Top 5 ecommerce trends you can’t afford to miss in 2026

TL;DR

#1: AI-powered personalization will drive more engagement, conversions, and retention through smarter search and tailored product recommendations.

#2: Social commerce and live streaming are growing as more consumers buy directly on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

#3: Mobile commerce (m-commerce) continues its dominance, with smartphones becoming the primary shopping tool for ecommerce consumers.

#4: Conversational AI chatbots are transforming into revenue drivers, providing real-time assistance, personalized recommendations, and post-sale support.

#5: Unified commerce is becoming essential, connecting all customer-facing and operational systems for a seamless, consistent shopping experience across all channels.

Ecommerce is evolving at a blazing pace. What’s relevant today won't necessarily cut it tomorrow. More importantly, the industry is entering a totally new phase defined by AI-powered automation and the ever-rising consumer expectations.

In 2026 and beyond, your growth and success will heavily depend on how well your ecommerce business adapts to emerging trends.

So, what’s ahead for ecommerce? In this article, we’ll focus on the top 5 ecommerce industry trends reflecting the way modern consumers discover and purchase products online. You’ll also learn how Maropost’s Unified Commerce platform can help your ecommerce business stay competitive in 2026 and the years ahead.

Top 5 latest ecommerce trends that will matter in 2026 and beyond

Without dragging things out, here are the top five trends shaping where ecommerce is headed:

1. AI-driven hyper-personalization and AI product recommendations are driving higher sales

Forget basic "customers who bought this also bought..." recommendations of the past. In the coming years, Artificial Intelligence will orchestrate an entirely dynamic and unique experience for every single shopper based on real-time browsing data and behavioral insights. Simply put, instead of offering product recommendations/ content/ messaging based on broad user segments, ecommerce brands can personalize each shopper’s experience on a deeper level.

What does it look like in practice? Here are some examples of AI-driven hyper-personalization in ecommerce:

• Dynamic content on product pages: AI adjusts product page elements based on individual user profiles or their journey on the page.
• AI-powered search and discovery: AI learns from a user's past interactions to re-rank search results and suggest relevant products, making product discovery more personalized.
• AI-driven product recommendations: AI analyzes browsing and purchase history, demographics, and real-time actions to show products that best match each shopper’s intent.
• Dynamic pricing and offers: AI tailors pricing or promotional discounts for individual customers based on factors like price sensitivity, loyalty, and real-time market conditions.
• Email and messaging personalization: AI optimizes the content, timing, and offers within emails, SMS messages, and ads based on shoppers’ preferences, customer lifecycle stage, and engagement history.

Why does it matter?

Gone are the days of generic marketing. Today’s consumers highly expect personalization across the entire shopping journey – and AI helps deliver that. But, more importantly, personalizing shopping experiences helps you improve engagement and conversions, increase retention and loyalty, and drive more revenue for your ecommerce business. The stats below prove that:

• Personalization helps brands meet consumer expectations: According to McKinsey, 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions – and 76% get frustrated when this doesn’t happen.
• Personalization drives conversions and revenue: Based on Attentive's 2025 Consumer Trends Report, 96% of consumers are likely to buy when messages are personalized, 77% are influenced by relevant product recommendations.
• Personalization helps improve loyalty and retention: Segment’s State of Personalization Report found that personalization drives repeat purchases and better customer retention.
• Personalization helps outperform competitors: Gartner predicts that by 2026, brands that effectively use AI to personalize customer experiences will outperform their competitors by 25% in profitability.

Real-world example:

Wall Tools – a U.S.-based supplier of professional drywall and wall/ceiling trade tools – is an excellent example of how AI-powered search and product recommendations can boost website conversions and customer loyalty. With Maropost’s Merchandising Cloud, Wall Tools achieved a 15 % year-over-year increase in conversions. Plus, with easier search and faster results, repeat customers now make up more than 50% of sales.

Check out the full case study: Wall Tools search transformation: 19% YoY conversion growth with Maropost

2. Social commerce and live streaming are getting bigger

Online shopping is increasingly happening where consumers already spend a significant amount of their time – on social platforms. And the social commerce wave is only growing stronger as we head into 2026. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube have already evolved into social commerce hubs where product discovery, engagement, and checkout all happen in one place.

