As we approach 2026, ecommerce leaders must shift beyond experimentation and hype toward strategies that deliver real, measurable impact.
According to Coveo’s latest predictions, the coming year will reward companies that embrace AI-native discovery, owned experiences, and B2B-style sophistication even in B2C environments.
To explore how these trends translate into action, we are bringing together experts from Coveo and AWS for a webinar on grounding GenAI on enterprise data. It will show how to build agents that act with confidence inside real business workflows.
Top Leadership Takeaways from Coveo’s 2026 Predictions
#1. Conversational interfaces become core navigation
By 2026, natural-language search/chat will act as a primary discovery/navigation tool across e-commerce platforms.
Sites should be rebuilt so that when shoppers know exactly what they want, a quick search returns relevant results, but when intent is vague, the interface becomes conversational and guides them.
#2. Content becomes a discovery driver
Product pages will evolve into full “knowledge hubs,” combining specs, guides, compliance docs, reviews, and context, not just product images or basic descriptions.
For B2B especially, this wealth of content allows buyers to research, compare, and validate before ever speaking to sales, speeding up decision cycles and building trust.
#3. Agentic AI gains traction in B2B workflows
AI agents will manage complex back-office and procurement workflows, from pricing, inventory checks, order configuration, and quote generation to compliance and payments.
This shift reduces manual effort, speeds up operations, and cuts errors, enabling teams to focus more on strategy and growth rather than administrative burden.
#4. AI hype gives way to measurable value
In 2026, businesses will adopt AI only when it solves concrete problems or improves key metrics (conversion, efficiency, customer experience).
This means evaluation, discipline, and focus: projects must clearly define what AI will improve, how, and how success is measured.
#5. Blending online and offline presence
2026 may see physical retail growing faster than e-commerce again, as consumers value tactile, in-person experiences, immediate gratification, and social shopping, even as online remains important.
For digitally native brands, this means investing in strategic physical presence, showrooms, and experience-driven stores, complementing their digital storefronts.
AI for Effect
For years, AI has been everywhere. Pilots, trials, proofs of concept. The focus was novelty rather than value; 2026 changes that. The question is no longer if AI should be used. The only question that matters is where it delivers measurable business impact.
This shift demands rigor. AI projects must prove they can move the needle on outcomes that matter. Conversion uplift, faster time to purchase, lower support costs, higher order values, improved customer satisfaction, and shorter buying cycles. If these outcomes are unclear or unmeasured, the initiative will not last.
Leadership teams will begin asking a new set of questions:
- What metric will this improve?
- How fast will we see value?
- How will we measure success?
What This Means for Ecommerce Leaders
- Re-architect your storefront around conversational discovery: Treat search and chat as central, not auxiliary.
- Invest aggressively in content depth: Product specs, documentation, comparisons, use cases, and compliance data. Think discovery-first, not sale-first.
- Build AI agents that serve internal and external workflows: From self-service chatbots for customers to procurement/quote automation for operations.
- Insist on ROI for every AI project: Set clear conversion, efficiency, or engagement targets.
- Design B2B experiences like B2C, but with enterprise-grade controls: Intuitive UX and seamless discovery, but grounded in data, security, and compliance.
If you align your roadmap today with these priorities, you’ll be well-positioned to lead, not follow, in 2026’s competitive ecommerce environment.
See 2026’s Future in Action
Want to see how these predictions play out? Join our upcoming webinar in partnership with Coveo and AWS.
In this masterclass, you’ll learn:
- How to build secure, compliant GenAI chatbots grounded in enterprise data, ideal for regulated industries like healthcare and finance.
- How to integrate Coveo’s Passage Retrieval API with Amazon Bedrock and AgentCore to deliver contextual, permission-aware responses from real company knowledge.
- Practical deployment lessons from organizations already using this architecture for high-confidence GenAI workflows.
This webinar will give you a blueprint to make agentic AI, conversational discovery, and content-rich workflows work in production.
Register now to secure your spot.
FAQs
1. What will the upcoming Coveo webinar cover?
It shows how to ground GenAI on enterprise data using AWS AgentCore and Coveo, so chatbots and agents can act reliably in real business scenarios.
2. What is agentic AI in e-commerce?
AI agents that perform tasks like quoting, search, and support. They cut manual effort and speed up operations.
3. Why is content so important for e-commerce in 2026?
Buyers need proof and context before purchase. Content and product discovery drive trust and conversions.
4. How will conversational interfaces impact online shopping?
Shopping becomes a guided dialogue. Users ask in natural language and get relevant, step-by-step results.
5. How can B2B match B2C expectations?
By delivering intuitive UX, rich content, and AI-powered workflows with enterprise controls.
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