Selling online in 2026 is no longer what it was three years ago. Artificial intelligence assistants now recommend products instead of traditional search engines. European regulations impose new obligations on merchant sites. And the growth of e-commerce in France relies less on higher baskets than on the ability to bring a customer back.
Agentic commerce: preparing your products for AI assistants
Have you ever noticed that a voice assistant or a chatbot suggests a product without you having typed anything into Google? This phenomenon has a name: agentic commerce. AI agents analyze product sheets, compare prices, and make a recommendation directly to the user.
For an entrepreneur, this changes the way to structure their catalog. A product sheet designed solely for traditional SEO (title tags, meta descriptions) is no longer sufficient. AI agents read structured data, not marketing slogans.
Specifically, each product must have clear attributes: exact name, category, materials, dimensions, delivery conditions, return policy. Formats like Schema.org allow assistants to understand this information unambiguously. A site with well-organized data is more likely to be recommended by an agent than a competitor with rich but poorly structured content.
Specialized resources allow you to follow these developments as news unfolds. Several analyses published on the pages of Business Hack regularly decode the mechanics of online business and the new growth levers.
Customer loyalty and repurchase: the real growth lever of French e-commerce
Most guides recommend increasing the average basket size. Offering an upsell, adding free shipping above a threshold. These tactics work, but they overlook a reality specific to the French market: growth relies more on purchase frequency than on basket value.
Why this discrepancy? The French consumer shops online more often, but not necessarily spends more with each order. Subscription models, cumulative loyalty programs, and personalized post-purchase follow-ups are becoming more profitable than a simple acquisition strategy.
Reducing friction rather than increasing promotions
A returning customer does not need a discount. They need their journey to be smooth. Recording their preferences, one-click payment, clear order tracking. Every friction removed from the repurchase funnel increases the likelihood of a return.
Before launching an expensive acquisition campaign, check these points on your site:
- Can the customer reorder in less than three clicks from their history?
- Do transactional emails (confirmation, delivery, request for feedback) arrive at the right time and are they readable on mobile?
- Is there a simple loyalty program, even in basic form (discount on the third purchase, early access to new products)?
These adjustments do not require an advertising budget. They rely on the quality of the experience after the first sale.
Digital accessibility: a legal obligation that transforms the sales funnel
Since June 28, 2025, certain e-commerce services aimed at consumers must meet accessibility requirements. Microenterprises benefit from an exemption under certain conditions, but for others, accessibility is no longer a bonus, it is an operational regulatory constraint.
The subject goes beyond a simple compliance statement displayed in the footer. It directly affects the sales funnel: keyboard navigation, sufficient contrast between text and background, compatibility with screen readers, alternative text on images, forms understandable without visual aid.
Where to start without a complete overhaul
Testing your site with a free screen reader (NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on Mac) often reveals invisible blockages. A “Add to cart” button without an explicit label, a payment form with unlabeled fields, a pop-up impossible to close with the keyboard.
Fixing these points improves the experience for all users, not just for people with disabilities. A readable form converts better, regardless of the visitor’s profile.
Marketplace compliance and the Digital Services Act: what changes for sellers
If your online activity goes through a marketplace (Amazon, Etsy, Leboncoin Pro), the legal framework has changed. The Digital Services Act has been fully applicable since February 2024. Marketplaces must verify the identity and professional information of sellers before they go live.
For a seller, this means two things. First, registration on a marketplace now requires verified documents: SIRET number, ID, complete contact details. Platforms can suspend an account if there is doubt about the authenticity of the information.
Secondly, this verification creates an indirect advantage. Buyers know that sellers active on these platforms have been checked. Trust increases, and with it, the conversion rate. Compliant businesses benefit from a cleaner environment where fraudulent sellers are eliminated more quickly.
- Prepare your legal documents before registering on a new marketplace to avoid validation delays
- Update your professional information (address, legal status) as soon as a change occurs, or risk suspension
- Monitor platform notifications: an ignored re-verification request can lead to a temporary removal of your listings
The online business world in 2026 is structured around these four axes: visibility to AI agents, loyalty through friction reduction, compliance with accessibility, and adherence to European regulatory frameworks. Companies that treat these issues as technical constraints gain a lasting advantage over those that continue to invest solely in traffic acquisition.
