space for tailored product promotions and upsell offers.
2. Seamless Integration of Shopping Features: One major driver of social commerce is the seamless addition of shopping features into the browsing experience. Instagram’s shoppable posts and TikTok’s "Shop Now" buttons enable Shopify merchants to create virtual storefronts within social apps. Smart merchants are leveraging these tools to increase AOV with product bundles, related items, and upsell suggestions shown right inside the platform.
3. Real-world Success Stories & Influencer Marketing: The success of social commerce is evident in leading brands like Fashion Nova and Rare Beauty. Fashion Nova uses influencer marketing and Instagram’s native shopping tools to showcase trends and upsell entire outfits. Rare Beauty, founded by Selena Gomez, leverages Instagram to launch new products, promote higher-value bundles, and build brand loyalty through community-driven upsell campaigns. Shopify merchants can replicate these techniques using upsell apps integrated with social media tools.
4. Implement Strategies to Drive Engagement and Conversion: Features such as ‘Buy Buttons,’ instant messaging tools, and live shopping events are essential in driving both engagement and sales. These tools give Shopify stores the ability to cross sell relevant add-ons and upsell to premium products mid-conversation or mid-scroll. Studies show brands implementing social commerce upsell strategies experience higher conversion rates and stronger customer satisfaction than those using traditional e-commerce alone.
Rare Beauty Case Study : Captivating images with instant purchase option.
Voice Commerce: The Future of Convenient Shopping Imagine lounging on your couch and simply telling your voice assistant to order groceries, book a restaurant, or buy concert tickets—all without lifting a finger. This seamless integration of voice technology into everyday life is transforming e-commerce, making shopping faster, easier, and more intuitive.
Voice commerce allows customers to shop through smart assistants like Amazon Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google Assistant, enabling frictionless purchases and reorders. For Shopify merchants, it presents a unique opportunity to boost customer loyalty and repeat purchases by tapping into this rapidly growing channel.
Case Study: Starbucks and Amazon Alexa
Starbucks offers a compelling example of voice commerce in action. By integrating with Amazon’s Alexa, Starbucks enabled customers to place and customize coffee orders using voice commands. This streamlined experience significantly improved customer convenience and led to a 16% increase in sales from repeat orders. The voice functionality not only supported existing habits but encouraged more frequent purchases, showcasing how convenience directly drives revenue.
Case Study: Walmart and Google Assistant
Walmart partnered with Google Assistant to enable voice-activated shopping. Customers can simply say, “Add milk to my Walmart cart,” and it’s done. This voice-enabled process allows Walmart to meet customers where they are—at home, multitasking, or on the go—while also collecting valuable behavioral data to improve personalization and upsell strategies. Walmart's voice commerce system even learns user preferences, enhancing future recommendations.
Why it matters for Shopify stores:
Voice shopping is gaining popularity, especially for reorders and low-friction purchases. Smart speakers are now in over 50% of US households. The medium is ripe for upselling and cross-selling suggestions during voice-based transactions. Cross sell opportunity: Recommend complementary products during reorder interactions, like coffee filters with a coffee order.
Upsell opportunity: Suggest a larger size, premium variant, or a product bundle when a customer asks to reorder.
Voice commerce is no longer just a novelty—it’s a powerful new sales channel that prioritizes ease and personalization. As this technology becomes more intuitive and widely adopted, Shopify stores that adapt early will have the upper hand. From driving repeat purchases to unlocking new data-driven upsell opportunities, voice technology is reshaping the future of shopping—one command at a time.
Alternative Support Options: Navigating 24/7 Assistance
Offering 24/7 support has become a baseline expectation in e-commerce, especially for stores focused on customer loyalty and retention . But for many Shopify stores—especially smaller teams—running round-the-clock support just isn’t feasible. Thankfully, several alternative solutions make it possible to offer fast, reliable service without hiring a full-time team.
1. Chatbots: Fast Responses, Scalable Support Chatbots are a smart way to provide instant customer service without adding to your team’s workload. Whether it’s answering common questions, checking order statuses, or assisting with returns, a well-configured chatbot can reduce friction in the buying process.
They’re also increasingly being used to support upsell and cross sell strategies. For example, a chatbot might suggest a premium version of a product or offer related items as customers browse or ask questions—helping increase average order value even outside working hours.
