As we move into 2025, the way eCommerce brands approach growth is undergoing a significant transformation. In a competitive landscape where consumer expectations are higher than ever and operational costs are on the rise, eCommerce leaders are focusing on optimisation rather than just customer acquisition. This shift is centred on nurturing loyalty, enhancing user experience (UX) across various channels, and building an infrastructure that’s flexible enough to keep pace with evolving demands.
At the heart of this change is the eCommerce Expo in London, set for 24-25 September 2025. The event, which runs alongside Technology for Marketing, will cover everything from fulfilment and UX to payments and conversion strategies. With over 200 expert speakers and 200 solution providers, the event aims to tackle the most pressing issues in modern retail, providing valuable insights on how to create a seamless and efficient shopping experience.
UX as the Foundation of Retail Strategy
Serkan Ayan, UX Research Manager at Tesco, is a long-time advocate for embedding user experience deeply into the product development process. Ayan’s approach goes beyond simple quality checks; UX is integrated from the beginning to shape the entire design and development cycle. According to Ayan, “UX research is part of cross-functional teams, making sure that customer insights are included at every stage of product creation.”
This approach reflects a larger trend in the retail industry: UX is no longer a final touch, but a foundational element of a company’s overall strategy. Ayan’s session, “Human-Centred Retail: How UX Research Shapes the Tesco Experience,” will explore how Tesco integrates UX research across design, tech, and trading teams, making it a critical part of both product development and long-term planning.
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more integrated into workflows, Ayan’s talk will address key challenges such as scaling research, turning insights into actionable changes, and ensuring that all teams are aligned around real user needs. This will be essential for eCommerce businesses looking to stay ahead of the curve.
The Power of Fulfilment in Building Customer Loyalty
Andy Furlong, Senior eCommerce Trading Manager at Primark, will discuss how fulfilment is evolving into a core part of a brand’s loyalty strategy. Once considered a back-end logistical concern, fulfilment is now an integral part of how brands engage with customers and differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
In his session, “The Click & Collect Revolution: How Primark Is Bringing Convenience to the High Street,” Furlong will explore how Primark is leveraging fulfilment to drive both online traffic and footfall in stores. With rising consumer concerns about delivery costs and convenience, the retailer has transformed Click & Collect into a tool that enhances the overall shopping experience while aligning digital strategies with in-store goals.
Primark’s use of real-time analytics and operational feedback loops has allowed it to scale the Click & Collect service across 187 stores in the UK, integrating more than 5,000 products into a highly automated system. This focus on hybrid fulfilment models enables the company to meet customer expectations for convenience while keeping operational costs in check.
Experience as a System: The Bigger Picture
The key takeaway from both Tesco and Primark’s sessions is a fundamental shift in the way eCommerce businesses think about customer experience. Rather than treating UX and fulfilment as isolated components, they are now seen as interconnected parts of a larger operational framework. This shift means that experience isn’t just something added on top of a strategy—it’s embedded within the entire process, from product development to service delivery.
For digital leaders, this means prioritising cross-team collaboration, developing stronger measurement frameworks, and ensuring consistency across all customer touchpoints. In 2025, a seamless experience is the result of operational alignment, where every aspect of a business contributes to a cohesive and engaging journey for the customer.
A Snapshot of the Future of eCommerce
Beyond the sessions, the eCommerce Expo floor will showcase how the broader vendor ecosystem is responding to these emerging trends. Over 200 providers will present solutions in areas such as logistics, payments, AI tools, and more, giving attendees the opportunity to see how the operational landscape is evolving. The show floor will serve as a live testbed where attendees can benchmark different vendors’ claims against their real-world business needs.
New additions to the Expo this year include:
- The Hangout: A space for informal networking and content exchange
- Smart content recommendations tailored to attendees’ roles and interests
- An upgraded VIP experience with all-day catering and exclusive networking areas
As the industry moves towards more integrated, user-centric strategies, the 2025 eCommerce Expo promises to be a crucial event for digital leaders looking to stay ahead of the curve.
