By Ellie-Rose Davies, Content Manager at IMRG
Inspired by our latest podcast episode, ‘the future of eCommerce’, this blog explores exactly that. But this time we reached out to our community of technology partners to tell us what they predict will happen in the next decade.
The overarching theme that permeated the answers to ‘what will the next decade bring?’ was: AI. Our technology partner community told us exactly what they expect AI to achieve for retailers in a 10-year span, along with other areas of insight including channel mix and returns.
Channel Mix: The customer journey will be varied
Przemek Wyszynski, MD – UK&I at RTB House, identifies one customer behaviour he expects to dominate the decade: consumers taking increasingly varied journeys before completing a purchase.
He shares, ‘Our latest research showed that no channel drives more than 37% or less 15% of discovery preference – showing how varied the first step of the journey is.’
‘Meanwhile the vast amount of options of brands and eCommerce sites available means that 77% of shoppers consider at least two brands and 71% visit multiple websites before purchasing.’
So, what of the future of eCommerce? Przemek argues that ‘Retailers should connect discovery, consideration, conversion and re-engagement together as an always-on ecosystem to keep up with modern consumers.’
AI Dominance: A thread through all eCommerce operations
Many of the predictions about the future of eCommerce are centred on AI, which is no surprise given its current rate of development.
At IMRG we’ve seen AI become a key part of the channel mix, currently accounting for the same share of traffic as SMS marketing and higher than mobile push notifications, both of which are longer-established sources of traffic for retailers.
Though it only accounts for 0.2% of traffic according to IMRG’s Q2 2026 data, as our Strategy & Insight Director, Andy Mulcahy, says:
‘The traffic referral numbers are very low currently but with these things it tends to move slowly, then very suddenly… having the foundations in place now seems sensible.’
Echoing what we’re seeing is Kevin Steward, UK Country Head at Base.com, who reveals ‘At Base.com, we’re already seeing AI move beyond standalone tools and start playing a much bigger role across day-to-day eCommerce operations.’
‘Over the next decade, I expect this to accelerate, with AI supporting everything from product listings and analytics to inventory management and automated workflows.’
Emphasising how AI is set to infiltrate the entire eCommerce infrastructure is Alexander Otto, Head of Creative Marketing & Events at Tradebyte.
Alexander emphasises how ‘Rather than replacing the customer journey, AI will compress it, helping consumers discover, compare and shortlist products before they ever reach a retailer’s site or marketplace.’
He shares statistics that suggest this; ‘The signs are already here: 33% of Gen Z consumers use AI as their primary research tool for luxury purchases.’
‘But what’s underestimated is the importance of the infrastructure behind this shift. Accurate product data, pricing, stock, fulfilment and returns will increasingly influence how products are surfaced and recommended.’
Product discovery: The retailer website may no longer be the destination
The effect of AI is likely to be seen particularly clearly in product discovery. Jessica Buckley, Technology Partner Consultant at Awin, highlights how quickly consumers are beginning to change where and how they research products.
She notes, ‘Consumer search behaviour is rapidly evolving. Today, 37% of consumers begin their product discovery journey with AI rather than traditional search, while 58% have shifted their activity from search engines to AI-powered tools.’
Jessica provides more insights, sharing that ‘As AI becomes a trusted source of information, 87% of consumers researching a product or service say they trust AI-generated recommendations, with these suggestions increasingly influencing purchasing decisions.’
‘This shift is accelerating the rise of the zero-click customer journey, where consumers can discover, evaluate, and make purchase decisions without ever visiting a traditional search results page.’
This helps explain why measurable AI referral traffic can remain low even as more consumers use the technology during product research.
Justin Thomas, VP Sales EMEA North at Akeneo, takes the zero-click prediction further. He expects AI agents to complete more of the journey on behalf of consumers, potentially removing the need to visit a retailer’s website at all:
‘The biggest change in eCommerce is that consumers won’t visit a retailer’s website at all.’
He explores how ‘AI agents can search, compare and potentially purchase on their behalf, shifting the goal from attracting eyeballs to ensuring products are discoverable, accurately represented and trusted by machines as well as people.’
With this, ‘complete, accurate and contextualised product information is critical, alongside real-time availability and fulfilment data,’ says Justin.
While retailers’ websites are unlikely to disappear over the next decade, their role could change.
Content focus: Richer content will become a priority
If AI tools and agents are going to answer increasingly detailed shopping questions, the information retailers provide about their products will benefit from keeping pace.
Keavy Gales, Content Marketer at Shoptimised takes notice of how ‘The biggest shift in eCommerce, and one we’re already seeing at Shoptimised, is not that normal search disappears.’
She says, ‘The bigger change is what happens around AI-led discovery. Shoppers will increasingly ask more detailed questions about fit, compatibility, delivery, alternatives and what is right for their needs.’
‘That means retailers will require product data that goes beyond basic feed fields,’ shares Keavy.
‘Titles, prices and images still matter, but richer context will become essential.’
‘FAQs, size guides, variants and product relationships will benefit from being structured properly so AI platforms can understand products more clearly.’
Keavy argues that ‘The retailers that adapt fastest will make their products easier for both shoppers and AI platforms to understand.’
That richer information will not only come from the retailer. Reviews and other forms of user-generated content could become increasingly important signals as AI platforms decide which products to surface.
Gary Gonsalvez, Head of Marketing (EMEA) at Bazaarvoice, says ‘Brands will live and die by online reviews and AI visibility.’
‘As AI becomes a leading route to product discovery and purchase, brands without high-quality, structured, authentic user-generated content will lose visibility at the very start of the digital funnel.’
