Top 5 Trends in 2025 Small Businesses Should Know
As a small business owner, staying on top of trends can be crucial for meeting consumer demands and differentiating your business in a rapidly evolving market. The new year can be an ideal time to consider adjusting your strategy to align with the latest technologies, changing consumer behaviours, and other emerging trends to help your small business stand out.
While every business is different, and certain trends may work better for you than others, listening to your target audience and finding ways that you can adapt to the changing times can help keep your business fresh. Keep reading for some of the top trends of 2025 that you can try implementing in 2025.
1. Sustainable, “Green” Practices
Although environmental sustainability is not a new concept, there has been increased awareness in recent years, creating a greater push for individuals and businesses to “go green.” A global study revealed that 93% of respondents changed their views on sustainability significantly because of the pandemic, with many now reporting that these types of issues are “very” or “extremely” important to them.
Do these beliefs translate into consumer purchasing? The research points to yes. Around 80% of UK consumers say they would pay more for sustainable produced or sourced goods, while 40% of British shoppers state that they are ready to spend a premium for food that supports local farmers and businesses.
Purchasing sustainably sourced products from local vendors can be a great way to update your product offerings, as it can reduce freight transportation costs, carbon emissions, and packaging waste. Additionally, finding ways to add recyclable materials to your products and indicating that items on your product line or the products you use in your services are sustainably sourced and eco-friendly can be a great way to not only make a positive impact environmentally but attract consumers seeking out “green” businesses.
Small businesses with a younger customer base should especially pay attention to this ongoing (and lasting) trend, as Millennials and Gen Z have been shown to experience higher levels of emotional reactions (fear, guilt, and outrage) to the impact of climate change, while 81% of Millennials and 70% of Gen Zs report that business should do more to help customers make sustainable purchasing decisions.
Other ways you can implement eco-friendly practices into your small business is to:
- Reduce product and packaging waste by optimising inventory levels and incorporating a recycling system
- If shipping to customers, try eco-friendly shipping material and packaging
- Lower energy use, such as being aware of wasted water, using energy-efficient lighting, etc.
- If applicable, try a remote or hybrid workplace for employees to avoid transportation
- Go paperless
- Minimize single-use plastics
The UK has a huge amount of green incentives for small businesses, such as tax reductions, grants, funding, and more. There is also ‘The Green Deal’, which helps residents and businesses make energy-saving improvements, like insulation, to make
their property more comfortable. They then pay for some of the improvements over time through their electricity bill. The repayments are no more than what a typical property
should save in energy costs.
Click here to see the grants and funding, here for information surrounding tax relief and here to learn about The Green Deal.
2. AI for Productivity
Artificial Intelligence (AI) took a huge jump in 2024 and has evolved into a technology regularly integrated into many aspects of our lives, businesses included. From customer service to marketing and more, AI can boost productivity, particularly for small business owners juggling multiple responsibilities.
If you run an e-commerce shop, for example, using an AI chatbot that incorporates automated and predictive technology can be a great 24/7 customer service tool to help limit the amount of time you’re taking to respond to inquiries about your business. Conversational AI, which is a type of AI that continues to advance, can also be incorporated into several chatbot tools that, among many features, can help make chatbot responses sound conversational or “human,” helping to enhance the customer experience. Since 62% of SMBs in the UK use virtual customer service assistants and this technology can be a significant help to boost productivity.
AI can also be helpful when analysing data. For instance, if you have customer feedback survey results, you can take the responses and use a Large Language Model, like ChatGPT, to interpret the data and, with some context, offer solutions that you can apply to your business. Of course, it is important to remain mindful of privacy concerns when using any AI tool; inputting confidential or sensitive information about you, your business, or your customers should be avoided. However, seeking AI tools with built-in data analytic features that cater to your specific small business can be a great option.
This technology can also be great for creating concepts for social media posts, such as captions and post designs. Although copyright limitations exist if using text directly from an AI tool, it can be a good resource to brainstorm and get the creative juices flowing.
3. Mobile-First Design for Enhanced Customer Experience
Whether you’re just starting your small business or you’ve been at it for a while, your website is paramount in today’s digital world. Because it is often a medium for finding more information about your business, it has become increasingly important to make it as accessible as possible for all devices. In the past, web design has often started with desktop and then mobile, sometimes as an afterthought. However, as mobile use skyrockets, creating a mobile-first design is a trend that we’ll continue to see in 2025.
Mobile internet traffic has skyrocketed. In 2020, desktop computers accounted for 45.64% of website traffic, while mobile devices made up 51.61%. Just four years later, in 2024, desktop traffic fell to 39.41%, and mobile traffic soared to 58.54%. This trend is expected to continue into 2025, emphasising the importance of mobile-first design for all small businesses.
Mobile-first design can be described as prioritising the mobile user experience. If you haven’t launched a website, are in the process of a redesign, or you’ve found your website is not optimised on mobile, now is the time to think of creating a design with a mobile screen size in mind and then determine how it’ll reflect on desktop.
Google often uses a site’s mobile version for indexing and ranking, which they call mobile-first indexing. Therefore, a mobile-first design is key if you’re looking to boost your search engine optimisation. Additionally, it increases the user experience. Rather than having current and potential customers try to navigate your site and run into issues because a small screen does not support your content (text, imagery, etc.), optimising the mobile version of your site can often cut down on time and allow for easier navigation, which can help increase conversions.
4. Entertainment-Driven Content
Short-form video content has become a popular way to consume content thanks to the rise of popular platforms like TikTok, Reels, and Snapchat. First and foremost, if you’re not already creating video content on social media for your small business, now is the time to do so, especially since 62% of consumers watch videos, such as FAQs, product demos, and more to learn about a brand or product, while 37% report they prefer finding products through short-form videos.
Videos are something 89% of consumers have reported this year wanting to see from brands. Therefore, catering to your audience through this content is key. However, implementing a video strategy is important, as the types of videos users consume have evolved.
For 2025, we can expect to see “entertainment-driven” content. As you may expect by the term, this is content created for entertainment. Rather than only pushing your products in your videos, Hootsuite’s latest survey found that over 60% of social media content aims to entertain, educate, or inform without direct promotion for nearly half of organisations. Additionally, entertainment-driven content represents 80-100% of all social media content for a quarter of organisations.
While your video content should remain relevant to your target audience, 2025 can be the year to push some boundaries and get creative. Look for social media trends that you can hop on, and don’t feel like you need to maintain strict brand consistency for all posts. Additionally, relatable content is an ongoing trend that can tie into creating entertaining videos, as 63% of consumers would rather see relatable and authentic videos instead of polished or overly-produced content. See what your target audience is engaging with and see how you can apply it to your small business. You can also use local influencers to create a diverse library of video content.
5. Local Community Events
As a small business owner, community is everything, especially if you operate a brick-and-mortar location. Many of your community members are likely your customers, and building a strong relationship is crucial. While a digital focus remains essential, in-person community engagement, including public or customer-only events or local partnerships, can be a great way to get your business out there and strengthen customer experiences.
At small community events, using printed materials, such as invitations, signs, banners, posters, and postcards given to attendees, can be an effective way to enhance brand recognition. This approach can help ensure that your branding stands out in photos and other content from the events.
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