Key points in this article:
- Artificial intelligence is becoming a major pillar of ecommerce with personalized recommendations, smart search, and ultra-efficient chatbots.
- Social commerce, particularly TikTok Shop, is establishing itself as an essential channel for selling directly from social networks.
- AI assistants are ushering in the era of agentic commerce: agents capable of understanding a need, selecting a product, and soon finalizing the purchase.
- Marketplaces, omnichannel, and the second-hand market are progressing strongly, driven by new purchasing habits and a search for convenience.
- Shopping experiences are becoming more seamless and immersive thanks to augmented reality, instant payments, personalized delivery, and voice commerce.
Based on Statista data, with approximately $6 trillion generated worldwide in 2024 and growth of about 3.4% compared to the previous year, the ecommerce sector has never been in better shape.
Furthermore, although online sales represented only 14% of global retail trade in 2019, they now represent more than 23%.
Recent years have been quite profitable for retailers in digital commerce, and a future full of promise awaits businesses everywhere!
However, as you’ve likely discovered, ecommerce trends can evolve rapidly, driven by a wide variety of local and international factors.
Staying up to date with the latest trends can help brands optimize their marketing strategies, grow their audiences, and offer their customers better shopping experiences.
Let’s take stock of the trends that will make up ecommerce in 2026, providing you with valuable insights to help prepare your business to evolve in your industry and boost your brand image as much as your conversion rate and revenue, whether you’re just starting out and building your ecommerce website from scratch or looking to optimize your current online retail business!
Table of contents
- 1. Artificial intelligence in all areas of online sales
- 2. Social commerce: Still in the lead
- 3. AI shopping assistants for agentic commerce
- 4. Marketplaces: Find your place in the market
- 5. Ultra-customizable and sustainable product delivery
- 6. Video: A new tool for ecommerce customer service
- 7. Recommerce and second-hand goods
- 8. Augmented reality
- 9. Ultra-smooth payments
- 10. Live shopping
- 11. Voice commerce and voice search
- 12. Omnichannel commerce
- 13. The senior target: The new online shoppers
1. Artificial intelligence in all areas of online sales
Don’t panic! Humans aren’t about to be replaced. But artificial intelligence (AI) promises some incredible advances, which are already underway.
AI is one of the biggest global ecommerce trends and is being employed by retailers in many areas of online sales to improve user experience and increase conversions. Here are just a few examples of how this ecommerce innovation is being used by the Zalando site:
- Personalized product recommendations
Thanks to recommendation systems based on machine learning and AI models, online stores can analyze a user’s browsing history, past purchases, clicks, and preferences.
With this information, the ecommerce merchant can offer the most relevant products in the best place at the best time.
- Smart search and product recognition
Beyond recommendations, AI makes in-store search engines incredibly powerful.They become capable of understanding the intent behind a query (synonyms, context, preferences) and immediately displaying the most relevant products.
- Chatbots
AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are already widely adopted, and their effectiveness is increasing as natural language technologies improve.
- They respond in real time to customer requests (questions, availability, order tracking, product advice), without waiting for a human.
- They boost satisfaction and loyalty: the use of chatbots has been shown to increase customer loyalty and reduce friction, boosting the likelihood of shoppers heading to checkout to complete their purchases.
- They improve conversions: according to eComposer, some stores have seen a 20% increase in conversions or leads thanks to automated assistance.
Zalando’s chatbot assistant goes to great lengths to support the customer depending on the page you are on.
2. Social commerce: Still in the lead
Social selling is no longer reserved for big brands. Today, any retailer can sell their products directly on social media.
This trend continues to grow and will remain one of the pillars of ecommerce in 2026.
Social media platforms have become veritable stores. Users can discover a product, get information, and buy it in seconds, all without leaving their app.
These platforms can help you attract potential customers in your target market, create conversation, and convert to help maximize your brand’s growth and how much you can make in ecommerce.
Instagram was one of the first to offer a true catalog and shoppable posts.
But TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, and even YouTube have caught up. All these platforms now allow users to tag products in photos, videos, stories, or live streams, making purchasing much easier.
The biggest boom has been the arrival of TikTok Shop.
According to eMarketer data, in 2025, TikTok Shop generated $15.82 billion in sales in the United States, accounting for 18.2% of the country’s total social commerce sales.
This trend benefits both large retailers and small brands. Designers, independent boutiques, and new sellers can quickly gain visibility and convert their followers into customers through effective content: videos, demonstrations, reviews, live streams, tutorials, and more.