Livestream shopping, in particular, is becoming increasingly popular, offering ecommerce brands an engaging way to showcase their products, connect with their customers in real time, and increase sales. Here’s what social commerce looks like in practice:

• In-app shopping on Instagram/ Facebook/ Pinterest: Shoppers discover products through posts, stories, or ads, and complete the purchase directly within the app without being redirected to an external website.
• Livestream shopping events: Brands or influencers host live video events to demonstrate products, offer flash sales, interact with viewers in real-time, and encourage them to buy featured items instantly during the broadcast.
• Native social storefronts (shops): Brands can set up full storefronts within their social platforms (e.g., Facebook Shops, Instagram Shops, TikTok Shop) and let shoppers browse and buy products without leaving the platform.

Why does it matter?

Social media platforms aren’t just for entertainment anymore. Consumers increasingly expect a seamless experience that allows them to complete their purchase within the social platform, without having to switch to a separate website. And if you haven’t yet integrated shopping into your social channels, you might be missing out on an incredible opportunity to drive more engagement and revenue for your business.

• Social product discovery is on the rise: According to Salesforce, 53% of all shoppers now discover products through social platforms, up from 46% in 2023. Gen Z is leading the charge, with 76% using social media to find products.
• Brands that don’t sell via social are missing out: McKinsey found that in the U.S., social commerce retail earnings are predicted to reach nearly $80 billion in 2025, which is 5% of total US ecommerce.
• Global social commerce market is booming: Based on a report by Straits Research (and verified by Statista), the global social commerce market size is projected to reach $6.2 trillion by 2030.

3. Mobile commerce (m-commerce) continues its dominance

Today, smartphones are much more than communication tools. In fact, they are turning into shopping hubs and becoming the primary way for shoppers to browse, compare, and buy products. And rightly so. Mobile shopping is quick and convenient, allowing you to shop literally anytime, anywhere. Mobile commerce will only keep growing as branded shopping apps, faster 5G networks, and social shopping make buying on phones easier than ever.

Why does it matter?

• Smartphones are becoming central to the shopping experience: In 2023, nearly 80% of global consumers used their smartphones to access a retailer’s website while shopping in-store, based on Insider Intelligence.
• More than half of all online purchases will happen on mobile: According to Stasista, by 2027, mobile commerce is projected to generate $3.4 trillion in sales – accounting for 62% of all ecommerce transactions.
• Mobile commerce continues to grow: eMarketer found that by 2027, mobile commerce is forecasted to reach $856.4 billion in sales in the US, accounting for nearly 50% of online sales.

Brands that optimize for mobile will obviously stand out in the crowded marketplace, convert more visitors, and drive more sales. In practice, that includes mobile-responsive design, fast loading times, intuitive navigation, one-click checkout, and mobile payment options (mobile wallets).

4. Conversational AI chatbots are turning into revenue drivers for ecommerce businesses

Chatbots have come a long way in recent years – evolving from basic, rule-based bots with scripted replies into truly intelligent, conversational assistants. They can now understand natural language, respond more naturally, and deliver a far better customer experience. For ecommerce brands, especially, they’ve become much more than just support tools. Here’s how ecommerce merchants can use conversational AI chatbots:

• Real-time shopping assistance: AI chatbots can help shoppers by answering common questions (about products, prices, deliveries, return policies, etc.), improving the online shopping experience.
• Tailored product recommendations: AI chatbots can proactively initiate chats with website visitors and offer relevant product recommendations based on user behavior and past purchases to increase conversions and the average order value.
• Cart abandonment prevention: AI chatbots can send cart abandonment reminders, help shoppers resolve checkout issues, or offer discounts, encouraging them to finalize their purchase before abandoning their cart.
• Post-sale support and automation: AI chatbots can answer questions about delivery and even handle returns and refunds on their own, taking a big chunk of the workload off your team’s shoulders.

Why does it matter?

Conversational AI chatbots are becoming revenue drivers for ecommerce brands. They provide pre- and post-sales support, deliver personalized product recommendations, prevent abandoned carts, and upsell or cross-sell based on shoppers’ behavior. The outcome? Better user engagement and conversions, increased average order value, and improved customer satisfaction.

