UK ecommerce is entering a new growth phase, with higher spending, omnichannel investment, and expanding online categories determining which retailers pull ahead.

Retail sales remain resilient, but slowing consumer spending is reshaping ecommerce, holiday, and global growth. These benchmarks help businesses measure performance as channel shifts and emerging markets redefine commerce.

Retail sales remain resilient, but slowing consumer spending is reshaping ecommerce, holiday, and global growth. These benchmarks help businesses measure performance as channel shifts and emerging markets redefine commerce.

Retail sales remain resilient, but slowing consumer spending is reshaping ecommerce, holiday, and global growth. These benchmarks help businesses measure performance as channel shifts and emerging markets redefine commerce.

Retail sales remain resilient, but slowing consumer spending is reshaping ecommerce, holiday, and global growth. These benchmarks help businesses measure performance as channel shifts and emerging markets redefine commerce.

Retail sales remain resilient, but slowing consumer spending is reshaping ecommerce, holiday, and global growth. These benchmarks help businesses measure performance as channel shifts and emerging markets redefine commerce. 

Retail sales remain resilient, but slowing consumer spending is reshaping ecommerce, holiday, and global growth. These benchmarks help businesses measure performance as channel shifts and emerging markets redefine commerce.

Retail sales remain resilient, but slowing consumer spending is reshaping ecommerce, holiday, and global growth. These benchmarks help businesses measure performance as channel shifts and emerging markets redefine commerce.

Retail sales remain resilient, but slowing consumer spending is reshaping ecommerce, holiday, and global growth. These benchmarks help businesses measure performance as channel shifts and emerging markets redefine commerce.

Third-party marketplaces concentrate most of the world's online shopping, and the model keeps expanding: social platforms now run marketplaces, US retailers are opening their marketplaces to international shoppers, and Latin America has become the most contested battleground. This FAQ covers how marketplace power is distributed, where the growth is, and what sellers should do about it in 2026.

Livestream shopping is finally carving out a role in the US, even as adoption trails well behind China. For years, the format was held up as ecommerce's next frontier. Now it's settling in not as a replacement for traditional ecommerce, but as a different kind of shopping experience.

Growing delivery volumes and returns are reshaping consumer behavior, fulfillment strategies, and the economics of ecommerce in 2026.

US B2B ecommerce continues to expand as it becomes a default buying channel. But slower growth, operational gaps, and marketplace momentum are reshaping where value is created and how sellers compete.

The global last-mile delivery market is valued at approximately $201 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at a 12% compound annual rate through 2029. For retailers competing with Amazon's delivery dominance, mastering last-mile logistics is no longer optional.

AI shopping assistants are boosting discovery and personalization, but trust issues and fulfillment challenges could limit their impact on channel migration.

Marketplaces have been driving US ecommerce growth. But established players face a shake-up from new entrants and advances in AI and agentic commerce.

Target is expanding next-day delivery service to 35 US markets by the end of next month as it prepares for the holidays and looks to better compete with Amazon and Walmart. Markets that will gain next-day delivery include San Diego; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Cleveland. In stepping up its next-day delivery, Target recognizes that the competitive stakes in retail are escalating. Its recent sales softness suggests it may be at risk of falling off shoppers’ radar as speed, selection, and convenience become critical retail differentiators.

The news: Walmart is testing dark stores in Dallas and Bentonville, Arkansas, as part of its broader effort to speed up deliveries, per Bloomberg. Our take: Amazon’s latest pledge to offer one- or same-day delivery in 4,000 smaller cities and rural areas by year’s end is the latest salvo in its relentless quest to raise the bar on convenience. For Walmart, keeping pace isn’t optional—it’s essential. Fortunately, Walmart has the scale and infrastructure to compete. Fast delivery isn’t just about logistics; it’s a powerful driver of customer loyalty. When shoppers know they can get essentials like toothpaste at their doorstep within hours, they’re more likely to click the buy button rather than venture out to a store.

The news: Amazon plans to bring same- and next-day delivery to more than 4,000 smaller cities and rural communities by year’s end. Our take: Amazon’s growing focus on rural delivery is squarely aimed at deepening Prime’s value, driving higher engagement, and unlocking long-term loyalty in a market that still holds plenty of untapped potential.

Turbulence in trade relations is changing how China’s ecommerce platforms do business in the US, with spillover effects on US retail and advertising.