Marketplaces: Moving Towards AI-Mediated Ecosystems
Marketplaces account for at least 40% of total retail ecommerce spend in Western Europe. The sector has been booming, but a combination of technological disruption, demographic factors, sector leaders moving to consolidate their positions and a tightening economy means the recent past is no guide to the future.
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About the Report
This coming year is likely to be monumental in the global marketplace arena as Chinese, North American and European companies compete across borders for dominance in different countries and niche verticals.
In certain territories and sectors, US and Chinese companies are already so dominant, it’s difficult to imagine them being seriously challenged. Nevertheless, we are living through an era of change, when companies’ ability simultaneously to master emerging methods of selling such as social commerce, drive new revenue streams from retail media and manage the transition to an AI-powered world will be crucial. Businesses that negotiate the changes and challenges here with efficiency, flair and at scale will reap the dividends.
Against this backdrop, the RetailX Marketplaces Report 2026 offers a critical consideration both of where the marketplace sector is today, and where it is heading in the months and years ahead.
Executive Insights & Takeaways
Download the report to explore how the marketplace sector is set to evolve.
The Platform Flip
Why traditional linear retailers are shifting to platform models, inflating product catalogues from thousands of SKUs to millions while capturing high-margin, third-party service fees without inventory risk.
The Attention Economy
How platforms are combatting fragmented consumer attention across an average of ten interaction channels by transforming into centralised discovery hubs.
Social Commerce Conversion
The data that shows how platforms such as TikTok Shop are merging social inspiration with native in-app checkouts, driving social commerce to capture an estimated 20% of global online sales.
The Trust Threshold
Why 41% of consumers do not yet trust a single organisation to provide an autonomous AI shopping agent, making brand reputation and data accuracy the competitive battlegrounds.
Brands & Long-Term Value
Why customers in search of deals are looking not just at price but buying more expensive secondhand goods, such as designer items, that hold out the promise of retaining their value.
What’s Inside
The Four Strategic Drivers of 2026
Social Engagement & Feed Commerce
Live shopping events, affiliate networks and creator-led storefronts are closing the gap between product discovery and immediate purchase. Major marketplaces are responding by integrating their product feeds into social networks.
Second-Hand & Resale Challengers
Eco-conscious and cash-strapped Gen Z consumers don’t just reject the stigma that used to surround used goods, they celebrate the idea of buying vintage. The result is a second-hand sector that is dynamic and fast-expanding.
Retailer-Run Marketplaces & Curation
Established retailers are launching curated marketplace extensions to preserve consumer loyalty. Rather than opening doors to all merchants, the winners are carefully vetting third-party partners to maintain strict customer service and delivery standards.
Artificial Intelligence & Retail Media
AI technologies are rewriting both the way companies operate and customer-facing interactions. We are entering an era of agentic shopping and product discovery. At the same time, retail media is offering a new revenue stream.
Also Inside
The RetailX Marketplaces Report 2026 also offers case studies of leading marketplaces, including Amazon, TikTok, Vinted, Decathlon and Zalando. Plus we analyse why Chinese marketplaces are gaining market share by connecting manufacturers directly to consumers, localising operations and offering same-day delivery networks.
Are you prepared for what lies ahead?
Download the Full Report — PDFProduced by RetailX in partnership with Mirakl and 7Learnings.
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