6 E-Commerce Trends Canadian SMEs Need to Know in 2026

To help Canadian small businesses stay ahead, we’ve unpacked six key e-commerce trends shaping the future of online retail — and, more importantly, how you can turn them into practical strategies to attract more customers, expand into global markets, and grow your business across borders.

The current e‑commerce landscape

Global e-commerce growth shows no signs of slowing, with sales projected to hit $8 trillion by 2028¹. Beneath that headline expansion, the landscape is being reshaped by four powerful macro forces.

First, competition is intensifying. The number of live e-commerce stores worldwide grew by 14% between 2024 and 2025², making it harder than ever to stand out.

Second, cross-border commerce is booming as more consumers look beyond their home markets for choice and value. Between 2019 and 2025, international online sales more than doubled, rising from $562 billion to $1.2 trillion³.

Third, today’s shoppers are more savvy – and more demanding. Expectations around fast delivery, personalized experiences, and frictionless returns are pushing e-commerce businesses to raise their game at every touchpoint.

And finally, omnichannel shopping is no longer optional. Whether customers are discovering brands through online marketplaces, shopping on social media, or visiting physical stores, they expect a seamless experience across every touchpoint.

So, what does this mean for your business? Let’s explore six key e-commerce trends shaping the future of online retail — and how you can turn them into real opportunities to attract customers, boost sales, and grow beyond Canadian borders.

From smarter chatbots to data collection and personalization

AI-powered technologies are set to play a central role in the future of e-commerce, as we’re still only scratching the surface of what’s possible.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, 84% of e-commerce businesses now consider AI a top strategic priority⁴. At its core, AI helps businesses make sense of vast amounts of customer data, identifying patterns in behavior to improve engagement, conversion, and retention. For many retailers, that makes it an essential tool.

Today, AI is transforming nearly every stage of the e-commerce journey. From personalized product recommendations and smarter search results to dynamic pricing and tailored shopping experiences, AI is helping Canadian businesses better understand customer behaviour and drive more online sales.

Behind the scenes, AI is also reshaping operations. Businesses are using it to generate and optimize product content at scale, improve inventory and demand forecasting, reduce stock issues, and better anticipate shipping and delivery expectations.

Customer service is evolving too. AI-powered chatbots are becoming more advanced, helping shoppers find products faster, answer questions in real time, and deliver personalized recommendations that can increase both conversion rates and average order value.

The next wave is already emerging through agentic AI systems — tools capable of taking action on behalf of customers, from completing purchases to adjusting offers dynamically in real time. Businesses adopting these technologies early are already seeing significant gains in efficiency, customer engagement, and overall e-commerce performance.

Next steps: turning AI into results 

Start by getting clear on your goal. Do you want to increase conversion rates, reduce returns, or speed up customer support? Defining the outcome upfront will help you focus your efforts – and measure success.

Next, get your data in shape. Clean, well-structured customer and product data is the foundation of any successful AI initiative. From there, consider centralizing it in a Customer Data Platform (CDP), such as Snowflake or Salesforce CDP, to give your tools reliable, real-time inputs.

Rather than trying to do everything at once, begin with a single, high-impact use case. For many businesses, that could be product recommendations, a pre-sales chatbot, or automated product descriptions. Off-the-shelf AI tools make it easier than ever to test these ideas without heavy upfront investment.

Once your pilot is live, measure its impact. A/B test it against your existing setup to understand what’s really driving improvement – and where to refine further.

Finally, think about scale. Choose tools that integrate easily with your existing systems, set clear KPIs, and keep a close eye on performance, accuracy, and bias. Then double down on what works and expand from there.

The power of voice and visual search, video marketing, social selling and m-commerce 

Mobile commerce (or “m-commerce”) gives customers the opportunity to shop anytime, anywhere. And with the growth of visual and voice search, discovering products has become easier than ever.

One of the biggest shifts in e-commerce has been the rise of short-form social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. What once served mainly as product discovery channels have quickly evolved into full shopping experiences, allowing customers to browse, engage, and complete purchases without ever leaving the app.

For businesses, this means social commerce is no longer just a marketing tool — it’s becoming a key sales channel. Brands that create engaging, authentic, and mobile-first content are better positioned to capture attention, build community, and turn scrolling into sales.

