Nomix Group founder and chairman Colin Jeavons predicts digital shopping spending in Western markets will increase by at least 30 percent by the end of 2027. Jeavons attributes the jump to AI answer engines, agents and social commerce accelerating product discovery, impulse buying and conversion in ways that traditional retail cannot match.
Jeavons has emphasised that his forecast reflects digital shopping only, not retail as a whole, and that he believes 30% is a conservative estimate. He expects digital channels to take a larger share of total discretionary spending as consumers are exposed to more purchase opportunities across AI interfaces, creator feeds and mobile environments. He commented:
“People will discover more, see more, get more opportunities to buy and ultimately will spend more than they have in prior cycles. In Western markets, we believe digital shopping alone will grow by at least 30 percent from 2025 to 2027. That growth will be fueled by new discovery surfaces and impulse-friendly environments like TikTok Shop, Instagram and emerging AI shopping interfaces. Consumers aren’t just reallocating spend. They’re expanding it.”
Jeavons noted that while retail shopping may face pressure in the same period due to shifts in behavior and reduced tourist-driven luxury spending in markets like Japan and the UK, digital shopping is poised to accelerate. Jeavons points to three forces driving the projected 30% growth:
1) AI-powered answer engines and agents: These tools reduce friction at the earliest point of intent, collapsing research time and narrowing choices to a small set of highly relevant options.
2) Social and creator commerce behaving like digital malls: Platforms like TikTok Shop, Instagram and Snap now drive high-volume, high-impulse purchasing at a scale that did not exist a year ago. “If the mall was the traditional driver of impulse buys, TikTok Shop is now the mall,” Jeavons said.
3) Low-cost and rapid content generation: AI-driven video and UGC production allow brands and publishers to test more formats, more narratives, and more targeting at near-zero marginal cost.
“When you combine discovery everywhere with low-friction buying paths, you expand the pie,” said Jeavons. “This isn’t a five percent uplift on top of expected growth. This is a structural shift in how people shop.”
Jeavons cautions that not every brand will benefit automatically.
“If you’re optimized for blue-link search or siloed channels, AI will feel like a headwind,” he said. “If you’re designed for answer engines, creator feeds, app environments, and agentic shopping, you can ride the growth instead of losing ground.”
