Months of research. Industry interviews. A LOT of data analysis.
The day is finally here.
We’re really excited to announce the launch of the Inside Digital & eCommerce 2026 Report, in partnership with Six Degrees Executive.
As it’s sixth year in market, this year’s report takes a slightly different direction. For the first time, it focuses exclusively on retail and brand manufacturing, allowing us to go deeper and deliver more focused insights across these sectors, which are inextricably linked.
The report explores how brands are investing, building capability and prioritising their focus across eCommerce and the digital shelf, AI, loyalty, omni-channel experience, retail media and more.
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the study by completing the survey, as well a big thanks to our sponsors Amperity, Bloomreach and Salsify, whose support helped bring the study to life.
So what’s been happening in the digital, data & eComm space?
🤖 Search is starting to look a lot less like… search. New Google AI Mode data suggests people are asking longer, messier and far more human questions. Queries are now averaging three times the length of traditional searches, follow-up questions have grown more than 40% month-on-month in the US, and more than one in six searches are now non-text using voice, images and video. People are increasingly using AI to help them decide, not just discover, shifting from “find me a product” toward “help me choose”. Search is becoming less about retrieving information and more about helping people think. For brands, that raises the bar on the quality, structure and context of the information AI can access.
🛒 Google wants to become the shopping basket before the shopping basket. Google has launched an intelligent shopping cart experience which aims to act as a new hub for shopping. The moment a user adds a product to their cart, Universal Cart gets to work finding deals and price drops and alerting users when products are back in stock. Powered by Gemini, the smart cart even helps shoppers understand if they have decided to purchase products that are not compatible and suggests an alternative. In a move that will rattle the retail industry, Universal Cart allows shoppers to check out directly via Google, further reducing the flow of referral traffic to retailer sites, whilst also allowing a user to take their basket and checkout via the retailer. Google has already locked in partnerships with Nike, Sephora, Target, Walmart and more - with Universal Cart checkout features set to roll out imminently.
💳 The latest For Love or Money study from The Point of Loyalty suggests Australians more than ever value money back in their pockets. Inline with consumers desire for brands to make their lives easier and their insatiable demand for convenience, paid subscription programs with strong delivery propositions were also found to be in favour. In a world of growing program fatigue, passive points accumulation alone is becoming harder to defend. Loyalty is increasingly shifting from “collect and redeem” mechanics toward ongoing utility, access and immediate value.
✈️ WHSmith has launched an AI shopping assistant at Melbourne Airport, turning travel retail into the latest testing ground for conversational commerce. Airports have always been high-intent environments where shoppers are often buying with a clear mission and a tight timeframe. Helping them quickly navigate options, discover relevant products and reduce friction sounds straightforward. But in a blended environment where AI assistance via mobile and the in-store experience need to work as one, accuracy and relevance in the moment are non negotiable.
We hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter! 🦊
🦊 inside digital & ecommerce 2026 report
✍🏼 our latest insights
Inside Digital & eCommerce 2026 in 10 Charts – Retail
We break down the findings of the Retail section of the report into 10 easy-to-digest charts. From investment trends and capability gaps to changing customer expectations, it’s a quick snapshot of the insights every retail leader should have on their radar.
Inside Digital & eCommerce 2026 in 10 Charts – Brand Manufacturers
We break down the findings of the Brand Manufacturing (FMCG/CPG/Industrial) section of the report into 10 easy-to-digest charts. From AI adoption and capability development to investment priorities and evolving shopper expectations, it’s a quick snapshot of the insights every brand leader should have on their radar.
🚚 Arktic Bytes is moving
Arktic Bytes is moving from your inbox to your feed.
This will be one of the last newsletters you receive by email - but don’t worry, it’s not disappearing forever! Arktic Bytes will live exclusively on LinkedIn and Substack alongside our latest thinking across digital transformation, commerce, data, AI & loyalty.
Thank you for being part of the Arktic Bytes community and reading along with us.
We hope you’ll continue the journey with us on LinkedIn and Substack.
🎙️ unpacking the digital shelf: apac edition
Retail media is attracting more investment than ever. Budgets are increasing. Networks are expanding. Expectations are rising. But one big question still sits underneath all of it: what actually drives performance?
Because for many brands in the APAC region, retail media still feels like a black box. There are metrics. There are case studies. But there isn’t always clarity on what actually drives growth and which levers brands need to pull to shift performance.
To answer that question, Coles 360 partnered with Circana to test a series of hypotheses around what truly drives retail media performance. Through the research, they identified eight potential growth drivers. Five were proven through the data and are now shaping how Coles works with suppliers across planning, scorecarding and growth.
We unpack the principles in this episode.
Download the full Retail Media Best Practices Playbook here.
In this episode, we unpack the key findings from the newly released Inside Digital & eCommerce 2026 report from Arktic Fox & Six Degrees Executive.
The report is a deep dive into how Australian retailers and brand manufacturers are navigating the next era of digital commerce, drawing on insights from more than 100 senior leaders across retail, eCommerce, marketing, digital and retail media. The conversation explores how AI and agentic commerce are reshaping the digital shelf, why loyalty is becoming a bigger strategic priority, and how marketplaces, quick commerce and retail media are intensifying execution complexity for brands.
We also examine the growing importance of product content and data foundations in an AI-driven discovery environment, the widening gap between ambition and capability, and where retailers and brands remain misaligned in the race to deliver better connected commerce experiences.
From AI readiness and retail media investment to omnichannel execution and product data collaboration, this episode is essential listening for leaders shaping the future of retail and eCommerce in Australia.
📈 chart of the month
AI search is reshaping visibility - but local advantage still matters
New research from Jaywing shows Amazon dominating AI-visibility across 6 of 7 major categories in Australia, particularly in Home & Living and Electronics, where its scale and product breadth give it a clear advantage. But the story isn’t one-sided.
In categories like Grocery - Australian retailers are holding strong for now - Woolworths and Coles together account for close to half of all visibility. The takeaway is an important one: AI doesn’t automatically reward the biggest player, it rewards the most relevant and credible one.
For brands and retailers alike, structured data, authoritative content, quality cues and reputation are all becoming critical to staying visible in an AI-first shopping era.
🔗 what we’re reading
📰 For Love or Money 2026 Report | The Point of Loyalty
📰 Australian Retail AI Data | Jaywing
🦊 so who am I?
I’m an advisor, trainer and thought leader with 25+ years’ experience across digital, marketing, loyalty and commerce, working with consumer, FMCG and retail brands. I’m also the host of Unpacking the Digital Shelf – APAC Edition and have been recognised as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert (2026), and Top 20 CMO (2018).
Before you go…
🧭 Need strategic clarity or expert advice? Let’s chat.
🛠️ Looking to build capability in your team? Explore training & workshops.
🎤 Planning an event or offsite? Book a keynote or thought leadership session.
Get in touch at teresa@arkticfox.io or find out more here, and don’t forget to follow along on LinkedIn and Substack.
The Universal Cart point is the one most retailers are underestimating right now — Google is inserting itself as the checkout layer for Nike, Sephora, Walmart and more, which makes product feed quality and structured data completeness even more critical, not less. We're seeing clients with incomplete GTIN coverage or missing product_type hierarchies already losing organic Shopping visibility, and Universal Cart will accelerate that gap significantly for brands with weak data foundations.