Is 2026 the year customer support becomes fully real-time across every channel you sell on? Yes, and according to eDesk’s CEO Gareth Cummings it’s already happening, fueled by live selling, Gen Z expectations, and the “answer me now” vibe spreading everywhere.
We sat down with Gareth to get the lowdown on what’s shifting and how support teams can keep up. We’ll get into his (sometimes surprising) predictions for online sellers, including what’s changing, what’s squeezing margins, and where AI fits into the day-to-day.
So Gareth, what are your top predictions for online sellers heading into 2026?
A couple of things spring to mind. First, eCommerce is going to become more and more real-time. What I mean by real-time is that it’s not just about a single channel or a tactic. You have to be engaging with your customers across all the different channels and places where they engage with you. It’s about being present and responsive wherever customers are interacting with you, not relying on one channel.
Where should sellers be showing up to engage customers right now?
Right across the different channels and places customers engage, so social channels, chat, your website, and live streams. You have to be everywhere all at once!
What are you seeing with TikTok and live selling?
The growth of TikTok Live has been one of the most striking shifts this year.
Live selling creates urgency, interaction, and conversion, but it also demands real-time customer engagement. Buyers expect answers in the moment. If they do not get them, they move on.
This is not a trend confined to TikTok. The expectation it sets is bleeding into every other channel. Faster responses are becoming the baseline everywhere.
How are Gen Z expectations changing customer engagement?
Gen Z buyers expect to engage across any channel and get answers quickly, regardless of time of day. They move fluidly between social, chat, live streams, and marketplaces. From their perspective, it is all one experience. Sellers who treat these as separate worlds create friction and lose sales. Speed, availability, and consistency matter more than ever.
So, beyond real-time engagement, what’s the next big challenge sellers are facing?
The second thing is margins are getting tighter. This is being driven by tariffs, rising fees on marketplace platforms. It’s becoming harder and harder.
How do sellers protect their margins?
It’s so important to drive repeat business with your existing customers. Repeat business is becoming the smartest business lever because customer acquisition’s becoming harder and more costly, so you want to look after the customers you already have, and drive repeat business with those VIPs. You need to take extra special care of your customer lifetime value (LTV).
Are there any other ways sellers can address margin squeeze?
Absolutely. I can’t stress this enough: Use AI to automate where you can. One of the biggest impacts of AI on your margins is using it to automate repetitive parts of the business, things that cost money and time. In 2026 and beyond we’ll see AI really underpinning the architecture of the business. The most successful businesses in the future will be those who understand that AI shouldn’t just be a feature. But get started by making it simple: Focus on automating the repetitive tasks, the things you do again and again that take time and effort.
What do sellers gain when they automate those workflows?
You can take that time and effort and put it into growth channels. And if your margins are getting squeezed elsewhere, AI can help improve margin and strengthen the business.
Last of all, if you had to summarise your advice for 2026, what would it be?
Participate in real-time eCommerce, like going live on TikTok, and stay engaged across all the places your customers interact with you. Also, protect your margin by driving repeat business with existing customers. That looks like treating them fairly, responding quickly, engaging with them. And make sure AI is underpinning your business. Automate repetitive tasks so you can redistribute time, effort, and money into growth.
Navigating the shift toward real-time eCommerce and tighter margins requires a proactive approach. By leveraging AI and focusing on customer retention, sellers can turn these challenges into opportunities for growth.
Thanks for your time, Gareth. Anything else you’d like to add?
Yes, here’s to a successful growth-filled year ahead for everyone in the eCommerce space.
Wishing you a stellar 2026
So there you have it. 2026 probably won’t be calmer. Customers will keep expecting faster answers, more channels, and more “I want it now” energy, especially as live selling keeps spreading into everything else. But you don’t need to switch up everything on day one. Start by focusing on the easy wins, and take it from there.
Want to protect your margins and boost sales in 2026? Connect with Gareth on LinkedIn (where he shares some great tips for eCommerce sellers) or Book a Free Demo to see how eDesk helps teams handle real-time eCommerce support across channels to save time and money.
