Most retailers still missing 31% efficiency gains as 2025 ecommerce accelerates 

New analysis from nShift reveals five shifts reshaping retail mid-year 

Retailers are leaving money on the table by failing to connect logistics with the customer experience, according to mid-year analysis from delivery and experience management leader nShift.  

In the first half of 2025, ecommerce frontrunners outpaced the market by integrating backend operations with customer-facing journeys - using APIs, AI, and automation to unify their operations from checkout to delivery to returns. Yet many others remain stuck in siloed systems, struggling to adapt to the demands of global, real-time commerce.  

nShift’s mid-year trends analysis found that: 

• Businesses are embracing change in theory but not in practice - while 38% of retailers are advancing joined-up commerce and logistic strategies only 17% consider such capabilities "mature". Those that have done it well, have reaped benefits: the 5% with excellent strategies secured 31% lower fulfilment costs and 24% higher customer satisfaction.

• Europe risks falling behind on social commerce - Gen Z seeks to shop through the social apps they live their lives through.  While social commerce is up 17% in Europe so far this year, it is growing by 38% in the United States.

• Cross-border delivery is accelerating amid rising demand and regulatory complexity - 59% of shoppers now buy internationally, with 1 in 3 doing so monthly. But customs, VAT, and transit challenges are intensifying as retailers are racing to automate cross-border logistics and build smarter, localized delivery networks.  

• Retailers require a "sustainability surge" - two thirds (66%) of consumers will spend more money with brands with a positive environmental impact.  But 27% of e-commerce retailers have quietly cut back on sustainable initiatives over the last year in a bid to control costs.

• AI goes from strength to strength - 41% of supply chain leaders now use AI operationally. Common use cases include route planning, demand forecasting, and warehouse automation. We are now starting to see impact with new technologies cutting logistics costs by up to 30%.

Jonathan Bedford, CRO at nShift said:

Integrating delivery operations with customer-facing platforms drives measurable impact: faster orchestration, smarter carrier selection, and reduced WISMO. We've seen that even partial unification of systems can significantly improve efficiency, cost control, and customer experience.

Read the full analysis: “2025 Retail & logistics trends: Half-year check-in”, a follow up analysis to nShift’s trends predictions report released at the end of last year.