- AI assistants are taking over research and comparison. For now, most purchases still happen on the retailer's website: OpenAI is stepping back from standalone checkout in ChatGPT.
- Since July 1, 2026, the EU has charged a flat customs duty of €3 per item type on shipments worth up to €150 from non-EU countries. The price advantage of platforms like Temu and Shein is shrinking.
- Starting November 20, 2026, new EU consumer credit rules take effect, covering many buy now, pay later offers as well.
- The common thread behind almost every trend: clean, complete product and customer data.
Online retail is facing two major shifts. AI no longer just chats; it's taking over shopping tasks. And the customs exemption for low-value parcels from outside the EU is gone. That hits platforms like Temu and Shein and strengthens retailers who compete on service and quality.
At the same time, customers are more price-conscious than they've been in years, yet still expect quality and reliable service. Retailers have to choose: be consistently lean and low-cost, or offer clearly more advice and service. The middle ground is getting squeezed. The following ten trends show where the market is heading in 2026 and where your margin comes from.
Trend 1: AI agents take over research and comparison
An assistant searches, filters and compares
Until recently, we used AI to create text or images. Now it's starting to act on our behalf. The term for this is agentic commerce: an AI assistant handles the search, compares prices and suggests the best-fitting offers.
For now, the purchase itself stays with the retailer. OpenAI has stepped back from standalone checkout in ChatGPT: users discover and compare products in the chat, then buy on the retailer's website or app. ChatGPT's shopping feature is currently available only in the US. We explain how retailers can prepare in our article on ChatGPT's shopping feature and in the Agentic Commerce Playbook.
Every customer sees their own store
Online stores no longer look the same for everyone. A store can show logged-in customers different content, such as technical details or current offers, matched to their interests. Product range and recommendations adjust continuously. This “store of one” is a store built for exactly one customer.
AI is only as good as your data
To make good recommendations, AI systems need complete, unambiguous data. Yet in many companies, product information is still scattered across PDFs, old spreadsheets and inconsistent descriptions. If you don't clean up your data, you can't use the new tools. That's the single most important task this year.
Trend 2: B2B buyers expect a consumer-grade shopping experience
Business purchasing should be as easy as shopping at home
Buyers are used to the convenience of major online stores in their personal lives and expect the same at work. Nobody wants to fax orders or dig through complicated price lists. B2B stores have to work well on mobile and be as easy to use as a consumer online store. Self-service for invoices and returns is a must. Learn more in the Agentic Commerce B2B Playbook.
Software handles the routine work
With skilled workers in short supply, software has to handle routine tasks. A tradesperson speaks an order into their phone, like “50 meters of the cable from last week,” and the app identifies the right product. That frees up time for real advice.
Trend 3: New customs rules make cheap imports from outside the EU more expensive
The customs exemption for low-value shipments is gone
Until the end of June 2026, shipments with a goods value of up to €150 entered the EU duty-free. Since July 1, 2026, the EU has charged a flat customs duty of €3 on these shipments from non-EU countries. It applies per item type, not per parcel: five T-shirts cost €3 in total, three T-shirts and a watch €6. The rule is an interim measure until the EU moves all shipments to the regular customs procedure.
What this means for Temu, Shein and the like
Prices are rising for customers on platforms that relied on duty-free small shipments. The big players will adapt, but for smaller sellers from outside the EU, the business may no longer pay off.
Your edge: delivery time, warranty and quality
For retailers with local warehousing and service, this is good news. The price gap to discount platforms is narrowing, and strengths like fast delivery, warranties and quality matter more again. In fashion especially, this can win customers back.
Trend 4: Secondhand has gone mainstream
Buying used makes sense
Secondhand (recommerce) is no longer a niche; it makes economic sense. As prices rise, many people buy branded goods secondhand. For younger customers, it's simply part of their lifestyle.
Retailers and brands sell pre-owned goods themselves
Brands are no longer leaving this market to classifieds and secondhand platforms. Retailers let customers resell purchased products directly, fashion houses take back worn clothing and sell it as “pre-loved,” and furniture retailers buy back used furniture. We show when a take-back program pays off in our article on fashion e-commerce 2026.
Sustainability is marketed more quietly but implemented consistently, because it's efficient and builds customer loyalty.
Trend 5: Social commerce moves the purchase into the feed
Customers buy without leaving the app
Long established in the US and Asia, shopping directly inside social media apps is now gaining ground in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Products find customers in their video feed, not the other way around. When people can buy in one click without leaving the app, they decide faster.
Authentic content wins
In a world flooded with AI images, people look for authenticity. Retailers succeed with authentic videos and genuine reviews. Live shopping remains a niche, but it works well for products that need a lot of explanation, such as sports equipment or cosmetics.
Trend 6: The last mile drives customer loyalty
Same-day delivery becomes a premium service
Next-day delivery is the norm; in metropolitan areas, same-day delivery is becoming a premium service. Retailers who offer it put pressure on the competition.
Warehouses move closer to the customer
With drivers in short supply and city centers congested, logistics providers are turning to new solutions:
- Electric delivery in cities.
- Autonomous delivery vehicles in pilot projects.
- Decentralized warehouses: Inventory is spread across locations near cities instead of one large central warehouse, so it reaches customers faster.
Trend 7: Local payment methods still make the difference
Customers pay the way they're used to
Germany, Austria and Switzerland aren't a single market when it comes to payments. In Switzerland, TWINT is firmly established; in Germany and Austria, pay-by-invoice and PayPal remain important. If you don't offer the payment method people expect, you lose sales at checkout.
Buy now, pay later faces stricter rules
“Buy now, pay later” is popular, but it's being regulated more strictly to prevent over-indebtedness. Starting November 20, 2026, EU member states apply the new Consumer Credit Directive, which covers many of these offers. Check with your payment provider what changes for your checkout.
In B2B, financing and purchasing are merging: a tradesperson can lease or insure an expensive machine directly in the online store.
Trend 8: Marketplaces grow in importance
Community-driven platforms build trust
Successful platforms are more than just a store. They offer product tests, discussions and customer reviews, and that builds trust.
Small retailers join marketplaces, large ones build their own
Small niche stores are finding it harder to stay visible on their own. Many now sell through marketplaces as well. At the same time, large retailers are building their own marketplaces for third-party products. Every retailer faces the same question: which channel delivers the highest contribution margin after fees and ad costs?
Trend 9: The store becomes a stage
Experience and service, not shelf space
City-center stores are no longer just stockrooms but showrooms and service hubs. Customers come for advice, repairs or to see products in person, and often complete the purchase on their phone.
Technology on the shop floor
In-store technology helps: digital price tags that sync with online prices, and self-checkout via smartphone. The line between online and offline is blurring.
Trend 10: First-party data becomes your most valuable asset
Owning your data makes you more independent
Consent requirements and browser privacy features leave gaps in third-party cookie tracking. That's why retailers are building up their own customer data (“first-party data”). Many also use it to run their own ad networks (retail media), selling ad space in their store to brands.
Data quality makes or breaks any AI
As with trend 1: if you want to use AI, you need clean data. That's why companies are investing in maintaining their product data. Poor data leads to poor results, in AI assistants and Shopping campaigns alike.
Conclusion: Clean data, smart automation and trust will carry you through 2026
2026 is a complex year for e-commerce, but it offers real opportunities. Three things make the difference:
- Clean up your data: Before investing in AI, get your data foundation right.
- Automate selectively: Let software handle routine work where it cuts costs and improves your margin.
- Build trust: Reliability, service and data privacy set you apart from anonymous platforms.
The winners will be retailers who use technology to make shopping easier and who judge every new development by what it adds to the bottom line.
