2026’s Global online trends report sets out a clear view of where the online grocery market is heading.

As a forward-looking report, the focus is on where the channel is heading, rather than how last year’s trends have played out. That leaves an important gap. Last year’s trends haven’t disappeared, but they are not manifesting themselves in the same way.

Understanding how last year’s trends have evolved is key to understanding where the channel goes next.

In 2025, the story was about building capability. Quick commerce, fulfilment, retail media and added services were all framed as distinct areas of opportunity.

In 2026, those same themes remain present, but they have evolved. Rather than operating as standalone trends, they have been absorbed into a more complex system.

Future success will come from integrating touchpoints

One of the clearest changes in online grocery is the level of complexity.

The number of touchpoints has increased, operating models continue to fragment, and the shopper journey is no longer defined by a single path to purchase. Retailer websites, marketplaces, quick commerce, social platforms and emerging AI-driven journeys are increasingly having to coexist.

As a result, treating capabilities in isolation becomes less useful. The commercial challenge is no longer deciding which lever matters most. It is understanding how they work together to drive demand, conversion and fulfilment.

The impact of this shift is most visible in how last year’s trends have evolved

Quick commerce: from reshaping expectations to setting the standard

Quick commerce was a defining theme in 2025. It was positioned as a high-growth sub-channel, reshaping expectations around speed and convenience. That remains true, but its role has shifted. Quick commerce no longer sits apart from the wider online grocery ecosystem. Instead, it has become the standard.

What was once a differentiator is now part of the baseline. The conversation has moved on from quick commerce as a channel to real-time retail as a broader expectation. The implication is less about expanding rapid delivery in isolation and more about embedding speed and responsiveness across every mission.

Fulfilment: from scaling capacity to profitable growth

In 2025, the focus was on scaling capacity and expanding networks to support rapid channel growth. In 2026, growth continues, but it is unfolding alongside margin pressure and rising operating costs. As a result, fulfilment is now being reassessed through the lens of efficiency.

This is driving a move towards store-first models, where retailers use existing assets more effectively rather than relying purely on large-scale, centralised infrastructure. It reflects a broader evolution in retail technology and innovation, where the priority is sustaining profitable growth rather than enabling scale alone.

Retail media: from growth driver to integrated system

Retail media has followed a different path. It remains a critical growth driver, but has become less visible as a standalone theme. In practice, it has been embedded into a wider system that connects content, search, personalisation, and data to enable more effective omnichannel activation. Its influence is still significant, particularly in shaping shopper behaviour, but it now sits within a more integrated approach to driving demand.

AI: from emerging capability to commercial reality

The same is true of AI and added services. What appeared in 2025 as emerging capability areas are now converging into something more structural. Advances in AI are beginning to reshape how products are discovered, selected and purchased.

The development of agentic AI introduces the possibility that more decisions will be made by algorithms than by shoppers, shifting influence away from the traditional digital shelf.

This has important implications for how retailers and suppliers think about visibility, control and differentiation. It also highlights how quickly the competitive landscape is changing, as new routes to purchase emerge beyond traditional retail environments.

Coordination is now the challenge

Despite the market becoming more fragmented, expectations are becoming more consistent. Shoppers expect speed, availability, relevance and ease, regardless of how they engage with the channel.

Meeting those expectations requires coordination that goes beyond individual initiatives.

The challenge has, therefore, moved on. It is no longer about identifying the right trends to invest in, but ensuring that investments across media, content, fulfilment and data work as part of a connected system.

Last year’s trends have not disappeared. They have matured into something more complex and, ultimately, more demanding.

The question now is not what replaces them, but how effectively they are brought together.

 

Looking ahead

IGD’s Global online trends 2026 report, released on 28 May, explores this shift in more detail, outlining where the future of grocery retail is heading and what retailers and suppliers need to prioritise next.

Where do you go next? Maximising the digital commerce opportunity

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