The State of eCommerce Search: The SEO insights retail marketers need to know for 2026.

The search landscape for eCommerce retailers has changed dramatically in recent years; from the evolution of Google’s SERPs and the rise of new SERP features, to the shifting ways consumers discover and buy products.

In this data-packed session, James revealed insights from Digitaloft's upcoming State of eCommerce Search Report.

He shared:

- The areas eCommerce marketers should focus on most as they plan for 2026
- eCommerce growth benchmarks by category, from the last year
- An analysis of the most prominent SERP features appearing for product and category searches
- Exclusive data on how consumers are actually searching for products and retailers today

This opening keynote at The eCommerce SEO Summit 2026 gave retail marketers the clarity they need to prioritise the right strategies and tactics to win visibility in 2026’s evolving eCommerce search landscape.

Transcript

1. The State of eCommerce Search: The SEO insights retail marketers need to know for 2026. James Brockbank, Digitaloft.
2. Hi, I’m James. Managing Director & Founder, Digitaloft. ➔ 16 years doing SEO, 12 years running an agency. ➔ Currently deep in research & innovation in this new era of search. ➔ You might have seen me speaking at events like Brighton SEO and SMX. Working with brands like:
4. Search is changing…
5. Search is changing…
6. Search is changing…
7. Search is changing…
8. Search is changing…
9. Search is changing…
10. Change isn’t going to slow down…
11. Google has the infrastructure & the audience to win the AI search race. Jason Barnard SEO in the age of AI: Becoming the trusted answer
12. It’s still early, but change is coming whether we like it or not…
13. It’s still early, but change is coming whether we like it or not…
14. Could the future of Google search be modular?
15. The SEO insights every retailer needs to know for 2026… 2,000 British consumers surveyed. 2,000 eCommerce retailers analysed. 2,000 eCommerce SERPs analysed.
16. Over half of consumers still start their search for products on a search engine. Source: Survey of 2,000 British consumers by Digitaloft, Nov ‘25
17. The average eCommerce retailer saw organic traffic grow by 16% in the last year…
18. The average eCommerce retailer saw organic traffic grow by 16% in the last year… 54% brands saw traffic increase. 46% brands saw traffic decrease.
19. The average eCommerce retailer saw organic traffic grow by 16% in the last year… 54% brands saw traffic increase. 46% brands saw traffic decrease. 30% of brands grew by more than the average.
20. Percentage changes only tell half the story… 29% of brands (582) grew YoY by more than 10k monthly sessions. 19% of brands (379) lost more than 10k monthly sessions YoY. 21% of brands (427) saw traffic change by less than 2k monthly sessions either way.
21. These sectors saw the most growth… Health & Wellness. +24% Gifting & Occasions. +21% Toys & Games. +20% Pets. +20% Sports & Fitness. +19%
22. There are more surfaces than ever before influencing purchase decisions… Merchant listings.
23. Merchant listings are reducing your collection-page clicks… ➔ Merchant listings often show above all organic results, reducing the CTR of collection pages that rank. ➔ It’s easy to assume AIO is reducing clicks to collection pages; usually it's merchant listings. ➔ You can’t afford not to be visible here; the SERP is changing (go look at the US SERPs for proof). Merchant listing grids show on 87% of category-level SERPs.
24. There are more surfaces than ever before influencing purchase decisions… 30 product grid spots on a single SERP.
25. There are more surfaces than ever before influencing purchase decisions… Third-party content.
26. SEO is no longer just about ranking your own site on the SERPs… 4 of Google’s top 10 for ‘best coffee machines’ are editorial roundups.
27. SEO is no longer just about ranking your own site on the SERPs… 5 of Google’s top 10 for ‘best bean to cup coffee machines’ are editorial roundups.
28. SEO is no longer just about ranking your own site on the SERPs… 3 of those roundups are being used to power the AI Overview.
29. There are more surfaces than ever before influencing purchase decisions… AI overviews.
30. There are more surfaces than ever before influencing purchase decisions… AI assistants (e.g. ChatGPT).
31. Google’s better than ever at determining what is and isn’t helpful content.