Livestream shopping and the rapid expansion of shoppable video are set to surpass $1 trillion in sales this year⁶. This innovative format not  only shows how products look, but how they perform in real life – helping customers make faster, more confident decisions.

By embedding checkout directly into video content, the path to purchase is reduced to just a few clicks – significantly lowering abandoned baskets. In fact, conversion rates through mobile apps are 130% higher than mobile-first websites⁷.

Next steps: go big on social 

Make sure your website is fully optimized for mobile. A seamless mobile experience is now the baseline for capturing and converting customers on the go.

Prioritize shoppable content on short-form video platforms and enable in-app checkout wherever possible to shorten the path to purchase.

Explore visual search and optimize your product content for voice and conversational queries, so customers can find what they want in the most natural way.

Finally, track performance closely by channel. Identify which formats deliver the highest return on ad spend (ROAS) – including livestream and social commerce – and allocate budget accordingly.

How the barriers to cross-border selling are coming down

Cross-border selling is becoming an increasingly important growth strategy for Canadian SMEs. Even amid ongoing shifts in global trade and changing market conditions, international e-commerce continues to expand as consumers look beyond their home markets for greater product variety, competitive pricing, and unique brands.

For small businesses, this creates new opportunities to reach customers worldwide, diversify revenue streams, and grow beyond the Canadian market.

In fact, global B2C sales are expected to exceed $6 trillion in 2026⁸, with fast-growing markets such as India, Argentina, and Brazil creating new opportunities for both local and international sellers. But while demand is strong, businesses also need to be realistic about the complexity of selling overseas. Competition is intense – not just from local players, but from other global brands too.

Success depends on understanding local customer behavior and adapting your offer accordingly. This can include everything from product selection and pricing to language and payment preferences. For many businesses, selling on an online marketplace first is a practical way to test demand in a new market before investing in their own e-commerce website. 

Of course, logistics also plays a critical role. Delivery times, service reliability, and returns can quickly become barriers if not managed well – challenges that are easier to navigate with a logistics partner that has strong local expertise and global reach (like DHL Express!)

And then there are customs, duties, and taxes – a constant consideration in cross-border trade. Working with experienced partners can help simplify these complexities and reduce friction for both businesses and customers.

Next steps: think global

Start with data. Use it to identify and prioritize target markets, and research local preferences such as price sensitivity, sustainability expectations, and even product specifics like color ranges or sizing norms.

Localize your offering. This includes language, pricing, and ensuring taxes and duties are clearly communicated upfront. Where possible, support this with in-country payment methods to reduce friction at checkout.

Work with a customs expert (such as DHL Express). International shipping involves navigating customs rules, duties, taxes, and varying regulations across markets. Partnering with an experienced provider can help automate much of this process, including calculating and collecting duties upfront and presenting a clear landed cost at checkout.

Finally, take a phased approach. Test one market at a time, refine your fulfillment and returns processes, and only scale once the model is proven.

Using parcel delivery and returns to improve customer loyalty

Did you know that nearly half of consumers say a poor delivery experience would reduce their likelihood of buying from a brand again?⁹

At the same time, choice matters. 53% of shoppers say that having multiple delivery options at checkout – such as different speeds, prices, or carriers – makes them more likely to complete a purchase.

And let’s not forget the importance of offering a seamless returns experience. 55% of global shoppers say they prefer to buy from retailers that offer free returns¹¹, highlighting its role in both conversion and loyalty.

As out-of-home (OOH) collection and drop-off points continue to expand, SMEs now have more flexible and cost-effective ways to meet customer expectations. The key question is no longer whether to invest in customer-friendly logistics, but how many sales you risk losing if you don’t.

Next steps: prioritize the delivery experience 

Set clear delivery service level agreements (SLAs) to build trust and encourage both first-time purchases and repeat orders.

Work with a logistics provider that offers a range of flexible shipping options, including on-demand delivery, parcel lockers, and same-day delivery where feasible. Remember, offering choice at your checkout is key! 

Be transparent about returns from the outset. Clearly communicate any fees or options, and consider testing free returns for high-lifetime-value customers to support retention.

The shift from nice-to-have to business critical

Sustainability is no longer a “nice extra” in e-commerce – it’s becoming a real driver of customer decisions.