In 2026, social selling will be even more prevalent. Purchases via social media will continue to increase, thanks in particular to the following:
- short videos,
- live shopping,
- payments integrated directly into the app for easy checkout, and
- content creators who recommend products (influencer marketing).
For e-tailers, if you want to remain visible where your customers spend their time, social commerce is now essential!
3. AI shopping assistants for agentic commerce
Artificial intelligence isn’t finished revolutionizing online commerce. In 2025, AI tools even prompted the ecommerce sector to invent a new term: agentic commerce.
Agentic commerce refers to an ecommerce model where AI agents manage our purchases on our behalf. They understand our needs, plan the steps, and autonomously fulfill the order.
AI agents are digital concierges, assistants that automate purchases.
Users no longer have to click, scroll, or compare. All they have to do is express an intention, and the agent takes care of the rest!
Industry giants such as OpenAI and Google are investing heavily to make their platforms compatible with these new agents.
For example, on ChatGPT, the shopping research feature, available even without a paid subscription, now allows you to quickly find an item based on a simple request.
In my experience, I first told ChatGPT, “I’m looking for a designer vase for less than $100.” I already had numerous results.
To go further, I activated the shopping research feature, which asked me multiple choice questions to further target my tastes.
Next, ChatGPT presented me with a sort of catalog, and like on dating apps, swiping left indicates that I don’t like something, and swiping right indicates that I like it.
Finally, the entire catalog becomes available so I can continue my personalized shopping.
You could also start your search with “I want to buy a gift for my 75-year-old mother-in-law who loves walking in the forest and cooking for her four grandchildren!”
The next step will be to pay directly in ChatGPT without going through the seller’s website if the product is compatible with instant purchases. It all depends on the initial sales site. In the end, the customer can pay directly on ChatGPT using their preferred payment method.
It’s essential that retailers follow this trend to optimize their stores and increase their chances of being highlighted by AI when internet users search for a product.
4. Marketplaces: Find your place in the market
Marketplaces have established themselves as popular sales channels for consumers.
Marketplaces are no longer simply online storefronts; they’ve become key channels for businesses selling online.
Today, marketplaces account for a very significant share of online sales: according to Meteor Space, they account for 47% of global ecommerce revenue.
- They bring together millions of active buyers: by selling on them, you immediately gain access to a large audience without having to build your entire audience from scratch.
- They offer a ready-to-use infrastructure: payment, logistics, customer service, everything is already taken care of.
- They allow you to offer a very large catalog: consumers like to compare, choose, and browse.
It’s no surprise that some of the most visited ecommerce sites by consumers around the world, according to Statista data, are (also) marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Etsy, etc.).
Top ecommerce sites worldwide based on monthly visits as of August 2025, according to Statista
Even without a large marketing budget, you can stand out from the crowd. A marketplace partially removes barriers to entry because you put your products online and benefit from traffic you might never have reached on your own.
These platforms attract customers already hooked on online shopping, accustomed to speed, variety, and simplicity.
For an ecommerce business, it’s the guarantee of being seen in the right place at the right time!
5. Ultra-customizable and sustainable product delivery
The delivery experience has become an essential factor in choosing an ecommerce site.
Customers are no longer content to simply wait for a package; they want to control all aspects of delivery.
The ability to customize the location, day, and time of delivery is reassuring, reduces cart abandonment at checkout, and contributes to a better shopping experience.
At the same time, environmental considerations are becoming increasingly important. Consumers are now being driven to increasingly adopt responsible behaviors and choose eco-friendly options, even when ordering online.
In a 2025 McKinsey study involving consumers in several European countries, 42% of respondents ranked environmental impact as an “extremely important” or a “very important” factor in their purchasing decisions.
The major challenge for retailers remains managing the “last mile,” that is, the final stage before delivery to the customer. This phase is the most expensive, the most complex, and often the most polluting.
In 2026, ecommerce players will need to continue innovating to streamline this stage by pooling deliveries within the same neighborhood, developing automated lockers, using delivery bicycles, and improving real-time tracking systems.
6. Video: A new tool for ecommerce customer service
Video has become a major part of internet commerce practices: as a marketing tool or a tool of choice in customer care, text and/or photos have given way to videos, which are more personalized, closer, and more involved with customers.
Whether it’s to present a product on social media or to create a live event around your catalog or your brand’s universe, commercial practices have never been so precise and so focused on this type of content as a means of improving customer experiences and increasing revenue.
