Thai Son Nguyen has spent the last 18 years building a world-class digital transformation and ecommerce service provider through SmartOSC.
For many retail leaders across Asia-Pacific, tech is no longer just an enabler of business transformation—it’s a primary driver. In the early months of 2025, I’m seeing more retailers position their tech investments to align with how consumer behaviors are shifting so they can stay ahead. Let’s dive into some of these trends.
Understanding Consumer Behavior Shifts
Consumers across the APAC region are increasingly placing a premium on value, convenience and meaningful experiences when shopping. This evolution has been sped up by advancements in technology that have changed how consumers find, evaluate and purchase goods, and retail leaders are responding by focusing their tech investments to take advantage of these changing dynamics and stay a step ahead.
So, how has the modern consumer journey changed? In short, it’s no longer linear but instead operates across multiple touchpoints. I believe an important key to success in retail today is ensuring your company is utilizing technology that effectively marries your offerings across both the digital and the physical world.
Three Tech Investments Shaping Retail Strategy
1. Social Commerce
Social commerce is now a top investment priority for retailers, with a hefty 91% of APAC retailers planning to either increase or maintain their current level of investment in this space. This shows a growing understanding that social platforms have evolved far beyond mere marketing channels, turning into powerful sales ecosystems that retailers can leverage.
Within the realm of social commerce, there are a few areas you can focus on:
• Diversified Commerce Archetypes: Forget “location, location, location,” because “diversify, diversify, diversify” is the order of the day. Consider implementing purchasing models like conversational commerce through messaging apps; live commerce featuring real-time demonstrations; direct social platform commerce; and community group buying (CGB), which takes advantage of social connections for collective purchasing power.
• Authentic Connection-Building: Consumers crave genuine connections, and brands can give it to them with user-generated content, livestreaming events and influencer marketing activations. These types of active engagement can help move your customers away from passive scrolling through a social media feed. In my experience, this tactic can also make their path from discovery to purchase much shorter.
2. Unified Commerce
Omnichannel strategies continue to evolve into more sophisticated, unified commerce approaches, with 89% of surveyed APAC retail leaders increasing investments in unified commerce platforms. When choosing a platform for your company, look for those with a proven record of creating seamless integration across the entire customer journey, from product discovery all the way through to post-purchase support.
3. AI Innovation
It wouldn’t be a 2025 tech trends article without a mention of artificial intelligence. AI has moved beyond the experimental phase to become an important investment area across multiple retail functions. To get the most out of this technology in your retail organization, I recommend focusing on the following usages:
• Enhanced Personalization: You can use AI to create dynamic pricing models that adjust in real time, influenced by numerous factors. In addition, AI can be used to boost conversational commerce to help your organization create more natural interactions with consumers.
• In-Store Transformation: Consider reimagining your physical store with options like smart shelf technology for inventory and pricing monitoring; advanced loss prevention systems based on computer vision; and in-store analytics that provide deeper insights into shopper behavior.
• Supply Chain Optimization: AI can be used to make supply chains more efficient by enhancing demand forecasting. In addition, AI tools can boost inventory optimization, allowing you to minimize costs while ensuring you have the right products available at the right time.
• Marketing Intelligence: Hyper-targeted advertising driven by AI can help you be more precise in how you reach consumers. Predictive analytics can give you insights into emerging trends, while dynamic content creation can automatically serve messaging that is personalized at scale.
Final Thoughts
As we move deeper into 2025, I believe organizational success will depend on seeing these investments not as isolated initiatives or gimmicks but as important interconnected elements of a comprehensive technology ecosystem designed to serve the evolving needs of the pragmatic consumer. Rather than how much cash you put into your tech investments, focus on making the best use of the tech and choosing the right complementary technologies across your organization.
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