Prominent on both stage and screen, American actor and playwright Colman Domingo is quoted as saying: “Part of the responsibility of being a modern storyteller is understanding modern audiences and trusting what they can handle. It’s not just settling into what we think they want.”

Similarly, with today’s consumers fully embracing omnichannel shopping, experts note that beyond the product sale, brands can shape both immediate purchasing decisions and future brand commitment by understanding that consumers are looking for a unified experience.

For instance, in its “The State of Product Experience 2025” report, Chicago-based Syndigo, a product content management and syndication platform, notes that a large, and growing, majority of global consumers are factoring the availability and quality of product experiences into their perception of a brand. 

“Seventy-five percent think less of a brand if they find incomplete or inaccurate information about its products online,” the report states. “This figure has grown 21% since the beginning of this research in 2023, indicating consumers increasingly use what they see on eCommerce pages, social media accounts, owned brand websites and other digital channels to inform overall brand perception.

“Though the question specifies online product representations, it’s worth noting that this preference extends beyond direct eCommerce shopping,” the report continues. “For instance, it may also include circumstances where a shopper is researching products online before or during making a purchase in store. As shopping becomes an increasingly omnichannel experience, having quality content available at all touchpoints becomes imperative.”

Jack O’Leary, director of eCommerce strategic insights and thought leader at NielsenIQ (NIQ), Chicago, also stresses the critical role omnichannel shopping is playing in consumers’ lives.

“Consumers have fully shifted into omnichannel routines, with 94% of CPG shoppers buying both in store and online, and online now fueling 74% of all CPG dollar growth,” he says. “As shoppers embrace smaller, convenience driven online missions and grow more comfortable with social commerce and AI assisted discovery, eCommerce increasingly becomes the default way they replenish everyday needs.” 

Notably, O’Leary points out that beverages are one of the fastest growing eCommerce categories, generating $15.7 billion online and growing by more than 24.5% year-over-year (YoY), with coffee also surging thanks to replenishment friendly behavior and strong marketplace performance. 

“Even emerging channels like TikTok Shop are fueling incremental gains, with beverage sales there rising over 150% YoY,” he says.

O’Leary further notes that overall, the eCommerce market is evolving to support shifting consumer needs.

“Retailers and marketplaces have rapidly expanded fulfillment capabilities, retail media and digital shelf sophistication, with online share as legacy store-based retail losing ground,” he says. “The rise of 3P marketplaces, faster delivery, and AI enhanced shopping experiences has reshaped the channel mix and allowed consumers to find, buy and receive products with unprecedented ease.”

Entering the 3P marketplace, Binny’s Beverage Depot recently partnered with DoorDash to expand on-demand alcohol delivery across Illinois. 

In a February press release, DoorDash announced that Midwest wine, spirits and beer store Binny’s Beverage Depot is bringing consumers access to safe, responsible and fast alcohol delivery. 

With 46 locations across Illinois now available on DoorDash, consumers can order beer, wine, spirits, seltzers, non-alcohol beverages, bar essentials, and more, on-demand, the company notes in the release. The partnership expands the selection available on DoorDash, adding to the more than 11,000 grocery, convenience and liquor retailers in the United States that offer alcohol through the platform.

“Binny’s entered the delivery business on foot from its first Chicago neighborhood store in 1948. That evolved to bicycles, and then vans, trucks, and couriers,” said Greg Versch, director of communications at Binny’s Beverage Depot, in a statement. “We’re excited to work with DoorDash in the next step in our eight-decade journey of serving the customer.”

Jacob Morello, general manager of alcohol and regulated goods at DoorDash, added: “Binny’s Beverage Depot is a beloved destination for consumers across Illinois, and we’re excited to bring their extensive selection of beer, wine, spirits and more to DoorDash. In our 2025 DoorDash Delivery Trends Report, 42% of consumers surveyed said they’re ordering alcohol delivery more often than they did in 2024. With Binny’s Beverage Depot now on DoorDash, it’s even easier to get what’s needed in a few taps, whether that’s date-night wine, a new ready-to-drink cocktail, or the mixer missing for at-home drinks.”

Navigating the new digital environment

Alongside expanded fulfillment capabilities and digital shelf sophistication, NIQ’s O’Leary notes that AI is transforming both shopper experience and retailer operations from AI controlled shelves to AI generated content, pricing, search and product testing. 

“Retail media is simultaneously scaling toward $27 billion by this year, while social commerce and agentic AI shopping tools accelerate discovery and conversion in new digital environments,” O’Leary says.

Yet, Syndigo warns in its report that consumers are responding to digital environments in part with greater scrutiny of the products they’re purchasing and greater skepticism of items with incomplete content.

“The global economy and markets experienced a lot of change heading into 2025,” the report notes. “Forty-six percent of global consumers said they are somewhat or much less likely to purchase items that have limited product information now versus six months ago. In comparison, about 25% responded they would be more likely over that period. 

“That may indicate shoppers are becoming more conservative with purchase decisions and taking greater care to ensure they’re getting exactly what they want,” the report continues. “This data suggests one of the best ways for brands to make themselves resilient to shifting markets and dipping consumer sentiment is with abundant, high-quality product information available at the right place and time.”

Further, the report notes that consumers in the United States were the most likely to return a product following a disappointing product experience by a significant margin, with 31% having recently brought or sent a product back.

“By a narrow margin, Americans were most likely to say they’ve recently shifted their shopping behavior to avoid products with poor content,” it states.

Given Syndigo’s findings, the key takeaway from the report is that investing in digital content equals investing in resilience.

“In times of uncertainty, confidence is a premium commodity,” the report states. “If consumers are tightening their purses or less confident about product availability due to trade policies and economic factors, they’re likely to be more discerning about the products they choose to buy and pass on items that don’t pass their heightened scrutiny.”

Looking ahead, Syndigo suggests that for brands and companies looking to fortify themselves from economic uncertainty and mitigate risk, the product experience is an evergreen investment that pays immediate dividends and builds resiliency for periods where consumers are raising standards for their purchases.

As far as what to expect in the year to come, NIQ’s O’Leary anticipates that the eCommerce market will continue to outpace total CPG growth, with beverages, health and beauty, and pet categories leading online momentum. 

“As marketplaces evolve, AI reshapes search and the digital shelf, and fulfillment networks automate further, the gap between digitally mature retailers and the rest will widen,” O’Leary concludes.