October 2026 · E-commerce Notes

October highlighted a growing gap between the pace of shopping technology and the way consumers are actually using it.

Google began rolling out Universal Cart, bringing product discovery and checkout closer together, while new research showed that only a small share of U.S. consumers currently begin their product searches with AI. At the same time, Amazon's October sales event generated nearly $10 billion in online spending across U.S. retailers, with discounts and price comparisons continuing to play a central role in purchasing decisions.

In Europe, TikTok Shop's expansion continued at different speeds across markets, while changes to returns policies added further pressure to the cost of selling online.

Technology & AI in Commerce

Google's Universal Cart Moves Closer to Everyday Shopping

Following its initial announcement in May, Google began rolling out Universal Cart in the United States in October, allowing shoppers to save products from multiple retailers in one cart across Google Search and the Gemini app.

The feature also tracks price and inventory changes, highlights available savings, and supports checkout through Google's Universal Commerce Protocol, with Walmart, Ulta Beauty, Wayfair, and selected Shopify merchants among the participating retailers.

By bringing more of the shopping process into one experience, Google is making it easier for consumers to move between product research, comparison, and purchasing without managing separate carts across retailer websites. For merchants, this means that product information needs to remain accurate and accessible beyond their own platforms, as pricing, availability, and product attributes become part of how external shopping tools support purchase decisions.

Source
- https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/10/16/google-universal-cart-launch-features/

Only 10% of U.S. Consumers Start Product Searches With AI

Despite the growing investment in AI shopping tools, consumer adoption remains relatively limited. According to AlixPartners, only 10% of U.S. consumers begin product discovery using AI, rising to 14% among Gen Z and millennials.

Adoption may also depend on the type of purchase. Routine products that can be compared through price and specifications could be easier to delegate to AI assistants, while categories shaped more heavily by personal taste and brand preference may continue to require greater shopper involvement.

Consumer experience adds another challenge. A Five9 survey found that only 46% of consumers rated their most recent AI or chatbot customer service interaction positively, with nearly half of those who switched to human support doing so because the chatbot repeatedly misunderstood their requests.

Taken together, the findings suggest that shoppers may become comfortable using AI for research and comparison well before they are ready to rely on it for purchases or customer support. As platforms continue expanding their capabilities, the question is increasingly whether those features match what consumers actually want from their shopping experience.

Sources
- https://www.retaildive.com/news/most-consumers-arent-using-ai-for-product-discovery-yet/833604/
- https://www.retaildive.com/news/why-customers-fed-up-ai-chatbots/833488/

Online Demand & Holiday Planning

Amazon's October Sales Event Generates Nearly $10 Billion

Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days on October 6 and 7 helped generate $9.86 billion in online spending across U.S. retailers, representing an 8.5% increase compared with the previous year's event period, according to Adobe.

Discounts reached 20% in categories including electronics, computers, toys, and apparel, while mobile shopping accounted for 52% of total online sales. Consumers were also actively comparing offers, with Numerator finding that half of Prime Big Deal Days shoppers checked prices at competing retailers and 74% citing inflation as a reason for participating.

The event also appears to have brought holiday spending forward. More than a third of surveyed shoppers had completed at least half of their holiday purchases during Prime Big Deal Days, while intentions to shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday declined compared with the previous year.

This makes October's sales growth more complicated than the headline suggests. Strong promotional performance may partly reflect purchases shifting from later in the season, rather than an overall increase in holiday budgets, making promotion timing and its impact on demand across the full quarter increasingly important for retailers.

Sources
- https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/10/08/amazon-prime-day-big-deal-days-sales-2026/
- https://www.retaildive.com/news/amazon-prime-big-deal-days-online-spend-nears-ten-billion/832604/

Younger Shoppers Are Looking Beyond the Algorithm

Gen Z and Gen Alpha have grown up with personalized shopping experiences, social commerce, and increasingly accessible AI tools, but that familiarity does not necessarily mean they want every purchase guided by an algorithm.

