April 11, 2025
Personalization is the new name of the game
At Shoptalk Spring 2025, one thing was clear: personalization isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a business imperative. In the session Ecommerce Personalization that Creates Joy (And Drives Sales), industry leaders tackled a hard truth first shared by Forrester last fall: while 92% of digital pros believe they’ve made significant strides in personalization, only a third of shoppers actually feel the impact. That disconnect signals a major opportunity for brands to step up and truly tailor experiences that resonate across the entire shopper journey.
Retail leaders like Danielle Vermeer, VP of Social Commerce at ThredUp, and Peter Pernot-Day, Head of Strategy & Corporate Affairs at SHEIN, showcased how they’ve successfully cracked the personalization code. Kamanasish Kundu, VP, Head of Digital & Ecommerce at Kendra Scott, shared how he and his team seamlessly integrate personalization across multiple touchpoints—from tailored CTAs on account pages to dynamic product recommendations on listing and product pages and even inline messaging in the shopping cart to inspire last-minute add-ons. Their key takeaway? A test-and-learn approach is essential to scaling personalization effectively.
Danielle at ThredUp summed it up best: “The level of personalization and discovery has really changed and evolved, and it will look unrecognizable in another twelve to eighteen months, which I find really exciting.” As brands continue to innovate, those who master personalization will be the ones who not only capture attention but also convert it into lasting customer relationships.
Capitalize on trends with social listening
Industry leaders pointed to hot cultural moments from 2024, such as Kendrick Lamar rocking flare jeans at the Super Bowl and Taylor Swift’s headline-making concert moments, as key indicators of how trends drive conversations and influence consumer behavior. For instance, American Eagle and ThreadUp seized the Kendrick Lamar moment, leveraging advanced search and recommendation tools to engage their creator community and convert cultural buzz into explosive sales. Similarly, Chinese Laundry demonstrated the power of organic influence when Taylor Swift was spotted wearing their shoes—an occurrence that sparked a 1,400% lift on their site. The brand strategically amplified this moment through paid media, targeting Swift’s fan base and employing sustained storytelling, proving that readiness to act on trends can lead to significant sales impact.
And the way to capitalize on those trends is through social media. Adeela Hussain Johnson, CEO of BÉIS, emphasized how social commerce functions as modern-day word-of-mouth, fueling e-commerce strength through authentic community engagement and direct consumer feedback. She explained that by actively listening to a diverse consumer base and leveraging live activations alongside strategic social media channels, BÉIS anticipates trends 12-18 months out and relies on them to shape product offerings that resonate deeply with shoppers. Adeela underscored the importance of personifying the brand and fostering genuine dialogue, demonstrating how customer recommendations evolve into powerful drivers of loyalty and robust online performance.
American Eagle integrated advanced search and recommendation tools with a keen understanding of what resonates with its digitally native audience: “Meeting customers where they are is key—and with Gen Z spending hours on TikTok and Instagram, brands that harness social listening and AI-driven discovery will be the ones shaping the future of retail.”
All of these brands took a trending conversation into a conversion powerhouse by leveraging social listening and the power of social commerce, underscoring how timely, culturally relevant campaigns can drive immediate, measurable e-commerce success.
Customers as brand representatives
“We need to move from thinking about consumers as an acquaintance to thinking about consumers as our best friends… so that you’re in on the conversation and able to engage quickly.” — Denise Truelove, SVP & GM, PC Marketing, PepsiCo Foods North America
By leveraging user-generated content, reviews, influencers, and creators, consumer brands are crafting holistic approaches that not only foster loyalty but also drive cultural relevance. Each brand showcased—whether a global powerhouse or a nimble startup—has tailored its strategy to fit its scale and market position, ensuring that consumer feedback and engagement are at the heart of every campaign.
Pepsi demonstrated how massive media reach can coexist with authentic consumer interaction by turning large-scale campaigns like the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl into vibrant, participatory experiences that resonate deeply with their audience. Nuuly, on the other hand, tapped into the natural flow of organic word-of-mouth by enabling easy sharing and conversation among consumers, proving that a referral-driven, community-focused strategy can be a powerful growth engine. Chinese Laundry’s success story, highlighted by the Taylor Swift effect, showcased how meticulous preparation and a responsive media strategy can amplify a single cultural moment into a massive sales surge—reporting a 1,400% lift on their site.
Retail media x Content at scale
Retail media was a hot topic around Shoptalk, but look no further than our Innovation Lunch Session with Jo Callahan and Matt Hiltner to get the scoop on all things retail – from the media landscape, retail syndication, and more. Jo set the stage by emphasizing that PDPs have evolved far beyond mere transactional pages. Today’s product detail pages serve as vibrant brand-building hubs where storytelling, shopper inspiration, and conversion-driving content converge. Jo highlighted actionable steps for brands to transform PDPs into destinations that inform, engage, drive search rankings, and optimize retail media performance.
Matt Hiltner shared great coverage of Target’s innovations to help brands optimize UGC and drive Target sales, as well as how brands in top-performing categories leverage inspirational content on PDPs. Matt showcased SheaMoisture’s authentic UGC that boosts beauty conversions, O-Cedar Flex & Catch Refills’ innovative use of visual UGC, and Truvia’s mouthwatering visual storytelling that transforms recipes into purchase drivers. He also shared Target’s latest scorecard insights, proving that when PDPs are treated as landing pages for social-inspired content, they become the centerpiece of a full-funnel shopping journey.
And it’s all with the help of AI
The discussions around AI showcased a simple yet profound equation: Science (data) + Art (UGC, creator content) = Your content strategy. This framework underpinned how companies like BÉIS anticipate consumer trends and harness direct feedback to shape their product offerings. By blending robust data analytics with creative insights, brands are creating shopping experiences that are not only personalized but also genuinely engaging – all with the help of AI.
As Craig Brommers, CMO at American Eagle, put it, “The level of personalization and discovery has really changed and evolved, and it will look unrecognizable in another twelve to eighteen months.” His words captured the transformative potential of AI, hinting at a future where every interaction is finely tuned to the unique tastes and behaviors of each customer — all due to the delicate balance of authenticity and personalization.
Join Bazaarvoice for more thought leadership by meeting with us at one of our upcoming events.
