Commerce, whether physical or online, is undergoing a period of rapid changes. Shopping habits are changing, regulations are evolving, and new technological levers are reshaping the customer journey. Understanding these commerce trends allows for the identification of concrete actions to implement in order to grow one’s business.
Online Service Sales: The Growth Driver to Watch
In 2024 and 2025, online service sales grew significantly faster than product sales. According to the Fevad report published in February 2026, online services increased by 9%, compared to 4% for products. This divergence marks a turning point for merchants who focus their strategy solely on selling goods.
The services in question cover a wide spectrum: booking, customization, rental, maintenance, training. A restaurant business can offer online classes or subscriptions for meal boxes. A retail store specializing in sports equipment can add a seasonal rental service.
The challenge is to transform a one-time purchase into a recurring relationship. Merchants who regularly publish their news and market analyses, as found on the Guide Info Commerce website, have an advantage in spotting these opportunities before their competitors.
Purchase Frequency and Customer Loyalty: What’s Changing in Online Commerce
Online commerce is now progressing more through purchase frequency than through average basket value. This shift has direct consequences on how to build an offer and manage profitability.
Bundled offers and subscriptions are becoming priority formats. Instead of trying to increase each transaction, the logic is to multiply points of contact with the customer. A site selling food or health products, for example, has every interest in offering automatic replenishments.
Loyalty no longer relies solely on points programs. It depends on the quality of the post-purchase experience: precise order tracking, customer service via direct messaging, useful content sent between purchases. Consumers who return regularly cost less to acquire than new customers.
- Implement a subscription or replenishment system for products with recurring consumption (food, health, hygiene)
- Use direct messaging (WhatsApp, integrated chat) as a customer service channel to reduce response time
- Create bundled offers that increase the number of items per order without requiring additional decision-making effort
- Send relevant content between purchases (usage tips, recipes, guides) to maintain the relationship
Generative AI and the Purchase Journey: Adapting Your Catalog
Generative AI is starting to directly influence how consumers search for and compare products. Conversational assistants (integrated into search engines or payment applications) draw from product sheets, customer reviews, and technical descriptions to formulate recommendations.
A poorly structured catalog becomes invisible to these new intermediaries. Vague descriptions, sheets without precise attributes, or unmoderated reviews penalize visibility. Merchants who invest in the quality of their product data (weight, composition, dimensions, usage conditions) position themselves better in these generated responses.
In practical terms, this means reviewing product sheets not just for traditional web use, but so that an AI agent can extract a clear response. A restaurateur who details their menus with allergens, ingredient origins, and customization options facilitates recommendations by a voice or text assistant.
European Regulation on Digital Services: Obligations for Marketplaces
Since February 17, 2024, the European regulation on digital services (DSA) imposes obligations on all online intermediaries, including some small marketplaces. These obligations go beyond just the large platforms and also concern merchants who sell through their own e-commerce site with third-party sellers.
The main rules include establishing an accessible point of contact, clarifying general sales conditions, and ensuring traceability of professional sellers. A merchant hosting third-party sellers on their platform must be able to identify each seller and provide this information in case of an audit.
Ignoring these obligations exposes one to penalties. For small businesses exploring online sales through a marketplace model, an audit of general conditions and seller identification processes is essential before any compliance measures.
Sustainability and Regulatory Constraints: Anticipating Costs
Sustainability is no longer an optional marketing argument. It has become a regulatory constraint that weighs on costs and sourcing choices. France has specifically targeted ultra-fast fashion with new penalties under the extended producer responsibility (EPR), while EU textile rules are tightening.
Merchants who anticipate these constraints turn a cost into a competitive advantage. Displaying product traceability, offering a repair service, or integrating a second-hand offer meets both consumer expectations and upcoming regulatory requirements.
- Check the eligibility of products for new EPR obligations and budget for eco-contributions
- Integrate a second-hand or repair aspect into the commercial offer, even on a small scale
- Communicate on the composition and origin of products factually, without greenwashing
These developments in commerce in 2024 and beyond share a common thread: value is shifting from raw products to service, data, and compliance. Merchants who structure their catalog for AI agents, diversify their income through services, and anticipate regulatory obligations have a solid foundation, regardless of their industry.
