Many brands still failing to deliver a good online customer experience

Surveying over 25,000 shoppers across 16 countries, the 2025 edition exposes a gap between what consumers expect and what brands provide when it comes to value, speed and trust.  In fact, 45% of global shoppers often abandon their online shopping cart because the digital experience is too frustrating. 

According to the report, brands must prioritise human-centric experiences and address consumer frustrations with current digital offerings, especially if they want to grow in an AI-first world.  

Although in its infancy in the customer journey, AI’s high usage and trust indicates that it will fundamentally change how consumers shop, from discovery to purchase. 

Despite online marketplaces setting the benchmark for customer service, their market share has dropped since last year, and search engines have seen a resurgence during the information and search phases of the journey, possibly fuelled by AI integration. 

A shift toward true omnichannel retail 

Globally online marketplaces remain the dominant force throughout the shopper journey, with 22% of respondents using the lead marketplace in the region for inspiration, 15% using the secondary marketplace, and 9% using other marketplaces.  

When it comes to search, 17% of respondents use the lead marketplace, 12% the secondary and 7% other marketplaces. However, marketplace share of wallet has slipped to 22%, down from 29% last year, signalling a shift toward true omnichannel retail. 

“The data is clear: consumers are continuing to raise the bar on what they expect – faster delivery, seamless experiences, and meaningful personalisation powered by technology like AI, whilst at the same time re-evaluating what they purchase and when,” says Jeff Gehab, Global CEO, VML Enterprise Solutions. 

“Yet, many businesses are missing the mark on the fundamentals of customer experience. Neither the customer journey of the future, nor the consumer of the future, will be the same as today, but retailers and brands must find a way of offering the best experience right now, while building the experience of the future in parallel.” 

Among the notable findings of the 2025 Future Shopper report: 

• 46% of respondents are often amazed at the poor online shopping experience by major retailers. 

• 50% think businesses have no idea what customers want from their digital channels. 

• 32% of shoppers expect delivery within two hours; 40% will not order if same-day delivery or scheduled delivery isn’t available. 

• 58% want to move from inspiration to purchase as quickly as possible, a trend VML has coined ‘compressed commerce’. 

You can find out more about the report here.