5 retail commerce megatrends for 2026 (and the less flashy trends that still matter)

If there’s one thing in the world of commerce that doesn’t change, it’s the number of trends every retailer has to keep tabs on. Some trends are brand-new, and some, not so much, but there’s no doubt retailers are bombarded with a tremendous amount of themes they have to watch, try out, and, with any luck, successfully implement them.  

To help cut through the noise, check this comprehensive list of trends that really matter.

Zero-click commerce is poised to be one of the most disruptive shifts in retail for 2026. As AI channels evolve into fully agentic, human-like assistants, shoppers will no longer need to tap, search or click their way through a purchase journey — and may never land on an eCommerce site. 

The disruption to traditional customer journeys is immense as an AI agent can surface relevant products, compare prices, build carts and complete transactions autonomously — all in a single, effortless chat. In other words, consumers can buy without ever visiting the brand’s owned channels, such as its online shop. 

This shift is already underway: Consumers are increasingly comfortable with AI-driven recommendations, with nearly 80% open to personalized experiences and 82% willing to share data for more tailored interactions. Retailers that embrace zero-click commerce stand to capture new loyalty and revenue streams, while those that resist risk losing visibility to AI platforms that decide which products get surfaced — and which are ignored.

In 2026, zero-click commerce is the new frontline of competition, where brands “win by default” because AI chooses them. The retailers preparing for this now — with structured product data, composable APIs, unified commerce foundations and agent-ready architectures — will be the ones AI recommends, purchases from, and amplifies automatically.

If a brand’s data isn’t structured, API-accessible and compatible with AI reasoning models, it simply won’t surface. AI won’t recommend what it cannot understand or trust. Retailers that resist agentic commerce will become invisible.

AI-powered shopping assistants have evolved into truly human-like companions that understand shoppers on an emotional and behavioral level. These systems interpret tone, intention, sentiment and context — not just keywords — enabling conversations that feel natural, fluid, and indistinguishable from those with human associates. They remember preferences, maintain context across channels and adapt their communication style to match the shopper’s mood and expectations in the moment.

Beyond conversation, AI elevates product exploration into an immersive and deeply personalized journey. Virtual try-ons, digital fitting rooms and AI style advisors continuously tailor recommendations based on real-time micro-behaviors: Dwell time, gesture patterns, browsing rhythms and even subtle signals of hesitation or excitement. Instead of static suggestions, shoppers receive dynamically curated products, sizes, colors and bundles that evolve as the AI “reads” their intent.

This emotional and behavioral depth moves personalization beyond demographics or past purchases — AI understands why a shopper gravitates toward something, not just what they’ve clicked. As a result, product discovery becomes anticipatory, intuitive and uniquely personal. Experiences feel handcrafted, not algorithmically generated, setting a new bar for what shoppers expect from retail interactions.

Commerce experiences are increasingly unfolding in conversational environments, whether through messaging apps, social media platforms or voice interfaces. The shift is clear: Conversations are no longer “bot-driven” or scripted. By 2026, AI agents — not simple chatbots — are expected to become mainstream, bringing a human touch to every interaction.

These AI agents will guide shoppers throughout their journey with empathy, personality and situational awareness. They can handle everything from product discovery and personalized recommendations to troubleshooting and checkout, making interactions feel natural and intuitive.

Seamless, context-aware experiences will be a defining feature of conversational commerce in 2026. Customers will be able to move across devices and platforms without having to repeat themselves, as AI agents retain context and anticipate their needs. Imagine starting a conversation on a smartphone, continuing it on a smart speaker and completing a purchase on a tablet without any friction.

As agentic commerce becomes mainstream in 2026, AI systems are not just assisting shoppers — increasingly, they’re acting on their behalf. This shift dramatically elevates the importance of trust. While the industry headlines often spotlight AI’s dazzling capabilities, the true battleground emerging is around privacy, security and ethical data stewardship.

Agentic systems rely on extraordinarily sensitive information, such as shopping behavior, sentiment, budgets, personal preferences, even household patterns. Without strong safeguards, these same capabilities become high-value targets for misuse, manipulation or breaches. As AI agents gain autonomy, so do the risks.

This is why the real winners of 2026 won’t be the brands that deploy AI the fastest, but the ones that deploy it responsibly. Leading retailers are already building trust-first commerce architectures, emphasizing:

• AI transparency: Making it clear how AI agents operate, learn and make decisions.

• Data minimization: Collecting only what is essential and giving customers meaningful control over their data.

• Secure agentic interactions: Ensuring every AI-to-AI transaction, negotiation or action is authenticated and tamper-proof.

• Ethical guardrails: Eliminating bias, protecting vulnerable consumers and ensuring fairness in AI-driven pricing or promotions.

At the same time, consumers are becoming far more discerning. A brand that mishandles data doesn’t just lose customers — it risks being filtered out entirely by AI recommendation engines and shopping agents.

In 2026, trust is no longer a compliance line item — it’s a core pillar of customer loyalty, brand equity and long-term resilience. Retailers that embrace AI with integrity will gain a decisive edge. Those that cut corners or ignore data ethics will find themselves increasingly invisible in an AI-mediated marketplace.

