Hard work won't save your store in 2026

In with the new, out with the old. 

Has the new year sunk in yet? 2026 is bringing big changes, but we’ve curated only the trends that actually matter. 

• What if you only paid for results? 💸
• Hard work alone won't cut it ⚡
• Who's getting wiped out? 😬
• How to spice up your socials 🌶️

AMAZON NEWS

Amazon isn’t just growing, it’s consolidating power. By 2026, it’s expected to control 60% of all U.S. ecommerce, turning the platform into THE main battlefield for online brands. 😳

💡 5 growth moves in 2026

Next year’s winners won’t grind harder. They’ll automate earlier and scale smarter.

• Profit before scale. Before you push ads or reorder inventory, you need real-time profit visibility.
  • Do this: Use profit-tracking tools that clearly surface your highest-performing (and highest-margin) SKUs.
• Automated reviews win. Sellers who automate 100% of compliant review requests quietly outperform those who don’t.
  • Do this: Set review requests on autopilot and let consistency do the heavy lifting.
• Stock status isn’t optional. Buy Box eligibility, rankings, and ads all take a hit when inventory slips.
  • Do this: Forecast inventory with seasonality, lead times, and buffer stock baked in.
• Smarter ads, not bigger budgets. Ad performance improves when the fundamentals are right: the right product, in stock, with solid reviews.
  • Do this: Build ad strategies around profitable products you can actually fulfill, not vanity spend.
• Data-led catalog expansion. New SKUs, bundles, and variations should follow demand signals, not gut instinct.
  • Do this: Validate ideas with sales history and trend data before launching new ASINs.

🚀 You SHOULD sell smarter this year

2026 won’t reward sellers who simply “work harder.” It’ll reward those who measure everything, automate early, and act intentionally.

The tools are smarter. The competition is sharper. And the gap between prepared sellers and reactive ones is about to widen… fast.

TOGETHER WITH LEVANTA

Book a Demo with Levanta. Get a $75 Gift Card.

Not all external traffic nourishes growth. Sometimes it shows up, eats the budget, and leaves.

Many sellers invest in seemingly promising traffic, but never achieve ROI.  Marketing clicks don't always turn into sales. And without clear visibility, it’s hard to know what’s actually worth scaling.

Levanta helps modern e-commerce brands turn affiliate and creator partnerships into a measurable, performance-based revenue channel, not wasted budget.

Instead of chasing clicks and impressions, sellers pay only when partners drive sales — while managing everything in one platform.

With Levanta, sellers can:

• Partner with 50,000+ vetted creators and affiliates.
• Track clicks, sales, and ROI with clear actionable analytics.
• Double down on what works — and stop paying for what doesn’t.
• Manage creators, samples, commissions, and payouts with ease.

That’s streamlined affiliate marketing, without the manual work or messy spreadsheets.

If you’ve been looking for a purpose-built platform, learn how Levanta works in a short walkthrough. Qualified sellers who book a demo will receive a $75 Uber Eats or DoorDash gift card on the house. 

Gift card available for qualified sellers. Eligibility confirmed after booking.

Book a Demo

BITES OF THE WEEK

• Marketing Strategy Shift: Brands entering 2026 prioritize email, education, and authenticity over discounts to build durable customer loyalty.
• Ideal Selling Time to Amazon: Growing demand, a trusted marketplace, and improved tools make 2026 ideal for serious Amazon sellers.
• 2026 Advertising Guide: Power realignments, agentic tech, and outcomes-first models redefine what wins and loses in advertising.
• AI-powered Back-end: Marketers deploy AI first for automation, management, and efficiency before scaling creative execution.

ECOMMERCE NEWS

Move fast or get left behind

Ecommerce is about to hit fast-forward. 2026 is a full reset for how online retail competes, operates, and wins. 

Are you ready for the structural reckoning?

📋 Here’s what’s really shifting in 2026

And why it matters for anyone selling online.

• AI is calling the shots. It’s all AI, from finding products to marketplace recommendations. These bots even suggest alternatives in seconds. 🤖
  • The point is: Unstructured product data costs you visibility before the journey starts.
• Connected intelligence is a must. Competitiveness will depend on how quickly systems adapt in pricing, fulfillment, routing, and inventory.
  • The point is: Your default operating model should fuse smart systems + skilled humans.
• Buyer journeys are splitting. Two paths are emerging for shoppers:
  • Contract buyers with negotiated pricing and automated approvals
  • AI-discovered buyers entering via marketplaces and search tools
  • The point is: Segment and measure both journeys to stay ahead.
• Fulfillment now drives demand. Marketplace algorithms are factoring delivery reliability, refund rates, and backorder frequency into rankings. 🚚
  • The point is: Meet customer fulfillment expectations, or get overtaken by faster competitors.

⏱️ Speed is the new KPI

Brands investing in clean data, modular systems, AI-ready infrastructure, and operational speed will pull away quickly. 

Waiting for “stability”? You might not catch up.

SOCIAL PULSE

7 trends to spice up your socials

2026 is here, and small businesses can ride these TikTok waves to engage audiences, grow reach, and boost brand awareness. Don’t just follow trends, make them work for your brand.

🎆 New year, new trends

Here are the top ways to jump in:

• Turn the lights off. Users celebrate small wins with a dancing clip from Your Friends & Neighbors. 💡
  • How brands can use it: Highlight products or announce promotions in a playful, relatable way.
• 2025 Accomplishment cake. Flags replace candles to mark personal or business milestones. 🎉
  • How brands can use it: Share your brand achievements to show progress and touch your audience’s hearts.
• 2025 Flop cake. Flags highlight failures or setbacks humorously.
  • How brands can use it: Stay relatable by sharing lessons learned and growing pains, it humanizes your brand.
• The 2025 season comes to an end. End-of-year reflections are classic and effective. 💡
  • How brands can use it: Clip together your highlights with a reflective soundtrack for maximum engagement.
• Mum said pack the essentials. Random objects stuffed in suitcases for comedic effect.
  • How brands can use it: Cram in products to showcase offerings in a funny, shareable way.
• I'm not cute anymore. Miniature person effect for silly, engaging videos.
  • How brands can use it: Show your human side, get your team in on the fun and keep it quirky.

🎯 Trends come and go

Yes, but creative adaptation keeps your content fresh. Use these six as inspiration to craft posts that entertain, humanize, and engage your audience from day one in 2026.