@brooksrunning Inspired by our silhouettes in the 70s and 80s - this throwback Ghost Max SE gives you max cushion + protection - shop at the linkinbio \ud83d\udd17 #lifestyle #shoes #sneakers \u266c Assumptions - Sam Gellaitry
Source: Brooks Running
This trend is experiencing more growth compared to previous years and is generating a snowball effect on online engagement and sales for brands everywhere.
💡 With the Fliz solution, you can generate your product video in just a few clicks, thanks to AI, from your product page URL. This saves time and increases efficiency, allowing you to quickly generate tutorial content and post it on all your social networks.
Product videos created with the Fliz AI tool
The real revolution of the year has been the extension of this practice to customer service.
In order to respond to all customer concerns, many retail businesses have started filming and recording after-sales service for greater efficiency.
And how about you? Have you started shooting video content to boost your social media marketing efforts, guide shoppers to your website, and convince them to become customers?
If not, and if you find that your online store is not selling like you’d hoped, search for ways you might be able to start incorporating videos into your marketing strategy for social media and beyond to help bring your ecommerce business more growth and greater revenue.
7. Recommerce and second-hand goods
After decades of over-consumption and “fast commerce,” shoppers, particularly those in Generation Z, are driven to advocate for greater awareness and more ethical options when it comes to consumption.
This awareness and the need to give meaning to one’s purchases has led to the emergence of another one of the key trends for brands and shoppers on a global level and a new form of commerce: recommerce.
Recommerce comes from “reverse commerce” and quite simply means “second-hand commerce.”
Based on insights from a 2023 Statista survey of consumers in the United States, 60% of respondents had made at least one second-hand purchase within the last year.
This trend can be explained by several factors, such as the desire to reduce one's environmental impact, the search for bargains in times of inflation, but also a rise in ecological awareness and ethical consumption.
The global second-hand clothing market was estimated to be worth $210.3 billion in 2025, with forecasts putting it at $581.3 billion by 2035, according to data from Future Market Insights.
Buying secondhand on peer-to-peer websites is primarily an economic decision, as it allows consumers to access good products at lower prices during periods of inflation or tight budgets, but many now see secondhand shopping as a socially conscious choice.
Product listings on Vinted
Online retail giants are also investing in the sector: brands are starting to sell products from their previous collections “second hand” directly in their stores.
These are sustainable and promising levers for your brand!
→ To discover more statistics on online sales: Ecommerce statistics
8. Augmented reality
Today, augmented reality (AR) is profoundly transforming the way we shop online. Thanks to this technology, customers can visualize a product in their environment, try it on virtually, or see it in real size before buying, as if they were in a store.
Jimmy Fairly offers the option to try on its AR glasses models using the user’s smartphone or computer camera.
According to Brand XR, products presented with 3D or AR see an average of 94% more conversions than traditional products. Some studies go even further, suggesting conversion increases of up to 189% when the AR experience is well integrated, based on data from the website Single Grain.
For the customer, it’s fantastic because they can test everything from the comfort of their own home!
When a customer can virtually place an IKEA sofa in their living room using their smartphone, they know whether it will fit or not.
When they can see shoes on themselves via Snapchat on their mobile device, they can test the style without leaving home.
The gap between digital and physical is becoming increasingly blurred, and these presentation models are now popular and appreciated by shoppers, especially in mobile commerce and on social media platforms.
Source: FARFETCH
9. Ultra-smooth payments
A customer who abandons their shopping cart because they don’t like the checkout or payment process is a lost transaction.
Today, payment methods and expectations have evolved: businesses have to be ultra-flexible, responsive, and trustworthy.
In 2026, another one of the major ecommerce trends for brands on an international level is that we’re seeing a clear shift towards digital payment options with digital wallets, mobile payments, one-click payments, and even split payments (“Buy Now, Pay Later”).
Example of one-click payment with Apple Pay
According to Planet, in 2026, credit and debit cards will still be the most widely used payment method in many countries, but usage patterns will diversify.
Digital wallets are gaining market share thanks to their simplicity, speed, and the fact that they save users from having to enter their bank details with every purchase.
When an internet user clicks “buy,” they expect nothing to slow down the transaction: no lengthy data entry, no tedious forms, no errors, no friction.
As you manage your ecommerce site, keep in mind that to be competitive, your online store should offer at least the following payment methods:
- credit / debit card;
- a digital wallet or mobile payment (Apple Pay, Google Pay, local wallets, etc.); and
- if possible, instant or direct methods (instant transfer, “Buy Now, Pay Later”).