Unified commerce in retail integrates all sales channels, inventory, customer data and payment systems into a single real-time platform. Unlike traditional omnichannel approaches, it breaks down internal silos to provide a holistic view of customer interactions, enabling consistent, personalized shopping experiences across both online and offline touchpoints. 

This is how unified commerce is evolving:

• AI-enhanced personalization and efficiency: With real-time, unified customer data, AI can provide hyper-personalized product recommendations, dynamic pricing and contextual engagement across channels. With emerging AI agents operating over unified datasets, they can manage tasks like order modifications, answering queries or orchestrating fulfillment. 

• Operational excellence through tech innovation: Edge computing enables instant inventory visibility and real-time pricing/checkout experiences, even in high-volume store environments. 

• Business impact and maturity gap: According to a study, only about 5% of specialty retailers are “Leaders” in unified commerce maturity — yet these leaders deliver significantly better outcomes (31% lower fulfillment costs, 24% higher satisfaction). It’s expected that more and more retailers will invest in unified commerce initiatives in the years to come. 

• Ethics, trust and data governance: As AI relies ever more on unified customer profiles, retailers must address privacy, fairness, and transparency. Implementing robust data governance and clear opt-in mechanisms will be crucial.

• Strategic future uses of physical stores: Unified commerce enables stores to become more than a point of sale as it evolves toward fulfillment hubs, immersive showrooms or service centers. Plus, using AI and unified data enables store associates (via clienteling tools) to act in real time on customer history, tailoring advice, promotions and service.

There are certain themes that never go out of fashion, from privacy-oriented data strategies to cross-border eCommerce and omnichannel fulfillment. Here are some of the most relevant: 

Mobile-first digital commerce

Mobile commerce continues its rapid ascent, with consumers increasingly using their smartphones not only for online shopping, but also as in-store companions to research products, compare prices and check inventory in real time. 

As mobile commerce becomes the norm, brands must prioritize mobile-first strategies, ensuring their apps and mobile sites offer the functionality and user experience consumers expect. Failure to do so risks falling behind in an increasingly competitive digital marketplace.

Retail Media Networks

Retail Media Networks (RMNs) continue to be one of the fastest-growing revenue streams for retailers; however, by 2026, they will look very different from the early “sponsored product” days. What began as monetizing digital shelf space has evolved into AI-powered, context-aware media ecosystems across websites, apps, connected stores, marketplaces, and third-party channels.

RMNs now serve as intelligent monetization engines, dynamically matching shoppers — and increasingly, their AI shopping agents — with the most relevant ads, offers and product placements in real time. As agentic commerce matures, retailers aren’t showing ads only to people, but also to AI shopping agents acting autonomously on behalf of consumers.

This changes the game as AI agents prioritize brands and retailers that provide clean, structured and trustworthy data.

The winners will not simply sell ads — they’ll build RMNs that interoperate smoothly with AI agents, delivering value rather than noise.

Global expansion and cross-border commerce

Cross-border commerce continues its upward trajectory. Retail TouchPoints reports that global eCommerce is projected to hit $9.3 trillion by 2027, underscoring a vast international opportunity. As consumers increasingly shop outside their country, merchants benefit from configuring shipping, pricing and localization to enable seamless global reach.

While international trade has long been a cornerstone of global business, cross-border digital commerce remains a vital growth engine, even amid geopolitical tensions and recent tariff increases introduced by the US government. 

Marketplaces

Marketplaces remain relevant, so much so that they’re projected to comprise 59% of eCommerce. B2B marketplaces are now the fastest-growing digital sales channel and are expected to reach $351 billion USD in combined sales. 

Today, vertical marketplaces are dedicated to specific industries, such as luxury fashion and consumer-to-consumer (C2C) marketplaces, which enable users to buy and sell products directly. Additionally, there are classic horizontal marketplaces that sell products across various categories, such as Amazon and Alibaba. 

Omnichannel fulfillment 

Omnichannel fulfillment strategies — including buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS), click and collect, same-day delivery, curbside pickup (pick up outside the store, typically from the customer’s car) and BORIS (buy online, return in-store) —  are becoming essential capabilities that fuel customer satisfaction, operational efficiency and retail growth.

In other words, physical stores are no longer just showrooms or pickup points — they’re now strategic nodes in the commerce ecosystem. Every visit, whether for a pickup, a return or an exchange, is an opportunity to drive further sales and deepen engagement. 

In this new retail reality, the journey doesn’t stop at checkout. It continues across fulfillment, post-purchase experiences and ongoing engagement, all powered by data, automation and connected systems.

As AI, agentic systems, zero-click journeys and unified commerce redefine the retail landscape, the brands that succeed in 2026 will be those that innovate boldly while maintaining operational excellence and customer trust. The rise of autonomous shopping agents and real-time personalization is transforming the way consumers discover and purchase products.

To keep pace, retailers need architectures that are agile, flexible and designed for continuous evolution. This is where commercetools provides a decisive advantage, as it enables retailers to power AI-driven experiences, unify channels, experiment rapidly, scale globally and build trust-first systems that protect customer data while enabling intelligent automation.

In an environment where AI chooses which products surface — and which brands fade into the background — success isn’t about chasing every trend. It’s about mastering the right ones and executing with speed, integrity and adaptability. commercetools gives retailers the future-ready infrastructure to lead in this new era of intelligent commerce.

Contact our experts to discuss how to elevate your commerce in 2026.