In this episode of 7 Figures and Beyond, Greg Shuey dives deep into the WARC x GWI 2025 Consumer Trends Report to spotlight the five most important shifts reshaping eCommerce and digital marketing. With data-backed insights and real-world implications, Greg explores how the widening wealth gap is fracturing consumer behavior—forcing brands to either lean into value-driven pricing or premium experiences with emotional resonance. He stresses that “the middle” is rapidly disappearing and urges marketers to choose their lane and build toward it with clarity.

One of the most surprising trends? Consumers now trust creators more than brands. Greg unpacks how creator recommendations are directly driving purchase decisions—not because of reach, but because of perceived authenticity and alignment. He challenges marketers to rethink their approach to influencer marketing and tap into overlooked brand voices like employees and customers who carry built-in credibility. On top of that, AI assistants like ChatGPT and Perplexity are actively rewriting the purchase funnel, making decisions for users, and shifting the point of discovery away from traditional search engines. If brands aren’t showing up in AI-driven recommendations, they’re essentially invisible.

Greg rounds out the conversation with a look at the rise of health-conscious shopping—where functional outcomes like gut health and immunity now drive buying decisions—and the explosion of community as a top-of-funnel growth engine. Whether it’s niche Slack groups, Reddit threads, or offline meetups, consumers are flocking to passion-based tribes for product discovery and peer validation. The brands that adapt quickly, invest in relevance, and build trust across platforms and communities will be the ones who not only win Q4—but set themselves up for long-term growth in 2026 and beyond.

Episode Links

Greg Shuey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-shuey/

2025 Consumer Trends Report Download: https://www.warc.com/content/paywall/article/WARC-Exclusive/2025_Consumer_Trends_Report/en-GB/161373?

https://www.stryde.com/consumer-trends-shape-marketing-strategy-2025/