Ecommerce trends change quickly as the tech the industry is built on and consumer tastes evolve. 2026 is set to be another year of seismic shifts. As we gear up to tackle the new year, we’ve rounded up ten things we think you should be looking out for.
At the end of 2025, AI is everywhere you look, and that includes ecommerce. Consumers are increasingly relying on AI agents like ChatGPT and Claude to help them find products. As a result, we’re beginning to see the tech move towards having the whole transaction happen within the chatbot.
This isn’t just an ecommerce trend - Shopify is just one of many platforms that have been or are looking to trial integration with ChatGPT. Amazon is even working on its own agent to help shoppers navigate the site.
Whilst retail media has almost always been a part of the ecommerce industry, it’s becoming increasingly more important. Advertising budgets are being squeezed, and retail media offers closed-loop attribution. Because it’s so much closer to the point of purchase, it’s much easier to prove the impact on sales that say, a social media campaign.
2026 is going to be another year of increasing privacy regulation. Cookie deprecation alone means that it’ll be harder to target consumers in traditional ad formats. This gives platforms like Amazon a huge advantage: first-party data. Marketplaces collect information about their users, like:
These are high-intent signals and a more reliable way to reach consumers.
Google’s AI Overviews are increasingly providing users with the information they need without the need to click through. You may have already experienced “The Great Decoupling”, where your impressions begin to climb and your clicks start dropping.
In 2026, we’re likely to see less SERP real estate as the AI Overview continues to push down organic listings. You can optimise for AI discovery by using structured data for your product reviews and FAQs. You’ll also want to look at building authority – verified reviews and good quality backlinks are never more important.
Social commerce platforms will go from ecommerce trends to core pillars of the industry. Whilst Instagram Shopping and YouTube Shopping have contributed to the prevalence of social commerce, 2025 was the year of TikTok Shop.
The shift has largely been thanks to younger consumers (Gen Z and Millennials), the majority of whom are digitally native. These generations of shoppers trust the opinions of creators and influencers, resulting in higher conversion rates and strong brand engagement.
In 2026, look towards live commerce. Real-time product demos, limited-time offers, and interactive Q&A sessions create urgency and social proof. These livestreams can be a powerful sales channel, but they require preparation. You’ll want to invest in high-quality content, partner with influencers, and make sure your fulfilment options can handle viral demand.
Every year, cross-border order volume increases, and 2026 won’t be any different. Consumers are more comfortable buying from international retailers as logistics and localisation improve across the board. This presents an opportunity for ecommerce businesses that are willing to handle the responsibilities that come with international trade.
Compliance will be the defining challenge. Trade regulations, tax requirements and consumer protection laws are all facing shake-ups in 2026. It’s important to follow regional laws. Failing to do so will land you facing penalties and delays. The customer experience is so vital to success. Orders being held up at customs because you’re missing something like an EORI number is easily preventable.
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) will change in 2026 as various governments get savvy to ecommerce trends and introduce new regulations. It’s still immensely popular, but it’ll require stricter credit checks and greater transparency. At the same time, instant account-to-account (A2A) payments are gaining traction, offering faster, cheaper transactions without card networks. Embedded finance is also on the rise, with retailers integrating lending, insurance, and loyalty-driven credit directly into the checkout experience.
All of these options create convenience for customers and promise better margins for sellers. However, to take advantage of them, you’ll need to think more about risk management and compliance. For ecommerce sellers, being flexible is key. As you know, your customers expect multiple payment options. Not having them might mean you convert less, but is it worth the effort and the risk? The best way to know is to monitor conversions versus costs like platform fees and fraud.
It used to be that offering the “eco-friendly” option was enough to stand out. These days, consumers expect a certain level of sustainability from brands. In some markets, it’s not just consumers – Extended Product Responsibility in the UK, for example.
Packaging is at the centre of sustainability expectations. Given that all your customers will interact with your packaging at some point, it’s not really a surprise. Plastic-free, mono-material, and recyclable solutions are expected. Smart packaging, featuring QR codes for disposal guidance and circular design principles, is just one of the ways you can reduce waste while enhancing customer experience in 2026.
Buy Online, Pick Up in Store (BOPIS) and curb-side pickup will continue to grow as cost-effective alternatives to last-mile delivery in 2026. If you’re an eBay seller in the UK, you likely already know that these options reduce shipping expenses and timelines. Two main benefits make omnichannel fulfilment a bet for 2026: incremental in-store purchases and consumer delivery expectations.
BOPIS already accounts for a significant share of ecommerce revenue. Plus, we’re seeing retailers create dedicated collection points inside their stores. As economic factors reduce foot traffic, omnichannel fulfilment gives shoppers another reason to go to brick-and-mortar retail stores.
Shipping can very easily be a profit drain, and BOPIS gives sellers a way to maintain their margins. In-store pick up gives customers the flexibility they expect whilst reducing costs. Plus, it virtually eliminates delivery fraud – people can’t claim they didn’t receive their parcel when they’re responsible for picking it up.
If the growing number of parcel lockers at my local train station is anything to go by, Out-of-Home (OOH) delivery options are only going to be more popular. The final stage of delivery is the most expensive and most likely to go wrong. In 2026, expect to see widespread adoption of micro-fulfilment centres located closer to urban demand clusters, reducing delivery times and costs. As we’ve already discussed on this list, sustainability will no longer be a nice-to-have. Logistics companies are keeping up, and we’ll see more low-emission fleets, including electric vans and cargo bikes.
Everyone knows what the standard product page looks like. In 2026, they won’t be enough. Augmented reality (AR) try-ons and 3D product viewers will become mainstream, allowing customers to visualise products in their own space or see how they look before buying. These ecommerce trends have been coming for a while. Some brands (such as Ikea) already have this technology in place, and it’s only becoming more accessible for smaller businesses. If you can create a more personalised, interactive shopping experience, you’ll increase customer confidence and reduce return rates.
The challenge will be balancing innovation with accessibility. Any AR or 3D tools you use need to be fast, mobile-friendly and actually fit into your buying process. Don’t treat these things like a novelty. If you can properly integrate them into your customer experience, you’ll be creating trust and making shopping on your store a rich, engaging experience.
