Gen Z loyalty isn’t driven by reach alone. Brands that prioritize community, cultural relevance, and authentic engagement are setting a new standard for retail marketing.

In 2026, commerce will thread itself even more tightly into the platforms consumers already use, whether they're watching TV, scrolling TikTok, or browsing a retailer’s site. Streamers will hunt for new revenues beyond subscriptions and ads, fashion shoppers will polarize toward luxury or low-cost, and TikTok Shop will transition from experiment to expectation. Meanwhile, creators will embed more directly into retail environments as brands seek safer, more strategic partnerships.

As ecommerce growth slows, Shopify hedges its bets: The ecommerce platform is enhancing its lending services, seller tools, and enterprise solutions as part of its “everything but the kitchen sink” growth strategy.

Digitally native brands focus on physical expansion, but costs are mounting: Allbirds, Warby Parker, and Glossier are shedding workers and expanding retail partnerships to grow sales and stay afloat.

The beauty industry is getting a digital makeover, thanks to Gen Z, viral TikTok trends, AR capabilities, and new consumer behaviors. Brands will need to take a multichannel approach to keep up.

The emergence of new companies selling direct online has been a big story for some time. Mattress brands Casper and Emma, luggage maker Away, beauty company Glossier, and garment retailer Happy Socks were among the first highly successful direct-to-consumer (D2C) firms, many of them based in Europe.

More direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands are moving away from their digitally native foundations and experimenting with physical retail locations in the form of pop-ups, showrooms or fully fledged brick-and-mortar stores.

In the latest episode of "Behind the Numbers," eMarketer principal analyst Andrew Lipsman discusses how direct-to-consumer brands find success in creating personal relationships with their customers.

Food and beverage, personal care and auto parts products have traditionally lagged behind in ecommerce, but when you look more closely, it’s easy to see significant growth potential.

The consumer retail economy, buttressed by low unemployment and rising wages, is experiencing its best growth since 2011. And despite the 2018 demise of old-retail stalwarts like Sears and Toys "R" Us, recent gains at retail aren’t only flowing in the direction of digital – although they do increasingly bear hallmarks of its influence.