E-Commerce Expert Reveals 8 Game-Changing Trends For Women Entrepreneurs. As International Women’s Day approaches, expert shares strategies to help women-led online businesses thrive
Key Points:
- E-commerce specialist shares 8 trends shaping online retail in 2025, with special focus on opportunities for women entrepreneurs ahead of International Women’s Day
- Expert highlights how female business owners can leverage AI personalisation, social commerce, and sustainability to create competitive advantages in the growing online marketplace
- With women-owned businesses growing at double the rate of all businesses, these insights could help female entrepreneurs capitalise on emerging technologies and consumer preferences
With International Women’s Day approaching this Saturday and global e-commerce sales projected to surpass $6.3 trillion in 2025, female entrepreneurs have unprecedented opportunities to capture market share in online retail. As women-owned businesses continue to grow at twice the rate of all businesses, staying ahead of emerging trends has become essential for sustainable growth.
“The e-commerce space offers remarkable opportunities for women entrepreneurs,” says Lyndsay Kiekbusch, e-commerce specialist at SwishDM, a UK-based SEO agency specialising in digital marketing strategies for online businesses. “The businesses that will thrive in 2025 are those that can anticipate and adapt to changing consumer expectations, and women-led companies often excel at identifying these shifts.”
Below, Kiekbusch outlines eight key trends that will shape e-commerce in 2025, providing valuable insights for female entrepreneurs looking to launch or scale their online ventures.
1. AI-Powered Personalisation Becomes Standard
Artificial intelligence will transform how online stores interact with customers in 2025. Beyond basic product recommendations, AI systems will create fully personalised shopping experiences that adapt in real-time.
“We’re moving well beyond the ‘customers who bought this also bought that’ model,” explains Kiekbusch. “Advanced AI systems will customise every aspect of the shopping journey—from personalised landing pages to individualised pricing strategies and tailored product bundles. This level of personalisation will significantly boost conversion rates for businesses that implement it effectively.”
This trend presents a particular advantage for women entrepreneurs, who often bring strong emotional intelligence and customer empathy to their businesses—qualities that can enhance the human touch needed to successfully implement AI personalisation.
2. Social Commerce Integration Deepens
The lines between social media and e-commerce will continue to blur in 2025, with more seamless shopping experiences embedded directly within social platforms.
“Social commerce is evolving from simple product tags to complete purchasing ecosystems within platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and whatever comes next,” says Kiekbusch. “Women entrepreneurs often excel on these platforms, building authentic connections with audiences that translate into strong customer loyalty.”
For female business owners, this represents an opportunity to launch businesses with lower overhead, potentially bypassing the need for a traditional website in the early stages and leveraging their often strong social media presence.
3. Sustainability Drives Purchasing Decisions
Environmental consciousness will significantly influence consumer choices in 2025, with customers increasingly supporting businesses that demonstrate genuine commitment to sustainability.
This area represents a strong opportunity for women-led businesses, which studies show are more likely to prioritise environmental sustainability than their male-led counterparts. Transparent supply chains, eco-friendly packaging, and carbon-neutral shipping options will become powerful differentiators that align with values many female entrepreneurs already embrace.
4. Voice and Visual Search Optimisation
As voice assistants and visual search technologies mature, optimising for these alternative search methods will become increasingly important for e-commerce visibility.
“This year, we expect that over 30% of online searches will happen without a keyboard,” Kiekbusch notes. “Female entrepreneurs developing products specifically for women consumers have a unique advantage in understanding the language patterns and visual preferences of their target audience.”
5. Augmented Reality Enhances Online Shopping
Augmented reality (AR) will help bridge the gap between online and in-store experiences, allowing customers to virtually try products before purchasing.
“AR technology is becoming more accessible to smaller retailers,” says Kiekbusch. “From virtual fitting rooms for clothing to visualising furniture in your home, these tools reduce purchase anxiety and lower return rates. Women-led beauty, fashion, and home décor businesses are already pioneering these technologies with impressive results.”
6. Subscription Models Expand Across Categories
The subscription economy will expand beyond traditional categories like streaming services and meal kits into new product areas, offering businesses predictable revenue and deeper customer relationships.
Women entrepreneurs have already found significant success in subscription models across beauty, wellness, and lifestyle categories. The recurring revenue from these models provides stability that can help female founders secure additional funding and scale their businesses more effectively.
7. Frictionless Payment and Checkout Solutions
One-click purchasing, digital wallets, and cryptocurrency payments will streamline the buying process, reducing cart abandonment rates.
“The businesses that minimise steps between product discovery and purchase completion will win in 2025,” Kiekbusch explains. “This focus on removing barriers aligns with the approach many women entrepreneurs take in solving customer pain points and improving user experience.”
8. Hyper-Local Fulfilment Networks
The race for faster delivery will intensify, with more businesses adopting micro-fulfilment centres and local delivery partnerships to meet consumer expectations for near-instant gratification.
“Women business owners often excel at building community connections and partnerships,” says Kiekbusch. “This community-oriented approach positions them perfectly to develop the local fulfilment networks that will become increasingly important in 2025.”
Lyndsay Kiekbusch, e-commerce specialist at SwishDM, commented:
“As we approach International Women’s Day 2025, many of these emerging e-commerce trends align perfectly with strengths often found in women-led businesses—strong customer empathy, authentic community building, and values-driven operations.
“For female entrepreneurs launching or scaling an e-commerce venture, the barriers to entry are lower than ever. My advice to women business owners is to leverage your unique perspective and focus on one or two trends that align with your business model.
“Women-led companies often outperform in key metrics like customer satisfaction. By focusing on authentic connections and delivering genuine value, women entrepreneurs can turn these 2025 trends into significant growth opportunities.”
