The battle between online and offline channels has revolutionized the market, forcing brands and retailers to reinvent themselves in an environment of tight margins and disruptive strategies. The rise of white brands, unstoppable growth in cross-border trade, and the consolidation of retail social platforms like Tiktok Shop are redefining the rules of the game. In this vertiginous world of retail, we’re experiencing a moment of deep transformation, comparable to a collision between online and offline distribution, which has maintained an intense pricing war and erosion of margins for years. This conflict has generated an environment where both brands and retailers have had to rethink their strategies to survive and prosper.
Key Disruptive Forces
One of the most notable disruptive forces is the rise of white brands, which in some sectors represent half of the market. In response, brands are resorting to direct sales projects (D2C), seeking to connect more closely with their customers and protect their margins. At the technology level, agile solutions like Shopify are emerging to facilitate online sales with infinite possibilities. Meanwhile, retailers are finding solutions to protect their results by offering exclusive brand products and developing their own private brands, which they control from start to finish.
Cross-Border Trade and Social Retail
Cross-border trade has destroyed traditional barriers among local markets, turning them into prosperous global exchange spaces where Temu, Aliexpress, or Shein have become the reference stores for many consumers. This phenomenon is particularly notable in Spain, where one in three orders comes from international sales, highlighting the growing importance of cross-border trade. Legislation often lags behind business reality, putting pressure on the competitiveness of traditional distribution channels. In the midst of this “perfect storm,” native purchase in social networks is redefining the retail panorama. Platforms like Tiktok Shop have emerged as powerful channels for new Native Digital Brands (DNVB), which take advantage of user-generated content (UGC) to boost growth.
Artificial Intelligence and Retail Trends
Artificial intelligence (AI) has broken down, offering competitive intelligence capabilities and tools that were unimaginable for many teams just two years ago. AI has allowed me and my team to manage our clients’ presence on Amazon Vendor Central in geographies as distant as Germany, Australia, or Japan, providing significant competitive advantages to increase conversion and organic positioning ratios. In 2025, we’ve identified three large areas of trends in retail:
* The Renaissance of traditional retail, redefined through real omnichannel, offering closeness, quality service, and digital integration. Consumers now appreciate purchase experiences that combine the best of physical and digital retail.
* Social retail, driven by UGC, is accelerating the growth of DNVB, especially through platforms like Tiktok Shop.
* Retailers are beginning their retail medium projects, with the average retail evolving from Onsite, Offsite, and In-Store capacities to the intensive use of 1st Party data to generate valuable business insights.
In this fragmented environment, each retailer is developing differentiated offers. However, a key opportunity arises: the grouping of retail networks of different shops in networks, which offer maximum scope and data wealth. Examples of these platforms include Reetmus or Criseo, which simplify the life of ecosystem actors by offering unified and global solutions. In short, average retail networks for 2025 are intended to unify, be more global, with new advanced technological solutions and covering new product categories, as retail continues to adapt and evolve in this 21st century. The average retail was born with Pure Player Digital like Amazon, grew up with Brick & Click like Carrefour and Walmart, innovated with Quick Commerce networks like Glovo and Rappi, and now will explode with media networks retail that group Ecommerce specialists in products such as beauty, pets, electronics, and many more.