Top 5 brand-consumer communication trends to watch in 2025 and beyond

We are approaching a quarter of a century within this decade. The landscape of brand-consumer communication is evolving rapidly, driven by advancements in technology, shifting consumer expectations, and the ever-increasing role of mobile devices in everyday life. 

For brands to stay competitive and maintain strong relationships with their customers, staying ahead of these trends is crucial. Which tendencies will carry over into the new year and beyond? Here are the top customer communication trends brands should prioritize for 2025:

1. From mobile-first to mobile-only

Gen Z will soon become the largest and wealthiest generation ever, with spending power expected to exceed $12 trillion by 2030. Their habits are already shaping the shopping experiences and marketing strategies of the next decade.

As it was once rightfully put, Generation Z isn’t just digital natives—they’re mobile natives. For businesses that plan ahead, investing in mobile experiences is a safe bet. This goes far beyond simply having a mobile-friendly website. Consumers expect fast, efficient, and personalized mobile interactions. This includes not only transactional processes (like purchasing and payments), but also customer support and post-purchase communication, including order updates, returns, and loyalty points.

In addition, most tech platforms, including search engines and social media platforms, view brands’ mobile versions of their website first and consider desktop versions second.

This means brands need to rethink how they build customer journeys. Instead of creating web-based experiences and then adapting them for mobile, designs should be created with mobile as the priority. 

For example, Starbucks offers app-only perks to its Rewards members, such as bonus stars, personalized offers, and pre-order capabilities that aren’t available on the website or in-store. 

ASOS introduced a mobile-exclusive visual search tool, allowing users to upload a photo and find similar items. After its success on mobile, the feature was integrated into their desktop site to reach a broader audience. Companies like Domino’s Pizza have embraced mobile-first ordering with their "AnyWare" technology, allowing customers to place orders via text, smartwatches, or voice assistants. They later expanded it to smart TVs, car dashboards, and even voice assistants like Alexa, enabling customers to order from virtually anywhere.

And it all started with a mobile screen.

What brands can do now:

• Connect advertising, messaging, shopping, and payments all in one place to reduce friction throughout the customer journey.
• Create targeted, personalized content that speaks directly to the on-the-go nature of mobile users.
• Invest in mobile-exclusive features, such as geolocation, interactive push notifications, and easy mobile payment options.

2. Privacy and security: The new competitive advantage

One of the biggest threats to brand-consumer communication in the foreseeable future will be security breaches. As the amount of sensitive consumer data increases, the risk of hacking, phishing attacks, and other forms of digital fraud also grows.

Security wil be a critical pillar in brand-consumer communications in 2025 and onwards. Consumers are increasingly aware of how their data is being used, and they’re placing more trust in brands and platforms that can guarantee the protection of their personal information. And if customers are concerned about scammers or unverified accounts, they may become reluctant to engage or make purchases from a brand.

Brands will soon have access to new advanced privacy tools that enhance data privacy and reduce breach risks. Among these are data masking, multi-party computation, and zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs). These new tools will enable users to verify information without revealing the actual sensitive details. For example, users can prove they have account ownership without disclosing credential information, or brands can replace real data with fake data, so the actual sensitive information stays hidden and secure.

As more communication moves to mobile apps, social platforms, and messaging services, brands must ensure they are using secure channels for communication, with strong encryption and fraud protection mechanisms in place. Brands that can build trust through transparent data practices, offer enhanced security measures, and educate customers about privacy will emerge as leaders in their industry.

What brands can do now:

• Invest in a platform that has robust security measures in place
• Ensure the channels you use with customers comply with privacy regulations across all regions you operate in
• Be transparent about data collection practices, ensuring customers understand how their data is used

3. Zero-party data and AI for tailored experiences

The first thing brands need to understand is that there is no need to know everything about your customer to make the offer, ad, or communication relevant. Customers are looking for relevance, not intrusion into their private lives.

The key driver of this evolution will be artificial intelligence (AI) and zero-party data—information that customers willingly and proactively provide. This shift will enable brands to deliver hyper-personalized content, recommendations, and interactions in real time.

Zero-party data

While third-party cookies still hold ground for now, the industry is rapidly moving away from this model in favor of first-party and contextual data. This transition is fully underway, as first-party data is the only way to truly understand and predict customer needs. Even if third-party cookies weren't being phased out, they still lack the richness and depth needed for delivering personalized experiences.

The preferences, intentions, and specific needs collected through zero-party data are key to enabling highly precise tailored interactions and recommendations from AI systems.

Agentic AI assistants

AI-powered customer experiences (CX) will soon be essential, and marketers across the globe are widely adopting generative AI. Now, with the introduction of Agentic AI, systems that are capable of making autonomous decisions, brands will need to work harder to cut through online clutter and remain relevant to customers.

Agentic AI assistants will be able to complete requests based on customer preferences and existing online data and systems. For example, if a customer wants to book a hotel for a family ski trip, an Agentic AI assistant can find and reserve a room at a family-friendly hotel that accommodates their budget, preferred location, amenities, and other unique preferences.

