TL;DR:
The 2025 Consumer Trends Report from WARC and GWI reveals that product-based brands must evolve to stay relevant. Widening wealth gaps are splitting consumers into value-driven and experience-focused segments, requiring tailored messaging. Influencers now hold more trust than brands, making authentic creator partnerships essential. AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are reshaping the buying journey, meaning traditional SEO isn’t enough; brands must optimize for AI visibility. Wellness has become a mainstream priority, with consumers demanding clear, functional health benefits. Meanwhile, niche, interest-based communities are replacing social platforms as trusted sources for product discovery. To compete in 2025, brands must align with how consumers think, search, and shop today, not yesterday.
2025 Consumer Trends Report
I just finished reading the 2025 Consumer Trends Report by WARC and GWI, and if you run a product-based brand or oversee marketing, this is a study you shouldn’t ignore. It covers everything from shifting spending patterns and influencer trust to AI agents that are now making purchases on consumers’ behalf. So you don’t have to dig through the whole thing, I pulled together the key trends and takeaways that I think matter most for $1–10M consumer product brands. Here’s what you need to know and what you may want to rethink in your marketing strategy.
If you run a product-based brand or lead marketing for one, 2025 isn’t business as usual. The landscape is shifting beneath our feet. Economic pressures, emerging technology, and cultural change are reshaping how and why consumers choose what they buy. It’s no longer enough to have a great product. To stay relevant and competitive, your marketing must align with how people actually make decisions today.
Here are five consumer trends you need to understand and how to adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.
1. Wealth Gaps Are Reshaping Buyer Behavior and Brand Loyalty
Not all consumers are navigating 2025 the same way. While the top tier of earners continues to spend on lifestyle and premium goods, lower-income households are becoming even more price-sensitive. This divide is changing how people perceive value, and it’s making loyalty harder to maintain.
For marketers, this means the middle is eroding. You’re now speaking to two distinct mindsets: the price-driven shopper and the experience-driven one. Each requires its own messaging, positioning, and channel strategy.
What to think about:
- Are you clearly articulating your value to both your budget-conscious and your premium-seeking audiences?
- Could you introduce tiered product lines or bundles to match diverging budgets?
- Are you investing in long-term brand equity that builds emotional connection, not just short-term discounts?
Strategic adjustments:
- Segment your messaging by audience income level or purchasing patterns.
- Double down on brand storytelling to reduce price sensitivity among premium buyers.
- Make your product easier to justify for price-sensitive shoppers by highlighting durability, versatility, or multi-use value.
2. Influencer Credibility Is Replacing Brand Authority
Consumers increasingly trust individuals over institutions. Whether it’s for product recommendations, lifestyle inspiration, or even news and social issues, people are turning to creators, especially those who feel “real.” (which is really hard to do BTW)
That shift has big implications. Brands that once tried to control the conversation must now earn a spot in the conversation. And that means building partnerships with creators who’ve already built trust.
How this changes your playbook:
- Creator partnerships can’t be transactional. They need to be aligned with your values, audience, tone, and message.
- Consumers want to see real people using your product in real life, not polished studio shoots.
- The influencer’s reputation is as important (or possibly more) than your own. A credible creator can lift your brand. The wrong one can damage it.
Strategic adjustments:
- Use influencer collaborations not just for reach, but for education, brand trust, and cultural relevance.
- Vet partners for alignment. Trustworthiness, consistency, and audience fit should outweigh follower count.
- Balance earned and paid media. A creator’s content can drive awareness, but backing it with paid spend amplifies performance.
3. AI Assistants Are Quietly Changing How People Shop
The buyer journey is being quietly, but dramatically, reshaped by AI agents. Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google Gemini, etc. are no longer just for chat; they’re making decisions, finding deals, booking trips, and even ordering groceries for consumers.
This means that discovery, consideration, and purchase are being outsourced not to another human, but to a machine.
Here’s why that’s a big deal:
- AI agents don’t browse the way humans do. They summarize, rank, and recommend based on logic and trust signals, not impulse.
- If your brand doesn’t show up in those AI-powered summaries, you risk being invisible at the moment of decision.
- Traditional SEO is evolving. Optimizing for humans isn’t enough; you now need to optimize for AI.
Strategic adjustments:
- Revisit your SEO and content strategy to ensure your brand is featured in authoritative sources and structured data.
- Claim and structure your brand presence in AI-friendly formats (think: schema, FAQs, and consistent citations).
- Consider product recommendation prompts in your content that AI can easily parse and reuse (e.g., “best shoes for plantar fasciitis”).
4. Health Is the New Status Symbol
Wellness is no longer a niche. It’s mainstream. And it’s influencing everything from food and beverage to beauty and apparel. But here’s the twist: consumers aren’t just chasing “health” in general; they want functional benefits tied to real outcomes.
Think immunity, digestion, mental clarity, energy, and aging support. Gen Z and millennials, in particular, are proactive and willing to spend on products that promise measurable improvements.
Implications for product brands:
- Wellness is about empowerment, not perfection. It’s not enough to say your product is “clean” or “natural.”
- Benefits need to be crystal clear and easy to understand, especially on packaging and PDPs.
- Trends like gut health, supplements, and low-processed foods are becoming powerful purchase drivers.
Strategic adjustments:
- Feature functional claims front and center: “Supports gut health,” “Helps with focus,” or “Boosts recovery.”
- Back your messaging with evidence… scientific, anecdotal, or influencer-based.
- Tailor by age or stage. Gen Z might want immunity or digestion. Boomers might seek joint or heart health support.
5. Interest-Based Communities Are the New Social Platforms
As consumers look for more meaningful ways to connect, especially in an era of economic stress and digital fatigue, interest-based communities are thriving. Think Strava for mountain bikers (like me), Letterboxd for movie lovers, or hobbyist groups popping up in private Slack channels or even offline.
These communities aren’t just places for socializing. They’re discovery channels. People trust recommendations from those who share their passions.
What this unlocks for brands:
- Micro-communities offer high intent and contextual relevance, exactly what you want when launching or scaling a product.
- Shared experiences create emotional stickiness. Brands that facilitate or tap into these experiences win affinity.
- It’s no longer about mass impressions. It’s about meaningful impressions in the right environment.
Strategic adjustments:
- Partner with niche communities like online forums, local clubs, or themed events where your audience hangs out.
- Create branded experiences (like workshops, digital challenges, or kits) that encourage connection and usage.
- Use campaigns that tap into connection and lifestyle.
Adapt or Risk Being Ignored
If you’re marketing a consumer product brand in 2025, your biggest risk isn’t irrelevance; it’s invisibility.
Consumers are spending differently. They’re trusting differently. They’re buying differently. The brands that respond with empathy, agility, and precision will win.
That means:
- Rethinking segmentation and value perception
- Leaning into trustworthy creators and emerging communities
- Preparing for a world where AI, not just people, makes the final purchase decision
Don’t wait until you feel the decline. Adjust now, and meet your customers where they’re headed, not just where they’ve been.
Greg is the founder and CEO of Stryde and a seasoned digital marketer who has worked with thousands of businesses, large and small, to generate more revenue via online marketing strategy and execution. Greg has written hundreds of blog posts as well as spoken at many events about online marketing strategy. You can follow Greg on Twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn.