However, Gary believes human opinion will remain important; ‘Even as eCommerce grows more autonomous, human input and opinion will always play a part in the purchase process, and must be considered in automation.’
Pricing and promotions: AI will support more precise decisions
The influence of AI will not be limited to the customer-facing journey. Some of its most valuable applications may happen behind the scenes, helping retailers make faster commercial decisions.
Hemang Nathwani, Sales Director at Price Trakker, expects pricing to be one area where this becomes particularly visible.
He says, ‘Over the next decade, I believe AI will change eCommerce less through flashy customer-facing features and more through the decisions happening behind the scenes.’
‘Rather than simply knowing a competitor has changed price, retailers will increasingly understand why the market is moving and what response makes commercial sense.’
‘The winners will combine AI with reliable market data and human judgement, using technology to make faster, better decisions rather than allowing automation to make every decision for them.’
This combination of AI, reliable data and human judgement could also change how retailers approach promotions. Instead of using automation to increase the volume of marketing, it could help them identify when an intervention is genuinely needed.
Dan Bond, VP of Marketing at RevLifter, predicts, ‘The next decade won’t be about smarter marketing. It’ll be about less of it as AI gets better at reading real intent in real time.’
Dan tells us how ‘The retailers that win won’t send more offers. They’ll send fewer, better-timed ones, holding back when a shopper is buying anyway, stepping in only when it counts.’
‘We’re already seeing this in how the best-performing brands treat their promotion budgets: like a scalpel, not a firehose.’
Fraud: Retailers will need to distinguish good agents from bad
If AI agents begin placing more orders for consumers, retailers will face a new challenge at checkout. Systems that have been designed to identify and stop automated activity will also need to recognise when it is legitimate.
Nikhita Hyett, EMEA General Manager at Signifyd, says, ‘The biggest change will be who is doing the shopping.’
‘Almost every fraud check built assumes a human at checkout and retailers have invested in training systems to block bots.’
‘Now they will need to evolve their systems to tell a good agent from a bad one’
From this, ‘They will need to build trust with both humans and algorithms without creating friction to the checkout experience,’ says Nikhita.
Delivery: Fulfilment will become predictive and personalised
As the way customers discover and buy products changes, the effects will travel further through the operation. Andrew Scanlon, Head of Sales and Marketing at Paxon, expects marketing, eCommerce and fulfilment to become much more closely connected.
He predicts that ‘marketing, eCommerce and fulfilment will become much more closely connected over the next decade, as the way customers discover and buy products starts to shape how those orders are fulfilled.’
‘This could see fulfilment become part of the purchasing decision itself, with AI helping determine how an order is fulfilled based on the customer’s circumstances and preferences.’
Andrew says the result could be ‘a more connected journey, where how a product is discovered influences how it is delivered, received and returned.’
To provide that connected experience, retailers may benefit from an accurate view of inventory across every place in which customers can buy. fulfilmentcrowd expects the next development to be using AI not only to see stock, but to anticipate where it will be needed.
fulfilmentcrowd explains, ‘Customers will simply expect to buy wherever they discover a product, making real-time inventory visibility across every channel essential.’
‘The bigger shift will be from visibility to intelligence.’
‘AI-driven forecasting can help retailers anticipate where demand will emerge and identify disruptions before they impact the customer experience, making fulfilment increasingly predictive rather than reactive.’
While AI may make discovery and purchasing feel more effortless, the physical delivery of an order will remain a very visible part of the experience. Gavin Murphy, CMO at Scurri, believes this will make delivery an increasingly important way for retailers to differentiate.
Gavin explores how ‘The next decade of eCommerce will fundamentally change what consumers expect after they click ‘buy’.’
‘AI will increasingly remove friction from discovery and purchasing, making delivery one of the few parts of the journey where retailers can still meaningfully differentiate.’
He says, ‘Consumers will expect greater choice, precision and control over when, where and how orders arrive, with proactive communication when things change.’
According to Gavin, ‘The retailers that succeed will treat delivery not as a cost at the end of a transaction, but as part of the customer experience, using intelligent carrier selection and delivery data to balance convenience, reliability and cost.’
Returns: Returns data will become a strategic asset
The same thinking could transform the final stage of the customer journey. Rather than treating a return purely as a cost after the sale, retailers could use the information it generates to improve decisions across the business.
Stuart Greenfield, UK and European Sales Director at Advanced Supply Chain (ASC), expects returns to become a strategic capability over the next decade.
‘I expect returns to become a strategic capability for retailers over the next decade, rather than simply a cost to manage.’
Stuart says, ‘As returns data becomes more closely integrated with inventory planning, buying decisions and product development, it will provide a clearer picture of customer behaviour and product performance.’
‘This shift points to a future where returns data plays a greater role in decisions across the retail network. Retailers that act on this intelligence could well be better placed to improve stock availability, customer relationships and overall performance.’
This brings the predictions full circle. Information gathered after a purchase could influence which products retailers buy, how they describe them, where they hold stock and how AI tools recommend them to future customers.
So, what will the next decade bring for eCommerce?
According to our technology partner community, AI will influence almost every part of the operation, from how shoppers discover and purchase products to how retailers approach pricing, promotions, fraud, delivery and returns.
The customer journey is also set to become more varied and, in some cases, less visible as consumers increasingly buy through AI tools, marketplaces and social platforms.
However, many of the fundamentals are likely to stay the same. Retailers will still benefit from accurate product data, reliable stock information, authentic customer reviews, connected systems and a strong delivery and returns experience.
Preparing for the future may therefore be less about adopting every new AI tool and more about getting these foundations in place now, so products remain easy to discover, understand, trust and buy wherever the customer journey takes place.
Published 03/09/2026
