Tips To Drive Ecomm Sales for SMEs

2025 is shaping up to be a defining year for ecommerce. 

If you’re like us then you’ve probably been retargeted many times on social media with downloadable reports and predictions on what the rest of this year holds. 

We’ve clicked, filled out forms and downloaded just about all of them and there’s some good stuff out there, but I felt most missed the key points for growing SMEs, instead focussing on enterprise-level advice on how brands like Amazon, GymShark, Liquid Death, etc have scaled – great insight, but it’s advice that barely applies to most SMEs right now.

So in this article, I’m attempting to cut through the noise. I hope you’ll get a clear view of the real ecommerce drivers that matter for SMEs this year, what they mean for brands like yours and how to practically respond without needing Bezos-sized budgets.

Why This Matters

We’re working with more SMEs than ever who say the same thing: “It feels harder to grow now than it did a year ago.”

So if you’re experiencing the same thing, it’s not your imagination – and you’re not alone. 

When you mix rising ad costs with algorithm shifts. Top them off with a sprinkle of declining consumer confidence  and some global volatility, you have a cocktail that’s going to burn through your budgets quicker than you can say ‘molotov’.

The good news is the brands who are winning in 2025 aren’t necessarily the biggest, they’re recognising and adapting to the changes.

1. The Channel Squeeze Is Real

Relying on a single digital platform now carries more risk than ever. One algorithm shift and your pipeline can vanish. We’ve had more conversations with clients about this than any other. A single channel strategy is no strategy at all. 

Why it matters:
We’ve seen plenty of ecommerce brands getting punished for lack of channel diversity. We’ve got client data across several sectors that shows an over-reliance on PPC or on Meta can lead to diminishing performance.

What to do:

• Audit your traffic sources: are you dangerously dependent on one channel?
• Build out SEO content now. Yes, it’s slower, but it’s the best long-term option for scalable, affordable growth.
• Start collecting emails like it’s 2010: your owned audience is your most valuable asset, nurture it properly with high-quality content.

Want a deeper dive into how to do this? Get in touch.

2. Consumer Trust Is Shifting

Post-pandemic and post-inflation, buyer behaviour is different. Today’s consumers are more cautious, more values-led and far more discerning. I wrote about that here.

They don’t just want good products, they want brands they can believe in.

Why it matters:
People are slower to buy and quicker to leave – not only is attention span shortening, but options are more numerous. People consider more than price when buying – they want more than a transaction. Generic ‘Buy Now’ messages no longer cut through.

What to do:

• Double down on brand: your story, values and customer experience are now a conversion asset, not a nice-to-have.
• Use social proof obsessively: video testimonials, product reviews, case studies and UGC build trust.
• Show up where your customer is, not just where it’s easiest for you: that might mean looking at new platforms like LinkedIn over TikTok, or partnerships instead of PPC.

3. Creator-Led Commerce Is Here to Stay

Influencers aren’t just shouting about products anymore, they’re launching their own. The rise of creator-led commerce has shifted power from platforms to personalities.

Why it matters:
If the competition for cash wasn’t already tough enough, brands in a range of categories have now got influencers to compete with. Everything from protein to coffee, homeware and technology, influencers are using their brand power to sell. 

Despite this influencer shift from content to commerce, embracing their personal brand power for your own benefit remains the right course of action. For now, they’re still one of your best potential growth levers.

What to do:

• As influencers start to think and act like brands, you should think like a creator. Every piece of content you put out should educate, inspire or entertain.
• Use partnerships to tap into new segments (as we did for Kohinoor) by aligning them with brands outside of your category. Get creative and try to punch above your weight with brand partnerships – go for that brand with the massive following. They can only say ‘no’ and who know, they may just like your brand story and take a punt.
• Partner up with influencers, but do this wisely: always choose creators whose audience overlaps with yours and whose content and values feel genuinely aligned.
  

4. Your Performance Needs To Be Smarter

The days of ‘set and forget’ ads died a long time ago. CPMs have risen rapidly, putting pressure on ROAS. Attribution is still one of the biggest frustrations we encounter with clients and one of the biggest problems we’re able to solve for them. All of this boils down to platforms like Meta and Google evolving quickly meaning it’s hard, but essential, to keep pace.

Why it matters:
My guess if you’re reading this is your ad strategy is either dead or on life support. In 2025, profitable paid performance depends on creative quality, funnel alignment and strong data foundations.

What to do:

• Invest in creative testing: UGC-style content, native-feel ads and authentic storytelling win attention.
• Tidy your funnel: Great ads don’t fix bad landing pages. The content at the bottom of your funnel needs to convert.
• Get your data in order: From pixel health to GA4 and server-side tracking, SMEs need better visibility to optimise spend.

Case in point: For luxury bath brand BC Designs, we overhauled their paid strategy around fresh creative, better segmentation, and a tighter landing page journey. The result? A 14.5% CTR and thousands of new followers who actually converted​.

5. Strategy (Not Tactics) Wins

This is the big one. We’ve tackled some of this in Point 1 but tactics alone – running an ad, posting a reel, sending a newsletter – won’t grow your brand.

But a well-aligned strategy? That’s your Edge.

Why it matters:
Too many brands are busy but lack the holy grail in marketing: effectiveness. If your content, ads and emails don’t work together to move prospects through a journey, your results will stay stuck.

What to do:

• Map your full customer journey: What content does a stranger need to see to become a buyer?
• Create a content core: Align your messaging to customer questions, pain points and buying triggers.
• Build a single source of truth: Get your data clean, your metrics focused, and your team aligned.

Want a deeper dive into how to do this? Get in touch

Final Thought: Adapt or Plateau

2025’s ecommerce landscape isn’t kind to complacent brands, but it is rewarding to those who rethink, retool, and refocus.

If you’re frustrated with results, reliant on a single channel, tired of chasing tactics and ready to build a growth engine that lasts, start now.

And if you want a strategy that turns these trends into your competitive advantage – we’re here to help.