On Thursday, December 12, the 46th edition of Dialogue Thursday (DiDo) took place. This time DiDo was all about the future of e-commerce and CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization). Two inspiring speakers took us through trends, challenges and opportunities that await us in 2025.

Speaker 1: Sander - E-commerce Trends 2025

Sander bit the bullet and outlined the changing dynamics in e-commerce. His presentation mainly emphasized the shift in search behavior and the emergence of new tools and platforms.

Search is changing. Shoppers are changing.
By the end of 2026, search volume in traditional search engines will decline. Online shoppers' starting points are shifting to platforms such as TikTok, social media and AI-driven search tools such as SearchGPT. This AI tool forces websites to look beyond just Google optimization. Interestingly, iPhone users will soon even be able to set SearchGPT as their default search engine.

Is SEO dead? No, it is evolving!
SEO remains essential, but requires a new approach:

• Contextual depth: Respond to AI-driven queries.

• Machine readability: Optimize your site for AI.

• Wikipedia vibes: Provide clear, valuable answers that users are looking for.

Social commerce on the way
Another notable trend is social commerce. In 2025, it will also be introduced in the Netherlands. Globally, TikTok has a market share of 68%. Sander advised companies to do their homework now and research the requirements of TikTok.

Back to basics
Sander stressed the importance of fundamentals. Many marketers look too far ahead, while the basics are not always in order. Use a maturity framework To prioritize and strategize steps.

Speaker 2: Ton Wesseling - The Future of CRO

Ton Wesseling, the expert on CRO, shared his views on experimentation, validation and how companies can be successful with it in 2024 and beyond.

From silos to a culture of experimentation
Ton took us through the development of CRO over the years:

• 2010: CRO was often the job of one person.

• 2018: CRO teams were in silos and too far removed from product teams.

• 2024: Experimentation rate increases, but only 25% of implementations are tested.

Why don't we test everything? According to Ton, validation should become a standard process, using feature flagging and the build-measure-learn principle.

More experiments, lower win rate?

One striking point from Ton Wesseling's presentation is that the win rate drops when organizations begin to experiment more. This is because more ideas are tested, but not every idea is equally successful or impactful. Thus, the increased volume of experiments automatically leads to a lower percentage of ‘winning’ tests.

The solution lies in: better ideas and smarter prioritization.
Ton emphasized that organizations need to improve the quality of their experiments by:

1. Evidence-based growth: An approach where decisions and experiments are based on data and research.

2. Balance between research and implementation: A good balance between generating insights through research and conducting experiments quickly is essential to increase impact.

Ton further mentioned that more experiments are not just about volume, but about learning. Every experiment, successful or not, contributes to understanding customer behavior and helps organizations make more informed decisions.

The power of AI and data
Ton sees an important role for AI and machine learning. These technologies accelerate research time and increase productivity. The future demands:

• Collecting high-quality data: “Garbage in = garbage out.”

• Working with AI to gain insights and make decisions faster.

From CRO to CX
CRO is being replaced by Customer Experience (CX). Organizations must automate validation and support CX teams with a solid technical foundation. Ton emphasized that speed and effectiveness are the new norm: “It's not the big fish eating the small fish, but the fast fish beating the slow fish.”

Conclusion

Dialogue Thursday on Dec. 12 provided an inspiring look at the future of e-commerce and CRO. Sander and Ton showed that the world is changing and companies need to adapt quickly. Whether it's new search tools like SearchGPT, social commerce through TikTok, or embracing a culture of experimentation, the key to success lies in innovation, data and quality.

Key message: Make experimentation and validation the norm, collect qualitative data and always stay prepared for the next big change. 

Can't wait for the next edition of DiDo either? Then sign up now for March 13, 2025. The theme this time is ‘Experimentation in Product Teams.