Welcome to the 2025 Tribus Trend Report, compiled by our Website Development, Software Engineering, AI, Design and Digital Marketing teams, created to support your digital transformation efforts this year.
Given the rapid pace of technological advancements, new digital platforms, and shifts in user behaviour our teams share valuable insights into 2025 tech trends
Website Development
Headless CMS
Headless Content Management Systems (CMS) are experiencing a surge in popularity due to their inherent flexibility and adaptability. By decoupling content from its presentation layer, headless CMS platforms are helping to support developers and content creators to deliver tailored experiences across a vast array of devices and channels.
This separation allows for more seamless content delivery to websites, mobile applications, social media platforms, and emerging digital touchpoints, ensuring consistent and impactful user experiences.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
This year, Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are set to increase in popularity and have a greater impact on the way users interact with websites and apps. Combining the best of web and mobile apps, PWAs offer fast, reliable, and engaging experiences, even in low-connectivity areas.
With features like offline access, push notifications, and app-like performance, PWAs make it easier for businesses to reach users across devices without the need for separate mobile apps. They’re cost-effective & lightweight, ensuring users stay engaged no matter where they are.
As we start 2025, PWAs are set to benefit further from improved interaction with device hardware such as cameras, GPS and sensors, enhanced performance and wider support by the browser vendors.
Green Hosting
Tribus is proud to work with multiple sustainable companies such as AXA Climate School, AXA Altitude, Aura Consultants and Boston Energy who are adopting sustainable technology that run on renewable energy to align with their sustainable business strategies. This reduces their carbon footprint and aligns with eco-conscious consumer values.
Full-Stack Engineering
AI and Machine Learning Integration
In 2025, AI and machine learning will be used more and more within web and app development. By integrating these technologies, developers can create smarter, more personalised user experiences. Something the team at Tribus Digital are already implementing.
From chatbots that handle customer queries to recommendation systems that suggest products or content, AI is making apps and websites more intuitive. Machine learning also helps optimise performance, offering real-time insights and improving the overall user experience.
As these technologies continue to evolve, Tribus will continue to offer more tailored, efficient solutions, making apps and websites not just functional, but smarter and more adaptive.
Tribus’ Technology Director, Mark Spilsbury shared the following 2025 trends:
Developers will start to favour plain CSS over Sass and other pre-processors now more features are available natively.
Bootstrap is going to become less popular, more developers will opt out of frameworks
Vite will increase in popularity at the cost of Webpack
AI assistants / AI-driven low code / "you do not need a developer" tools will proliferate even more with mixed results
The job market is going to be tough for developers who don't / can't embrace AI to be more productive, it will create a bigger gap between high and low-performers
The cybersecurity field is going to grow even more as AI opens up more attack vectors
Digital Marketing
Navigating a Zero Click Search Engine World
Tribus’ SEO team defines a zero-click search as when a user obtains the information they need directly from the search results, without needing to click through to a website. These searches often happen across features like featured snippets, knowledge panels, or instant answers, delivering the desired content right on the search engine results page (SERP).
While zero-click searches provide users with faster answers, they are starting to affect digital marketers who are challenged with reporting year-on-year data and results. These are the top trends Tribus is seeing across the market:
Users are becoming less likely to visit your website if they find the information they need directly on the SERP.
Businesses now need to optimise their content for visibility in SERP features like featured snippets and knowledge panels to maintain relevance.
Appearing prominently on SERPs is still enhancing brand visibility, even if it doesn’t result in direct clicks.
AI Search Results (Chat GPT Search)
Tribus has identified that as of January 2025, Google’s search market share sat around the 80% mark. This is a significant drop from the 93% mark in February 2023. What is contributing to this?
The answer - AI-Search like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Unlike traditional search engines which return a list of links or snippets, ChatGPT provides direct, conversational answers and explanations based on its training data or connected live tools. Have you made the switch from Google to ChatGPT search?
UGC
User-generated content (UGC) will continue to take off in 2025, and it’s not just about influencers anymore. Every day customers creating videos, reviews, or posts about products are having a huge impact.
UGC is authentic, relatable, and can reach a wide audience. People trust real experiences over polished ads, and that’s why UGC has such power. When customers share their thoughts or show how they use a product, they can spread quickly.
The best part? Anyone can create UGC. With the right tools and a little creativity, your customers become your biggest advocates, giving your brand more reach and credibility than ever before.
Data
Privacy & Data Protection
A privacy-led digital transformation is essential and builds trust by clearly communicating how customer data is used. Staying compliant and putting privacy first is not just about regulations; it’s about building a stronger relationship with your users.
In 2025, data privacy will continue to be a top priority in the UK. As global privacy laws become more widespread and user awareness increases. A privacy-led digital transformation is essential for businesses to build trust with their users.. This involves communicating how customer data is collected, stored, used, and shared.
Predictive analytics
Predictive analytics is an area that is seeing increased interest and adoption across multiple sectors. By using data mining techniques, machine learning, and statistical algorithms, businesses can identify patterns and trends that would otherwise remain hidden. These insights can then be used to forecast future outcomes and behaviours, allowing companies to make more informed decisions and stay ahead of the competition.
As technology continues to advance and data becomes even more abundant, the importance of predictive analytics is only set to grow.
Design
Dark Mode Design
Dark mode has become a ubiquitous design choice across digital platforms, offering a range of benefits for users. By inverting the traditional colour scheme, dark mode reduces eye strain, particularly in low-light conditions. The high contrast between text and background enhances readability and focus, making it easier to consume content for extended periods.
Did you know dark mode can contribute to significant battery savings on devices with OLED or AMOLED displays?
Embracing dark mode options throughout your software/web build will help digital designers and developers create digital experiences that are both visually appealing and user-friendly.
Sustainable Design
Designers are increasingly prioritising sustainability, focusing on creating websites and applications that are lightweight and energy-efficient. This approach aligns with the growing environmental concerns and the need to reduce the carbon footprint of digital products. By minimising the energy consumption of websites and apps, designers can contribute to a more sustainable future while also enhancing the overall user experience.
As users become increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their online activities, they are likely to favor websites and apps that prioritize sustainability. Therefore, sustainable design is not only an ethical imperative but also a smart business strategy.
What will 2025 bring you and your business?
Tribus will continue to implement new strategies and learnings across all teams as we provide digital software solutions to our clients. We're committed to being your trusted technology partner in 2025. Contact us today to find out more about how Tribus can help your business adopt new technology and digital approaches in the coming year!