The idea is to cover as many preferences as possible so as not to disqualify an order because of an unavailable payment method.
10. Live shopping
Live shopping is giving a second wind to teleshopping, but in a modern, dynamic version that’s fully adapted to today’s consumers.
McKinsey estimates that sales via this channel could represent 10% to 20% of all ecommerce by 2026. Also according to McKinsey, the conversion rate during sessions can reach around 30%, up to 10 times higher than for a classic ecommerce.
The principle is simple: a creator, brand, or seller presents an item live, and viewers can buy it instantly without leaving the video.
This format, which emerged a few years ago, particularly during the COVID crisis, exploded in China before spreading around the world. Platforms such as TikTok are now developing their own tools to enable brands to sell directly during their live streams, notably via TikTok Shop.
11. Voice commerce and voice search
Voice commerce is the ability for your customers to buy or search for products by speaking, via a voice assistant (voice ChatGPT, smartphone, smart speaker, home assistant, etc.).
According to Global Market Insights, the global voice commerce market was worth $43.7 billion in 2024. It was expected to reach $49.2 billion in 2025 and exceed $252.5 billion in 2034, which corresponds to an exceptional average annual growth of 19.9%.
This channel, still in its infancy, is enjoying real growth as one of the top ecommerce trends and could well transform the online shopping experience in the coming years.
In fact, a growing number of users are adopting voice search for their purchases.
Uses vary, as some already use their voice to search for products, compare, find information, or place orders. Some have already made purchases via a voice device, and others plan to do so soon, according to eMarketer.
For example, with Alexa and Amazon Echo, voice commerce was already well underway in 2025.
On a personal level, at home, my HP printer is connected to my WiFi network. When I run out of ink, Alexa knows and offers to order the right cartridge for my printer from Amazon via my Amazon Prime account. All I have to do is say “yes, order that cartridge” after her notification, and the item arrives at my door the next day! Crazy, right?
So if you want to be ready for 2026, you need to start anticipating this trend. Here’s what that means:
- Optimize your site for voice search: adapt product listings, descriptions, and content to respond to spoken queries (questions, natural expressions, complete sentences).
- Integrate or plan for voice commerce-compatible solutions so that your products can be found and purchased via voice assistants.
- Anticipate the rise in popularity because, although voice commerce is still marginal today, data and statistics show rapid growth in the market and usage.
12. Omnichannel commerce
Omnichannel commerce refers to a strategy in which a brand or store connects all its channels (physical store, website, mobile application, social networks, marketplace, etc.) to offer the buyer a frictionless experience, regardless of the channel they use.
Today, consumers no longer limit themselves to a single ecommerce channel as they navigate between smartphones, computers, stores or social media networks, often in just a few minutes.
According to UniformMarket, approximately 7 out of 10 people go through several channels in their purchasing journey before making a purchase.
The shopping cart should remain the same even if customers switch devices: they should be able to check in-store availability from their mobile, buy online and pick up in-store, or even start a search on Instagram and complete the purchase on the website.
Omnichannel makes all of this possible.
13. The senior target: The new online shoppers
According to WOO, 58% of senior citizens report having at least one social network, 66% are connected to the internet, and 76% of seniors have a computer at home.
More and more seniors are becoming ecommerce enthusiasts as they recognize the advantages of this mode of purchasing, such as convenience, wide product choice, and competitive prices.
Today’s connected seniors are increasingly using the web to buy products from their favorite brands online.
Seniors are also more comfortable with digital technologies and increasingly understand the benefits of online ordering.
It’s important for retailers to take seniors’ needs and preferences into account to offer them a pleasant online shopping experience, whether they’re browsing on their computers or mobile devices, if they wish to grow their revenue.
For example, it’s useful for digital commerce businesses to make it easy to search for and find products on their website, provide multiple payment options at checkout, and have simple ways of contacting customer service (chat, telephone) for customers who prefer this method.
On the Chewy website, people have the option to contact customer service via phone, email, or live chat.
Seniors are dynamic consumers, and it’s essential to consider them in your brand’s sales strategies.
Today’s trends are shaping the future of ecommerce for businesses on an international level.
Between the rapid rise of AI tools, the growth of social commerce, omnichannel retailing, second-hand goods, and augmented reality, there have never been so many opportunities for ecommerce brands to stand out from the competition and offer improved customer experiences.
Now it’s up to you to identify the most relevant trends and levers for your business, experiment, and adapt your strategy to stay in the race!