Research from JLL found that 45% of Gen Z respondents felt online recommendations limited what they were able to like, highlighting a potential downside of increasingly personalized discovery.

Physical retail offers a different experience, particularly for younger consumers who value discovering unfamiliar products, experimenting with personal style, and spending time with friends. While personalization can make online shopping more convenient, it can also narrow what shoppers encounter, leaving room for experiences that encourage browsing and unexpected discoveries.

Source
- https://www.retaildive.com/news/gen-z-gen-alpha-holiday-shopping-retail-trends/831838/

Platforms, Marketplaces & Operations

TikTok Shop's European Growth Is Far From Even

TikTok Shop continues expanding across Europe, although its sales remain heavily concentrated in the United Kingdom. According to ECDB, the UK accounted for 65% of European TikTok Shop gross merchandise value in 2025, generating €2.63 billion, compared with approximately €570 million in Spain and around €350 million each in France and Germany.

The UK benefited from an earlier launch in 2021, giving the platform more time to establish its seller network and consumer base. ECDB expects UK sales to approach €5 billion in 2026, while newer European markets are also forecast to grow as TikTok Shop expands its reach and introduces further cross-border selling opportunities.

Despite this broader expansion, the differences between markets remain substantial. The platform's UK performance shows its potential, but local consumer adoption, marketplace maturity, and category demand will continue to influence how quickly other European countries develop.

Source
- https://ecommercenews.eu/tiktok-shop-still-much-bigger-in-the-uk-than-elsewhere-in-europe/

Amazon Introduces Returnless Refunds Across Europe

Amazon introduced its FBA Returnless Resolutions program in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain in October, allowing participating sellers to refund eligible purchases without requiring customers to return the products.

Sellers can set a maximum eligible item value of up to €75, while Amazon evaluates requests based on criteria including product category, customer return history, and seller account status. For lower-priced products, the program can reduce shipping and processing expenses, although sellers cannot recover inventory that customers keep and receive no compensation from Amazon for those items.

At the same time, free returns are becoming more common across the DACH region. An EHI Retail Institute study found that 60.6% of surveyed retailers covered return shipping costs completely in 2026, up from 49.2% the previous year.

These developments reflect the pressure to make returns convenient without allowing their costs to erode profitability. Whether a returnless refund is more economical than processing a return depends on factors such as product value, shipping expenses, and the likelihood of reselling the returned item.

Sources
- https://ecommercenews.eu/amazon-introduces-returnless-refunds-in-europe/
- https://ecommercenews.eu/free-returns-on-the-rise-in-dach-region/

Regional Market Highlights

Sweden Records Growth as Cross-Border Spending Shapes Austria

Swedish e-commerce sales increased 8% year over year in Q2 2026, according to PostNord, with all tracked sectors recording growth. Pharmacy led with a 13% increase, followed by groceries and home electronics at 10% each.

Customer reviews also remained an important part of product research, with half of surveyed consumers identifying them as their most valuable source of support when choosing products, even as social media and AI become more common discovery channels.

In Austria, online purchases accounted for more than 16% of consumer retail expenditure in 2025, up from 14.9% the previous year. The market reached approximately €12.4 billion, with consumer electronics and footwear among the categories with the highest online spending shares.

Cross-border commerce remains a defining feature of the Austrian market, where more than half of online spending goes to foreign retailers and Amazon holds the largest individual market share.

Sources
- https://ecommercenews.eu/swedish-ecommerce-grew-8-in-q2/
- https://ecommercenews.eu/austrians-spent-16-of-retail-expenditure-online/

Closing Observation

October highlighted how differently technology and consumer behavior are progressing across e-commerce. Google is bringing AI closer to checkout, but most shoppers still begin their product searches elsewhere, while Amazon's October sales event demonstrated the continued importance of discounts and price comparisons.

Across Europe, differences in marketplace adoption and the rising cost of returns added to the challenges retailers are already managing. Preparing for new shopping experiences matters, but so does maintaining performance across the channels and purchasing behaviors that drive sales today.

We will continue tracking these shifts month by month.