Behind the growth of the online market lie profound changes in online business: sales channels are changing, artificial intelligence tools are reshuffling the deck, and purchasing behaviors are shifting towards new formats.
Understanding these web trends allows one to guide their choices before launching or evolving an online activity.
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Agentic commerce: when AI buys on behalf of the customer
The term “agentic commerce” refers to a model where autonomous AI agents search for, compare, and purchase products on behalf of a user. In practice, the customer no longer browses a store: they delegate the decision to a personal assistant powered by artificial intelligence.
This shift from search-based shopping to agent-based shopping has direct consequences on the visibility of an online business. Product listings, descriptions, and structured data must be understandable by a machine, not just by a human. An AI agent does not click on a promotional banner: it analyzes technical attributes, aggregated reviews, and standardized prices.
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Retail spending driven by AI agents is already reaching tens of billions of dollars by 2026, with very strong year-on-year growth. For an entrepreneur selling products online, this means that traditional SEO is no longer enough to capture sales. It is necessary to optimize data flows for the platforms that feed these agents.
Several analyses published on the actuweb fr site detail these evolutions in digital marketing and their concrete implications for French businesses.
Marketplaces and independent stores: rebalancing your sales strategy
The share of marketplaces in global e-commerce revenue has increased from about 63% in 2021 to nearly 70% in 2026. In other words, seven out of ten online sales go through Amazon, Temu, Shein, or TikTok Shop. Competitors recommending to “create your own store” often overlook this reality.
Launching an independent site remains relevant for building a brand and controlling margins. However, ignoring marketplaces means cutting oneself off from the majority of purchasing traffic. The strongest strategy is to combine both approaches.
- Use marketplaces as a customer acquisition channel, positioning your most competitive products there to generate volume and visibility.
- Reserve your independent store for high-margin products or subscription offers, where the direct relationship with the customer justifies the marketing investment.
- Synchronize stocks and prices between the two channels using centralized management tools to avoid stockouts and pricing inconsistencies.
This hybrid approach requires more operational rigor, but it limits dependence on a single revenue channel.
Social selling and live shopping: marketing skills to develop
TikTok Shop and live shopping are transforming how customers discover a product. The purchasing journey no longer starts with a Google search: it begins in a video feed, often without initial purchase intent. Entertainment merges with sales, and conversion happens in just a few seconds of video content.
For a web entrepreneur, this trend necessitates acquiring skills in creating short content. It’s not about becoming an influencer, but knowing how to present a product in a format suited to social platforms. The content plan becomes as strategic as the traditional marketing plan.
Live shopping adds an additional dimension: real-time interaction. A seller answers questions, shows the product from different angles, and offers time-limited deals. This format generates higher conversion rates than static product listings because it replicates the experience of physical commerce in a digital environment.
Personalization of the customer journey: the business standard of 2026
Personalization is no longer limited to displaying the customer’s first name in an email. By 2026, the one-to-one journey becomes a standard: each visitor sees a version of the site tailored to their browsing history, preferences, and geographic context.
AI tools make this personalization accessible to small businesses, not just web giants. Product recommendation solutions, dynamic pricing, and automatic segmentation are available at prices compatible with the budget of a freelancer or a small business.
The main challenge remains the collection and structuring of customer data. Without reliable data, no algorithm produces relevant results. Before investing in a personalization tool, one must ensure that their CRM is clean, that GDPR consent is properly managed, and that browsing paths are tracked consistently.
- Implement a first-party data collection system (forms, customer accounts, loyalty programs) to reduce dependence on third-party cookies.
- Segment your customer base into behavioral groups rather than demographic ones, as two customers of the same age can have radically different purchasing habits.
- Test product recommendations on a sample before rolling them out on a large scale to measure the real impact on conversion rates.
The e-commerce of 2026 is structured around multiple channels, autonomous AI agents, and a high level of personalization in the purchasing journey. Entrepreneurs who succeed online are those who adapt their plan to these technical realities rather than replicating models from three years ago. The speed of adoption of these web business trends will make the difference between projects that capture their market and those that endure it.