Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2026. Read them in this 18th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
By Ashley Hillman, Vice President, UPS Capital
The logistics ecosystem is no longer optimal as a collection of specialized, disconnected tools. The reality for modern eCommerce is that fragmentation – the costly, complex practice of stitching together separate apps for fraud, insurance, visibility, and delivery – has reached its operational limit.
For 2026, the industry is entering an era where unity will be the decisive competitive advantage.
The ability to unify data and automate decisions will be key to addressing the critical opportunities ahead: from proactively mitigating the financial and reputational risks associated with peak season challenges, to delivering the secure, transparent, and AI-driven personalized shipping choices consumers now demand. The future of eCommerce success belongs to integrated, intelligent platforms that transform logistics from a siloed cost center into a powerful, automated engine for customer trust and growth.
Unified Commerce: Businesses Are Moving to Supply Chain Orchestration Platforms
Orchestration platforms will be the next wave of supply chain innovation, causing tools that only solve for one pain point, like just chargeback management or theft protection, to become obsolete.
Businesses are tired of stitching together siloed fraud, insurance, visibility, and delivery apps. This fatigue is driving a demand for orchestration platforms that unify these signals and automate decisions across the commerce journey. Instead of building point-to-point connections, which can be brittle and costly, businesses will move toward connected platforms that can be leveraged across functions, i.e., one integration that delivers multiple benefits across risk, logistics, and customer experience.
This wave will also cause risk orchestration to emerge as a new category, with the winners being connected platforms that can interpret signals – from identity and payments to shipping and claims – and turn them into connected, automated actions that reduce loss before it happens. Allowing insurance to move away from being a financial backstop to a dynamic orchestration layer that can prevent risk upstream and guarantee safe transactions vs. just paying out after loss.
AI-Driven Personalization: Essential for Meeting Evolving Consumer Shipment Expectations
Consumers are no longer just looking for “fast vs. cheap” delivery options, instead they’re seeking customized, risk-aware delivery choices that are secure, sustainable, insured, and transparent.
In fact, 64% of surveyed consumers now say shipping protection is important to them when making an online purchase, and transparency is becoming increasingly important with 72% wanting protection fees to be clearly explained and optional.
As consumers’ shipment expectations evolve, trust is becoming just as important as speed. With retailers looking to build trust and provide the shipping experiences today’s consumers are seeking, AI personalization that presents tailored delivery and protection choices in real time will be essential.
Over the next year, we can expect a steady rise in this AI-driven personalized approach as it’ll allow retailers to balance consumer preferences while fueling business growth.
Reducing Peak Season Pressure with Real-Time Tracking Tools
The holiday shopping season is a time of immense opportunity, but the battle for sales comes with significant risks that challenge merchants’ readiness.
Loss, damage, or theft is the top concern for surveyed merchants this peak season (69%), followed closely by rising shipping costs (67%) and missed delivery windows (63%). These fears are justified, given that 37% of surveyed consumers have experienced a lost, stolen, or damaged package during past holiday seasons.
To prepare for this high-stakes environment, merchants must address this rising anxiety by being proactive in communication to provide transparent and real-time tracking updates. This is why 100% of surveyed merchants are using or evaluating AI-powered, real-time tracking tools for shipments.
If you’re not investing in real-time tracking technology, you risk being left behind, as this visibility not only helps manage customer expectations but also reduces the number of customer service inquiries during the busiest time of the year.
