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This article is part of the America's Favorite Mom & Pop Shops series. Read more stories
Key Takeaways “AI visibility” will matter as much as SEO once did for ecommerce success.
Customer experience now extends far beyond checkout into community and post-purchase engagement.
Think about the last time that you were truly influenced to make an order. Was it a flashy banner or a sudden ad? Unlikely.
It was probably something more subtle: a quick clip from an influencer, or a brand that remembered your local holiday. In 2025, nearly 40% of TikTok users were buying directly within the platform (up from just 5.7% in 2020), with social commerce edging closer to the trillion-dollar mark.
They’re not persuaded by banners, but by personalized recommendations. Ecommerce in 2026 is no longer about a single buying moment — it’s an ecosystem of micro-decisions happening across dozens of digital touchpoints.
In this article, I’ll share five social and technological shifts that define the future of ecommerce and highlight points that brands must focus on.
1. ‘Unstable’ is the new normal
McKinsey has been tracking global shifts in the economy, consumer behavior and the fashion industry in The State of Fashion reports for ten years now. It all started with their first report in 2016, and since then, there’s been a pandemic, supply chain crises, inflation spikes and the environmental agenda.
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