The year 2026 promises to bring significant changes and new improvements to the e-commerce and online sales scene. To effectively capitalize on the opportunities presented by digital commerce, Calicantus, an e-commerce service provider and a leading company based in Veneto specializing in online sales management in Italy, provides an overview of the key Italian and international trends. Artificial intelligence is poised to play a critical role in directing the customer buying experience, thanks to the emergence of proactive hyper-personalization, which represents the next frontier of e-commerce in 2026. Unlike traditional personalization, which is reactive, the current trend is predictive. In 2025, 78% of Italian e-commerce companies had already implemented at least one AI-based solution, a sharp increase compared to 42% in 2023, while 73% of primary applications use artificial intelligence mainly to personalize the shopping experience. The integration between physical and digital (phygital) will be enabled by flexible architectures and new e-commerce models. Conversational commerce, facilitated by chatbots and voice assistants, will also develop into advanced sales instruments capable of enhancing conversion rates. Live commerce and short-form video will play an important role in 2026, integrating short-form and live content. Furthermore, providing deferred payment choices will be critical to satisfying future generations of consumers, as will concerns of sustainability, re-commerce, and the circular economy. The subscription model will provide a recurring revenue stream and enhanced loyalty, which is a critical strategy for 68% of businesses. New trends include the use of immersive technology that imitate the physical experience (such as virtual try-ons), mobile commerce (which is already the dominant channel for purchases and interactions), and a focus on privacy, security, and brand trust.