Nearly half of shoppers (46%) say they are actively choosing more sustainable products to reduce their environmental impact¹². And that shift is starting to influence what happens at checkout: one in three consumers have abandoned a purchase due to sustainability concerns¹³.

But with rising expectations comes greater scrutiny. Today’s shoppers are more informed and more sceptical, and they’re quick to call out brands that overstate their credentials. More than half say they would stop buying from a company they believe is “greenwashing”¹⁴.

That’s why transparency matters. Customers want to understand not just what they’re buying, but how it’s made, packaged, and delivered. From sourcing to last-mile logistics, every step of the journey is under the spotlight.

For e-commerce businesses, this creates a clear opportunity: those that can back up their claims with credible action stand to build stronger trust – and long-term loyalty.

Next steps: turn sustainability into a competitive advantage

Start with the fundamentals. Review your packaging and look for ways to reduce materials and eliminate waste. Switch to recycled or reusable options where possible.

Be transparent and specific in your claims. For example, if you highlight a certification like Fair Trade, make sure it is clearly explained and backed up with credible verification.

Offer an option at checkout that supports emissions‑reduced shipping. DHL’s GoGreen Plus program means customers can choose delivery services that support emissions reductions through insetting approaches, including the use of sustainable fuels such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).* 

*GoGreen Plus is a value-added service to a DHL shipment contributing to decarbonization measures within DHL’s logistics network. By using alternative fuels and/or technologies, DHL reduces the usage of fossil fuels in the mode of transport used for the GoGreen Plus shipment. This does not necessarily mean that the specific shipment is physically transported with the assets using these fuels or technologies.

Creating seamless experiences across every channel

Today’s customers don’t think in channels — they simply expect a seamless shopping experience wherever they interact with your brand. They might discover a product on social media, browse your website, and complete the purchase through an app or in-store. If that experience feels disconnected, businesses risk losing both sales and customer loyalty.

That’s why more Canadian businesses are moving beyond traditional multi-channel selling toward true omnichannel commerce. While multi-channel strategies often operate independently across platforms, omnichannel connects customer data, inventory, and brand messaging to create one consistent experience across every touchpoint.

One of the key technologies driving this shift is headless commerce. In simple terms, it separates the customer-facing storefront from the back-end systems that manage products, payments, and data. This gives businesses greater flexibility to launch new storefronts, sell across multiple channels, and update experiences faster without rebuilding their entire e-commerce infrastructure.

The result is a smoother customer journey, more operational agility, and a better shopping experience across online and offline channels — something that’s quickly becoming the new standard for both B2C and B2B e-commerce.

Next steps: putting omnichannel into action

Start by connecting your systems so they work together. Your product catalog, pricing, and inventory should be aligned across every channel, so customers always see the same, accurate information whether they’re shopping on your website, app, or a marketplace.

Next, bring your customer data into one place. Having a complete, up-to-date view of each customer makes it much easier to deliver relevant recommendations, personalized offers, and a consistent experience wherever they interact with your brand.

If you’re ready to go further, explore API-first or headless commerce solutions. These allow you to manage your products and operations centrally, while delivering flexible shopping experiences across multiple channels – and quickly adapting as new ones emerge.

For B2B businesses, it’s also worth investing in self-service tools such as online catalogs, tailored pricing, and integrated payment options, so buyers can browse, order, and manage purchases easily and on their own terms.

What this means for your business

The future of e-commerce is being shaped by rapid change across every stage of the customer journey — from product discovery and online checkout to shipping, delivery, and returns. AI is creating more personalized and efficient shopping experiences, social commerce is making it easier for customers to buy directly through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and omnichannel strategies are helping businesses deliver seamless experiences across every touchpoint. At the same time, Canadian consumers are placing greater importance on sustainability, transparency, and brand trust alongside price and convenience.

Across all of these shifts, one thing is clear: customer expectations are rising, and businesses need to adapt quickly to stay competitive. For Canadian SMEs, keeping up with evolving e-commerce trends is no longer optional — it’s essential for long-term growth in an increasingly global digital marketplace.

As cross-border e-commerce continues to grow, logistics is becoming a key competitive advantage. Partnering with an experienced global logistics provider like DHL Express can help Canadian small businesses simplify international shipping, reach new markets with confidence, and meet rising delivery expectations — making it easier to scale globally and stay ahead of change.