The path from discovering a product to actually buying it is becoming harder to predict.
People might see something on TikTok, hear about it from a creator, search for it on Google, discover it through a marketplace or increasingly ask an AI tool what they should buy. For brands, the challenge is no longer just getting someone to their website. It is making sure they are visible, relevant and worth choosing wherever that decision is being made.
That was one of the big themes at Visualsoft’s Sync 2026, which brought together ecommerce brands and technology businesses for a day of discussion around growth, customer behaviour and the changing ways people shop.
AI was inevitably part of the conversation, particularly around the purchase journey. But what came through across the day was that technology is only one part of the picture.
Shopify’s Ben Homer opened up the question of what happens when AI moves from helping people find products to helping them actually buy them.
The traditional journey of searching for a product, visiting different websites, comparing options and eventually checking out could look very different as AI agents become more capable of making recommendations, building baskets and completing transactions.
That creates a new challenge for merchants. Being discoverable is one thing, but brands also need to make sure the information behind their products is accurate and useful. Pricing, availability, product details and trusted brand information all become more important when AI is potentially making decisions on behalf of a customer.
It is a significant shift, but it also brings the conversation back to some fairly basic ecommerce principles: know your product, give people the information they need and make the buying experience as straightforward as possible.
The story of REFY offered a very different perspective on growth.
Jenna Meek, CEO and co-founder of the beauty brand, talked through how REFY has developed since she launched it with Jess Hunt in 2020. Brow Sculpt helped put the brand on the map, but the bigger challenge has been turning that initial success into a business that can continue to grow.
REFY now operates across the UK, US, Canada, Ireland and the Middle East, with Meek highlighting the importance of understanding its customers and building a community around the brand as it has expanded.
It was a useful reminder that successful ecommerce brands are not built purely through better technology or more sophisticated marketing. Product, community and a clear understanding of what people actually want still count for a lot.
That idea of growth taking different forms came through elsewhere too.
Swedish footwear brand Myrqvist shared how it moved from seven separate websites to one storefront as it expanded internationally, cutting operational work by 92%. The change was less about creating something flashy and more about removing unnecessary complexity as the business grew.
For Mooncup, growth came from somewhere it hadn’t necessarily expected. Demand from businesses, universities and councils opened up a significant B2B opportunity for a brand better known for its consumer products.
Paradox London, meanwhile, explored a different problem: how do you build loyalty when customers don’t always buy directly from you? With its products also sold through retailers including John Lewis and Debenhams, the brand has had to think about how it keeps customers connected wherever the purchase takes place.
Those examples perhaps said more about the current state of ecommerce than any single prediction about the future.
Customers have more choice, more places to shop and more ways to discover products. Brands therefore have to think beyond their own website and consider the whole experience around the purchase.
That was particularly clear in the sessions around social and content. JD Sports’ Eilish Anderson discussed the role of creators, social and YouTube in keeping the brand culturally relevant, while TikTok, Debenhams and ChannelEngine looked at the growing overlap between marketplaces, social commerce and product discovery.
The common thread was not simply being present on more channels. It was understanding what each channel is actually doing for the customer and giving people a reason to engage with the brand there.
Customer retention was another important part of the conversation. Calla Shoes shared how it uses email, SMS and behavioural data to make its communications more relevant, while All Real Nutrition discussed how understanding its customers has influenced its approach to personalisation, advertising and growth.
Even television was brought into the mix, with ITV and The TV Agency making the case for streaming TV as a more measurable performance channel.
Taken together, the sessions painted a picture of an ecommerce industry that is becoming more fragmented, but also giving brands more opportunities to reach customers.
There is no single route from awareness to purchase anymore. The brands that stand out are having to understand where their customers are, what they want from each interaction and how to keep the relationship going after the first sale.
That was perhaps the most useful takeaway from Sync 2026. New technology will continue to change how people shop, but the brands with something worth buying, a clear understanding of their customers and a good reason to come back still have the strongest foundations for growth.