32. Dropped to position 11. Updated content published. Return to position 1. Historically ranked #1. A return to #1 rankings by removing ~1,300 words of content. Our client saw the ranking of a priority keyword drop from a long-standing #1 ranking to as low as position #11 in Google’s June 2025 Core Update. We completely overhauled the page’s content; cutting over 2,000 words down to ~700. Within days of publishing the updated page, the #1 ranking returned and has held strong since.
33. SEO’s not dead, it’s just changing… ➔ LLMs use search engines when grounding; query fan-out means you need to be visible across these searches to be recommended.
34. SEO’s not dead, it’s just changing… ➔ LLMs use search engines when grounding; query fan-out means you need to be visible across these searches to be recommended. ➔ It’s not just AI that’s taking away clicks; SERP features are pushing down traditional listings affecting CTR.
35. SEO’s not dead, it’s just changing… ➔ LLMs use search engines when grounding; query fan-out means you need to be visible across these searches to be recommended. ➔ It’s not just AI that’s taking away clicks; SERP features are pushing down traditional listings affecting CTR. ➔ SEO is no longer just about ranking your own site; you need to be visible on as many of the results as possible*.
36. SEO’s not dead, it’s just changing… ➔ LLMs use search engines when grounding; query fan-out means you need to be visible across these searches to be recommended. ➔ It’s not just AI that’s taking away clicks; SERP features are pushing down traditional listings affecting CTR. ➔ SEO is no longer just about ranking your own site; you need to be visible on as many of the results as possible*. ➔ AI Overviews are influencing purchase decisions at the top of the funnel. Your traffic for these terms isn’t coming back.
37. How do consumers really feel about the future of online retail?
38. 3 in 5 consumers have used an AI assistant to find products…
39. Only 14% of shoppers are frequently using AI assistants right now…
40. Over half of shoppers plan to use AI assistants in the next year.
41. Here’s what shoppers trust AI for…
42. Shoppers are still cautious about the recommendations AI makes.
43. More consumers are happy for AI to access their buying history than not.
44. Just 1 in 10 trust agentic checkouts.
45. Where should you focus your SEO efforts as an eCommerce retailer in 2026?
46. Google’s shopping graph matters. AI Mode Merchant listings
47. Help Google to understand your products. Make sure you’re giving consistent signals & information across the three core data sources used. Provide comprehensive information using as many relevant properties as possible. Pay attention to how you mark up product variants; use ProductGroup. Double down on product page optimisation. Giving Google’s shopping graph your product information. ➔ Product page structured data. ➔ Product feed into Merchant Centre / Manufacturer Centre. ➔ Product page content & on-page elements. – ➔ Aim for ‘Top Quality Store’ badge.
49. ChatGPT product feeds…
50. Improve your collection pages & close gaps. Improve collection pages so that they’re: ➔ The most relevant to the query. ➔ The most helpful to users. Remove filler / fluff content and focus on content that sells your brand and your product range, not generic category descriptions. If AI could write your page content or it could be placed straight on a competitor site, it’s not good enough. SERP intelligence. User research. Engagement data. Unique data. Expert insights.
51. Create your own editorial “best {product}” roundups. If you’ve got a wide enough product range in a category, include your own “best {product}” roundups as part of your informational / editorial content strategy. These rank and get cited in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Move fast, very few brands are doing this right now.
52. Don’t sleep on digital PR; it’s going to be your competitive advantage. ➔ Product PR. ➔ Expert insights PR. ➔ Data-driven campaigns. Get featured on publisher’s product roundups that rank & influence AI, become that trusted voice and earn relevant links that tie you to key product categories. In this new era of search, PR needs clarity before creativity…
53. Identify the moments that matter. In-market demand moments. Problem to Solution moments. Brand choice moments. Searches where someone is actively looking to buy a coffee machine. Searches where someone has a need or problem, but hasn’t chosen the exact type of machine or brand. Searches where someone is close to buying and is deciding between brands or seeking reassurance.
54. Thank you ! Follow me on social: @BrockbankJames /in/james-brockbank Get in touch: james@digitaloft.co.uk