Or, if a customer has specific questions about a brand's product, services, or pricing - these AI assistants can find the exact information and present the most fitting options based on their needs. Imagine you’re a brand that’s deciding whether or not you should implement a Viber chatbot. An Agentic AI assistant can tell you the benefits, use cases, and pricing depending on the nature of your business and how you intend to use it so you can make an informed decision, in minutes.

Although this might seem like a threat to businesses, eliminating the brand-consumer relationship, brands that thoughtfully provide accessible, accurate information online will be able to offer customers a highly personalized, convenient experience through these agents.

Interactive advertising

Although most of what we’ve heard or seen so far related to AI advancements is within the customer support and service realm, innovations within the advertising space are happening, too.

“Ads that speak”, recently launched by GMS, uses advanced technology and natural language processing to answer customers’ questions with an AI that embodies a brand's style, voice, values, messaging, and more.

This is the first step towards a new world of advertising. As the adoption of this technology grows, we can expect customers to choose the most convenient, relevant channels - and the brands that are present within these spaces.

4. Voice and video commerce: An added layer to mobile experiences

Voice interactions are becoming increasingly common, with virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant now part of everyday life. Because of this, we can expect to see voice and video-enabled devices already play a significant role in brand-consumer communication, especially in e-commerce.

Conversational commerce, the act of shopping or engaging with brands through messaging or voice-based platforms, will become more mainstream. Consumers will be able to ask questions, receive product recommendations, and even make purchases directly through voice interfaces, creating new opportunities for brands to meet customers where they are.

Video interactions are also growing in popularity, and we can expect to see shoppable livestreams where consumers can purchase products directly from social media platforms. When watching a video, consumers can click the link to the product mentioned in the video, complete their purchase, and then return to the video to finish watching or continue scrolling - all without leaving the app.

Virtual events and webinars will also fill this space, enabling consumers to interact with brands and products similarly through live videos for product demos, behind-the-scenes access, and user-generated content.

And with the increasing adoption of augmented reality (AR), gamified experiences will become the norm. AR-powered livestreams will enable consumers to use filters to try out products during a live session, combining entertainment and product discovery.

For brands, embracing voice and video technology will mean rethinking how they present information and how customers engage with their offerings. Voice search optimization and voice-driven transactions will be key areas for brands to focus on.

Example of Kiko Milano’s virtual try-on campaign with Viber Lenses

What brands can do now:

• Optimize content for voice and video search, ensuring that it’s easily discoverable through voice queries.
• Explore conversational commerce platforms to facilitate direct interactions with customers on their favorite channels.
• Invest in voice technology for customer service, enabling customers to get quick answers through voice queries.

5. The rise of super apps: One hub for everything

“Super apps” have been on the tech industry’s radar for a while. The concept originated in Asia, leaning heavily on the market's mobile-first habits, with apps like WeChat, Grab, Zalo, and others letting users do multiple daily tasks in one place from the convenience of their mobile screen. The question on everyone’s mind is: will super apps expand to the rest of the world? The chances are high.

Mobile usage continues to skyrocket and, as these habits grow, so does the demand for super apps. Surveys show that 72% of consumers in the U.K., Germany, the United States, and Australia express interest in super apps. Gartner predicts that half of the global population will use more than one super app by 2027.

There is another stakeholder that would benefit greatly from the success of super apps: businesses. As super apps solve the majority of people’s needs, they are likely to spend a lot of time in these apps and put them on the first screens on their phones – the most expensive digital estate today and one of the most desired brand placements. 

This is particularly important for marketers, who face yet another year of being tasked to achieve more with less cash – an “era of less,” as Gartner calls it. Their research shows that average marketing budgets have dropped from 9.1% of company revenue in 2023 to just 7.7% in 2024. Shrinking budgets, coupled with the fact that only a third of marketing platforms are being fully utilized by companies today, are driving marketers to seek universal solutions – a single platform that can do it all. Super apps may be the solution.

With super apps, brands gain access to customers at every stage of their journey – from building awareness to driving conversions and sales, and fostering loyalty. 

Rakuten Viber as a super app for businesses

The benefits are great, but the challenge will be to find a super app that offers end-to-end customer journeys, superb customer experiences, and adheres to security regulations.

The apps that would be up to the task are the ones likely to win the super app race in the West and globally. Businesses that choose these platforms wisely are likely to strike gold for the years to come.

What brands can do now:

• Start exploring partnerships with super apps, particularly those popular in your target markets.
• Explore opportunities to integrate e-commerce and customer service directly within these platforms.
• Innovate with new features, such as in-app chatbots or solutions for personalized communications with your customers, to enhance the user experience.

Navigating the future of brand-consumer communication

The next few years will bring a host of opportunities and challenges for brands as they navigate the evolving landscape of consumer communication.  By embracing the rise of super apps, leveraging zero-party data and advanced AI, and focusing on mobile-only engagement, brands can stay ahead of the curve and meet consumer expectations head-on.

However, these opportunities come with significant risks—chief among them is the potential damage to brand reputation if consumers perceive your communication channels as insecure or prone to fraud. To succeed, brands must balance innovation with vigilance, ensuring that their communication platforms are not only engaging but also secure.

By making these trends a priority, brands can create lasting, meaningful relationships with their customers, driving both engagement and loyalty in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.

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