While chatbots are a powerful tool, their success depends on continuous learning and regular optimization. If they deliver inaccurate answers or offer irrelevant suggestions, they can quickly become a source of frustration. There are many Shopify apps that provide chatbot functionality, but it’s worth taking time to read reviews and test features before making a choice.
📈Study Case: Sephora saw an 11% increase in sales with chat bots.
2. WhatsApp: Real-Time Communication, Personal Touch WhatsApp has become a key channel for real-time support, especially in regions where it's widely used. With features like messaging automation, customer segmentation, and direct file sharing, businesses can use WhatsApp to answer questions, send order updates, and even assist with product selection.
Many Shopify stores also use WhatsApp to support post-purchase communication or to recommend related products that customers might have missed—making it an effective channel for cross selling and improving repeat purchase rates.
3. Video Chat and Virtual Assistants While video chat may not be practical around the clock, it’s a valuable support tool for certain moments—especially when customers need guidance with high-ticket or customizable products. It adds a personal touch and builds trust.
AI-powered virtual assistants can handle more complex questions than basic chatbots and can even tailor product suggestions based on customer behavior. This opens up new possibilities for upselling during the support process—especially when guiding users toward premium products or bundles.
4. Social Media Messaging Customers increasingly expect brands to respond on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and X. Direct messaging allows you to address issues quickly while also creating opportunities to re-engage visitors who didn’t complete their purchase.
For Shopify merchants, social media DMs can also be a subtle place to introduce related product recommendations or highlight better-value upsell options in a conversation that feels personal and organic.
5. Email and Help Centers Email remains an important channel for customer support—especially for more complex issues. Help centers, FAQs, and knowledge bases can reduce support volume while still offering a great customer experience.
You can also use follow-up emails to recommend related products, accessories, or premium upgrades based on the customer’s recent purchase—making email an ongoing channel for upselling and cross selling long after checkout.
Subscription-Based Services: Redefining Loyalty and Convenience
Subscription-based services have revolutionized brand loyalty and customer convenience, offering tailored, recurring value that keeps shoppers coming back. These services provide personalized experiences, making it easy for customers to enjoy products and services they love without hassle.
Take Birchbox, for example—a leading subscription box service in the beauty industry that delivers personalized samples right to subscribers' doors every month. This model allows customers to discover and try new beauty products tailored specifically to their preferences, increasing satisfaction and repeat purchases.
Want to leverage the power of subscription services to boost your Shopify store sales? Here are five effective ways to offer subscription convenience and build lasting loyalty:
Product Subscriptions Membership Programs Content Subscriptions Subscription Boxes Service Subscriptions
BirchBox is pioneer in successful subscription box strategy.
AI-Powered Personalization: Anticipating Customer Needs with Precision
AI tools have become a game-changing trend across industries, and e-commerce is no exception. One of the most powerful applications of AI in online retail is its ability to generate highly relevant cross-sell and upsell recommendations that boost sales and improve customer satisfaction .
Using advanced algorithms, AI-driven systems analyze vast amounts of data — from browsing history and past purchases to customer demographics — to gain deep insights into individual shopper preferences. This allows AI to anticipate customer needs and suggest the perfect complementary or upgraded products.
For example, when a customer buys a camera, an AI-powered recommendation engine can identify compatible accessories such as lenses, tripods, or camera bags (cross-sell). It can also suggest upgrading to a higher-end camera model based on the shopper’s preferences and purchase patterns (upsell).
These AI-generated cross-sell and upsell suggestions create a more personalized shopping experience, making customers more likely to add extra items to their cart. This not only enhances satisfaction but also drives higher revenue for your Shopify store.
Our app, Cross Sell & Upsell, features an AI-powered tool that automatically generates smart product page cross-sells tailored to your customers’ behavior — helping you maximize conversions effortlessly.
VIDEO
Staying Ahead in E-commerce with AI and Emerging Trends In summary, AI-powered personalization and other emerging trends provide e-commerce businesses with innovative tools to streamline sales processes, build stronger customer relationships, and stay competitive in 2025 and beyond. Whether it’s embracing social commerce for seamless shopping or leveraging AI for tailored product recommendations, these strategies are essential to increasing customer engagement and boosting Shopify sales.
By integrating these cutting-edge solutions, your business can create meaningful, personalized experiences that drive long-term growth in the ever-evolving online retail landscape.
