E-commerce Merchandising Tools Market Size 2026 : Why is intent (IDM) becoming the new performance standard

The figures in the report “E-commerce Merchandising Tools Market Size 2026 | Demand & Growth” are clear: global investment in e-commerce merchandising solutions is growing fast. This massive increase in budgets responds to a critical need for automation and personalization in the face of ever-increasing competition.

However, this investment raises a question of performance: how can retailers guarantee the ROI of these new specialized tools? While demand for this software is skyrocketing, the difference will be made by the technological ability to convert each visit into a purchase. Expertise is now shifting towards a major breakthrough: abandoning merchandising approaches based exclusively on manual rules in favor of Intent-Driven Merchandising (IDM), a strategy capable of immediately translating this increase in investment into real revenue.

1. From display to predictive: The end of a technological era

To understand what is at stake in 2026, we need to look back at how far we have come. E-merchandising has evolved from a static manual process to one driven by intent. As highlighted in this reference guide to e-merchandising, this discipline is now the art of interpreting “Digital Body Language” to anticipate desire in real time.

2. Personalized Ranking: Mastering the Digital “Eye Level”

Online, “Eye Level” is played on the waterline (Above the Fold). An analysis of personalized product rankings reveals that 75% of activity is concentrated on the first page.

The challenge for 2026 is to reconcile three often conflicting pillars:

• Mastering the fundamentals of commerce: Ensuring exposure for the most popular products while guaranteeing actual availability by variant (sizes, colors, options).
• The business interest: Managing exposure based on margins, destocking, or Retail media.
• Individual intent: Identify weak signals during the session to adjust the order of products. Here, technology goes beyond static ergonomics: while the design complies with reading codes (Z-pattern), AI ensures that the products most likely to convert immediately occupy the areas that capture attention.

This is where Sensefuel's e-merchandising platform acts as a conductor, automating this complex arbitration to free up business teams.

3. Search-to-Sales: Median performance by sector

According to predictions in the 2026 market report, the search bar remains the most strategic point of contact. The impact of AI-optimized e-commerce search can now be measured using median indicators observed by sector:

• Homeware & Furniture: Spectacular gain with a +176% conversion rate from search. Search contributes 48% of revenue.
• DIY & Garden: Conversion rate up +92% and search engine usage up +32%, proving its effectiveness on complex technical catalogs.
• Consumer Electronics & Speciality Goods: A search vs. browsing conversion ratio of 4.06, demonstrating that users who search convert four times more than those who browse.
• Consumer goods (FMCG): Search generates 52% of total revenue with a conversion gain of +73%.
• Fashion & Beauty: +49% increase in conversion via search, representing 25% of total revenue.

To amplify these results, conversational AI transforms the list of results into a guided assistance dialogue, humanizing product discovery.

4. Recommendation 2026: Beyond “You may also like”

Market growth through 2026 will be driven by the ability to retain customers without friction. Predictive recommendations aim to achieve three strategic objectives:

• Avoiding “Dead End”: Offer immediate alternatives if the product is unavailable to keep the user in the sales funnel.
• Next Product to Buy : Anticipate the need for accessories or restocking through contextual recommendations.
• Margin optimization: Focus on Upselling to more profitable but still relevant products.

Conclusion: The Era of Intent-Driven Merchandising (IDM)

The report “E-commerce Merchandising Tools Market Size 2026” confirms a profound change. Adopting Intent-Driven Merchandising (IDM) means investing in intelligence capable of understanding the human behind the click. It is this alliance between deep learning and commercial instinct that will define tomorrow's leaders in every sector of activity.