Ecommerce
MarTech is your source for ecommerce content. You’ll find a variety of up-to-date and authoritative resources, including the latest news, tactic-rich tutorials, and the latest data to help you work smarter and make better decisions.
What you read here is written by our experienced in-house team of editors and research professionals, and subject matter experts from leading brands and agencies.
Why we care:
Shoppers are increasingly using digital channels to buy products, even when they visit physical stores. It’s no longer a question of if your customer is online, but how you can use specific touchpoints to help them on their journey. This transformation in experience brings retail chains, direct-to-consumer brands and even traditional consumer packaged goods in closer competition as they all strive to deliver the seamless purchase options their customers prefer.
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The real reason checkout kills ecommerce conversions
Small UX tweaks can remove major purchase barriers. Create a seamless checkout experience that keeps customers coming back.
Why AI personalization comes with strict limits
Consumers are more willing to trade data for better recommendations, but they are very clear about what the red lines are.
Walmart says ChatGPT checkout converted 3x worse than its own website
Walmart’s test shows AI-driven checkout may simplify buying, but it still converts far worse than traditional ecommerce experiences.
Most consumers use AI, but few fully trust it
New research shows AI is already shaping product discovery and purchases, but a large gap between usage and trust is creating new challenges for marketers.
6 post-purchase moments that shape customer lifetime value
Customers second-guess after they buy. Use education, reassurance and personalization in post-purchase emails to increase trust and long-term value.
Google details how its on-Google checkout works
New guidance explains how the Universal Commerce Protocol powers AI-driven checkout across its platforms.
Mobile marketing with RCS: What you need to know
RCS is a game changer for mobile marketing. Updated with news that Apple and Google are testing cross-platform RCS encryption.
SAP evolves Emarsys into a full-blown engagement cloud
Is there a world where marketers move past silos to become ‘engagement architects,’ shifting from manual tasks to true orchestration?
The path to purchase just got dramatically shorter
Holiday data shows consumers deciding faster than ever, pushing marketers to build frictionless, trust-first experiences that convert in a single moment.
Marketing artificial intelligence (AI)
OpenAI and Google reveal competing visions for AI ads
As AI becomes the front door to discovery, Google and OpenAI are taking very different paths to embed advertising into the experience.
Fresh off the holiday season, Mailchimp debuts new ecommerce features
Fragmented data shouldn't stall progress. Mailchimp aims to integrate insights across tools to turn holiday learnings into a profitable path for 2026.
How AI agents shaped the record-breaking 2025 holiday season
Salesforce data shows where AI agents drove growth, conversion and efficiency during the holidays — and what marketers should do next.
Marketing learned how to grab attention, but forgot what to do with it
In a market flooded with noise, novelty and big promises, the real competitive advantage is earning trust that holds up once the spotlight fades.
Shopify wants to put commerce inside every AI conversation
Universal Commerce Protocol lets AI agents connect directly to merchants and complete transactions in platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot.
In 2026, human connection becomes marketing’s real advantage
As AI floods marketing with speed and scale, real competitive advantage in 2026 will come from doubling down on trust, empathy and human connection.
How AI agents will reshape every part of marketing in 2026
Soon, AI agents won’t just assist customers — they’ll be the customers. So marketers need to rethink visibility in a machine-driven buying journey.
How to design holiday promotions that work
Your holiday offers may reduce margins rather than drive real demand. Price discrimination and sales hangover dynamics show what’s actually working.
Holiday ecommerce spending hits $79.7 billion before Cyber Week even begins
AI-driven tools, deeper discounts, mobile convenience and flexible payment options drive record November spending.
Marketers navigating low consumer confidence amid high holiday sales
This holiday season is full of mixed signals — sales are breaking records, but shoppers are holding back, and marketers are caught in the middle.
Two-thirds of listeners say podcasts recommendations drive purchase decisions
Podcasts resonate deeply with listeners, impacting their spending, shaping their views and building trust with hosts, a study found.
How to turn holiday shoppers into loyal friends, not one-time buyers
This holiday, skip the promo blast. See how brands like La Quinta built loyalty through care and conversation — and how you can, too.
Agentic commerce is here, and consumers want it to help find deals
Customers want speed, savings and support. They’ll be turning to AI agents to find it in 2025 and beyond.
The TikTok-fueled shift B2B marketers can’t afford to ignore
As Gen Z turns digital fluency and economic pressure into influence, brands are learning to meet audiences where trust and commerce converge.
Mailchimp delivers new toys for retailers ahead of the holidays
Fragmented tools and data gaps make holiday campaigns harder to connect across channels. Mailchimp wants to help.
60% of shoppers expect to use AI agents in the next 12 months
Agentic AI is poised to rewrite the rules of retail. Consumers are ready. What about retailers?
Customer journey orchestration
Your website isn’t ready for AI agents — here’s what needs to change
Most websites aren’t built to support the seamless, personalized agent-drive experiences customers now expect.
Marketing artificial intelligence (AI)
OpenAI expands ChatGPT into an app platform — and a new channel for marketers
Making ChatGPT into an app platform creates a new, high-intent channel where marketers can reach 800 million users directly in conversation.
Invalid traffic detection gets smarter with HUMAN’s Page Intelligence
The latest addition to the company's ad protection suite gives brands new control over fraud and performance data.
U.S. online holiday shopping expected to hit a record $253 billion
Adobe predicts mobile, AI-powered shopping and social media to drive the season’s biggest shifts in consumer behavior.
IAB cuts ad forecast as tariffs take a bite out of spending
Ad spend growth is expected to drop from an earlier prediction of 7.3% to 5.7% as 91% of ad buyers say tariffs are driving budget decisions.
Zeta Global acquires enterprise software business from Marigold
Marigold is holding on to its SMB tools like Campaign Monitor and Emma, but its relationship marketing apps are on the move.
How Amazon Ads enables full funnel measurement
With new metrics like MTA, LTS and conversion path reporting, Amazon Ads gives marketers deeper insight into performance across the funnel.
Why genAI search is as bad for shoppers as it is for marketers
GenAI search engines promise the “best” information, but deliver shallow, incomplete answers that frustrate buyers and shortchange sellers.
Your holiday marketing playbook must put sincerity before sales
Not every holiday is a sales opportunity—knowing when to celebrate and when to stay silent can make or break customer connections.
Agent Payments Protocol (AP2): What does it mean for ecommerce and marketers?
When AI agents start buying for humans, everything we think we know about ecommerce changes.
3 things you’ll only learn at the SAP Emarsys Loyalty Masterclass
Industry leaders reveal their proven strategies on Sept. 24, 2025. Will you be there?
Shoppers expect fewer discounts this holiday season
Labor Day weekend saw fewer discounts, but it didn’t seem to stop shoppers. What’s going to happen once Black Friday comes along?
Marketers must deliver value and trust to shoppers facing higher holiday prices
Expect a volatile shopping season, as higher prices and fewer discounts change buying habits. Marketers must act early and stay agile to win consumers.
Holiday shopping is starting earlier in the year
Stuck targeting just Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Your customers aren’t. Gen Z starts shopping in June.
How to keep emails from getting lost in the holiday inbox surge
Too many channels. Not enough impact. Gen Z and Millennials are disengaging—here’s how to reclaim their attention before Black Friday hits.