• Online shoppers are increasingly turning to AI chatbots: According to stats published by SellersCommmerce, 24% of US consumers regularly use chatbots while shopping, while 45% value chatbots for providing immediate answers to their questions.
• AI chatbots help improve conversions and drive sales: Based on Intercom’s report, chatbots increased sales by an average of 67%, with 26% of all sales starting through a chatbot interaction.
• AI chatbots automate post-sale support and reduce the load on your team: Statistically, WISMO (Where is my order?) requests can account for up to 35% of customer support interactions in e-commerce. AI chatbots can easily answer these and other repetitive questions autonomously – so your team doesn’t have to.

5. Unified commerce is becoming more commonplace

Unified commerce means fully integrating all customer-facing channels (online store, mobile app, in-store, marketplace, social) and all operational systems (inventory, order management, fulfillment, returns, customer service) into a single platform. The goal is to deliver a consistent shopping experience across all channels while also reducing operational costs. Here’s what unified commerce looks like in practice:

• Inventory and fulfillment are synchronized across ecommerce, stores, and marketplaces.
• Purchases and returns can happen anywhere – e.g., consumers can buy online and return in store (BORIS).
• Customer data is unified across channels, enabling brands to deliver personalized experiences that make shoppers feel recognized wherever they shop.
• Customers can switch between channels during a single purchase journey and receive a consistent experience.

Why does it matter?

• Hybrid shopping is now the default behavior: According to McKinsey, about 60 -70% of consumers research and shop both in stores and online.
• Modern consumers want seamless shopping experiences: Zendesk found that 74% of shoppers expect the same level of service both in-store and online, and 64% expect the same level of personalization.
• Retailers with unified commerce capabilities see measurable benefits: Based on the 2025 Retail Capability Index report, retailers that embrace unified commerce see 3x revenue growth, 1.7x higher customer lifetime value, and 31% lower fulfillment costs.

How Maropost can help your ecommerce business stay competitive

These recent trends in ecommerce are not experimental – they are already being adopted by leading ecommerce retailers. Maropost’s solutions are designed to help your business capitalize on these trends and stay competitive in 2026 and beyond:

• A unified commerce platform: No more multiple disjointed systems, data silos, and overspending. With the Maropost Unified Commerce platform, you can future-proof your ecommerce business by connecting every channel, every transaction, and every customer interaction into one centralized ecosystem.
• AI-powered search and product recommendations: With Maropost’s Merchandising Cloud suite, you can turn more site visitors into sales. AI-powered search and product recommendations help showcase the right products to your shoppers based on behavioral data to help you improve conversions.

Ready to unify your ecommerce operations and future-proof your brand for 2026? Book a demo now to see the Maropost platform in action and learn how it can help you stay ahead of the current ecommerce trends.

Frequently asked questions

What is the future of ecommerce?

The future of ecommerce will be shaped by AI-powered personalization, social commerce, mobile commerce, conversational AI, and unified commerce. Other key ecommerce technology trends include the growing adoption of headless and API-driven ecommerce platforms, a demand for more flexible payment options, and the rise of AR (Augmented Reality) and voice search.

How are online shopping trends impacting the future of ecommerce?

Today’s consumers are increasingly buying through social commerce, where purchases happen directly on social platforms. At the same time, online shoppers are making more purchases on their smartphones, driving the rise of mobile commerce. On top of that, consumers now expect more personalized experiences that match their shopping preferences in real time. These online shopping trends are pushing ecommerce brands to use AI, improve mobile ecommerce design, and sell directly through social channels to keep up with shoppers’ expectations.

What is an example of AI personalization in ecommerce?

AI-powered search is a great example of AI personalization in ecommerce. It basically means using AI and machine learning to make product searches smarter and more intuitive for online shoppers. So, instead of just matching exact keywords, AI understands the shopper’s intent and preferences based on their browsing history on your website, past purchases, and real-time behavior to deliver more relevant search results. Ultimately, it helps shoppers find what they want faster, improves their experience, and increases your conversions.

What is an example of unified commerce?

With unified commerce, all your systems – e-commerce, inventory, and point-of-sale (POS) – run on a single platform, sharing data in real-time. For example, imagine a customer browsing your website to check product availability, buying through your mobile app, and then picking up the order in-store. Behind the scenes, your inventory, payments, and customer data are perfectly synced across every channel in real time. The result is a consistent experience for the customer, no matter how or where they choose to shop.