Consumer expectations are evolving rapidly, and in 2025, Australian shoppers are more selective than ever about where and how they spend their money. Inside Retail’s Australian Retail Outlook 2025 surveyed 500 consumers to uncover key trends shaping the e-commerce landscape. For brands, understanding these priorities is essential to staying competitive, increasing conversions, and building long-term customer loyalty.
1. Price Sensitivity & Value-Driven Shopping
One of the biggest takeaways from the survey is that 84% of consumers prioritize affordable pricing when choosing where to shop. With the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, nearly half of shoppers (46%) report cutting back on spending, while 22% have switched to private-label brands to save money.
What This Means for E-commerce Brands
Brands need to offer more than just discounts—they must communicate value. This could be through high-quality products, flexible payment options, or risk-free shopping experiences like Try Before You Buy (TBYB).
How Try with Mirra Helps:
- With Try with Mirra’s TBYB service, shoppers can order multiple items, try them at home, and only pay for what they keep. This removes purchase hesitation, increasing conversion rates and AOV.
- Brands avoid the need for aggressive discounting, preserving their margins while still offering a compelling shopping experience.
2. Seamless Shopping Experiences Across Online & Offline Channels
The report found that 85% of consumers regularly switch between shopping online and in-store. This highlights the growing expectation for a seamless omnichannel experience, where pricing, inventory, and checkout processes remain consistent across touchpoints.
What This Means for E-commerce Brands
Retailers must invest in unified commerce solutions that provide real-time inventory updates, flexible purchasing options, and easy returns—whether customers shop online or in-store.
How Try with Mirra Helps:
- The TBYB model enhances customer confidence, reducing cart abandonment by allowing them to experience products at home before committing.
- Automated returns and instant refunds simplify the post-purchase experience, creating a smoother transition between online and offline shopping habits.
3. Personalization & Customer Engagement
Consumers now expect brands to know what they want before they even ask. 59% of Australian shoppers prefer personalised loyalty rewards, and 51% favour tailored promotions or discounts. Generic, mass-market marketing no longer works—shoppers want relevant offers and experiences.
What This Means for E-commerce Brands
To keep customers engaged, brands must leverage first-party data to create personalized shopping experiences, offer customized product recommendations, and reward loyal shoppers.
How Try with Mirra Helps:
- Brands using Try with Mirra gain access to valuable customer insights, such as return reasons, most-tried products, and purchase behaviours, allowing them to refine their product offerings and marketing strategies.
- TBYB attracts more first-time customers, giving brands a chance to convert them into repeat buyers with personalized incentives.
4. Frictionless & Fast Returns
One of the top frustrations for shoppers remains difficult return policies. The survey found that 63% of consumers cite high shipping costs and limited return options as major barriers to an ideal shopping experience.
What This Means for E-commerce Brands
Offering free, easy, and fast returns can increase customer trust and drive repeat purchases. A complex return process creates friction, discouraging customers from shopping again.
How Try with Mirra Helps:
- Instant refunds and easy returns remove friction from the post-purchase experience, ensuring customers feel secure in their decision to shop.
- Order consolidation minimizes unnecessary back-and-forth, reducing operational costs while enhancing customer satisfaction.
5. Ethical & Sustainable Shopping
Sustainability continues to be an important factor for consumers, with 47% considering sustainability when making a purchase. However, only 11% are willing to pay more for eco-friendly options, meaning brands must integrate sustainability without increasing costs.
What This Means for E-commerce Brands
Brands must embed sustainability into their operations, whether through ethical sourcing, eco-friendly packaging, or resale programs—without making consumers bear the cost.
How Try with Mirra Helps:
- TBYB reduces unnecessary returns by allowing customers to make more confident choices, decreasing waste and logistics emissions.
- Streamlined return processes prevent excess stock movement, improving efficiency and reducing the environmental impact.
Conclusion: Meeting the Needs of the 2025 Shopper
Australian shoppers are price-conscious, experience-driven, and value seamless, risk-free shopping in 2025. For e-commerce brands, success lies in offering value, convenience, and personalisation while ensuring frictionless shopping experiences.
Try with Mirra’s TBYB solution helps brands stay ahead by increasing conversions, enhancing customer confidence, and reducing operational headaches. As the retail landscape continues to evolve, adapting to these consumer preferences is key to long-term growth.
Ready to give your customers the shopping experience they expect? Discover how Try with Mirra can elevate your e-commerce strategy today.
