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The 2026 Agenda arrives at a key moment for e-commerce in Latin America, and in this scenario it becomes evident that strategic coordination is gaining greater relevance. If 2025 will not be remembered for major inventions, it will indeed remain as the year in which the region consolidated its global leadership in growth and, above all, in strategic implementation. While major players expanded the total market, an evident truth emerged where 60% of online sales are still up for grabs, and capturing them will depend on retailers’ ability to quickly adopt the tools that redefine experience and profitability, further considering that competition is evolving at an unprecedented pace.
Success in 2026 will be built on the disciplined execution of five strategic engines that have already demonstrated their impact, reinforcing the need to move forward with operational clarity and a unified vision.
The first lever is artificial intelligence, which ceased to be a promise to become a tool of tangible ROI, as its current maturity allows for more precise and cross-functional application across all stages of the business. The conversation no longer revolves around mere conversion, but around Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV). AI optimizes logistics, reduces operational costs, and enables levels of personalization that consumers take for granted, in an environment where digital expectations are constantly increasing. But its true value lies in translating brand identity into relevant experiences, generating intimacy at scale, a differentiator that defines the winner in a saturated market, especially as brands seek sustainable loyalty.
This emphasis on authenticity and direct connection with the user drove the validation of conversational and social commerce (c-commerce) as the second lever, demonstrating that immediate interaction completely transforms the shopping journey. The social feed has definitively become a new point of sale (POS). With the rise of Live Shopping and native interaction systems, the traditional funnel has been reconfigured, and conversation is the sale, which demonstrates that immediacy becomes a decisive factor. Incremental revenues reported in multiple markets confirmed its potential. By 2026, no social strategy will be sufficient unless it is connected to inventory, pricing, and real-time checkout, because coordination between these elements becomes an essential requirement.
In this context, data monetization became the third lever through Retail Media Networks (RMNs), which also strengthen retailers’ ability to compete with greater commercial precision. With the progressive disappearance of cookies, first-party data became retailers’ most valuable asset. RMNs not only represent new revenue, but also finance price wars and alleviate rising logistics costs, generating a multiplying effect on financial efficiency. For traditional retail, monetizing its audience is no longer optional, but the path to sustaining future profitability, especially in an increasingly pressured market.
The fourth lever arises from the heart of conversion: checkout, which continues to be the most critical moment to prevent drop-offs in the purchasing process. The reality of 2025 made it clear that there is no unified payment strategy for Latin America; fragmentation is the norm and the key to inclusion. BNPL is an acquisition driver in Mexico; digital wallets dominate in Argentina; instant transfers are critical in Colombia. The ability to integrate these local, fast, and heterogeneous methods will define the final conversion rate and open the door to previously inaccessible segments, reinforcing the need for adaptable and scalable solutions.
Finally, the fifth lever reaffirms a bimodal vision of logistics, requiring a balance between technological efficiency and operational proximity. Digital giants lead the “War of Efficiency,” leveraging AI and scale. Traditional retailers, on the other hand, must win the “War of Experience.” Strategic omnichannel, converting physical stores into logistics hubs, pickup points, and return nodes, is today the greatest competitive advantage against purely digital players, showing that physical–digital integration becomes indispensable.
Looking toward 2026, the challenge is clear: technological flexibility will be the foundation upon which leadership will be built, and everything indicates that those who prioritize continuous adaptation will maintain an advantage. The retailer capable of orchestrating CLTV-driven AI, profitable RMNs, inventory prepared for C-Commerce, and hyperlocal payments, all supported by robust omnichannel logistics, will be the one to capture the growth of the next era of digital commerce, thus confirming the importance of comprehensive and timely decision-making.