Karolina Skwira 
Agentic checkout, where software agents pay on a shopper’s behalf, likely faces its first mainstream consumer test in the 2026 holiday season. Three signals from the last month suggest the win goes to infrastructure, not consumer volume, with agent purchases staying in the low single digits.
A wave of European payments M&A concentrated in May 2026 points to more take-privates and PSP roll-ups before year-end. Here are the three signals and the political risk that could stall them.
E-commerce deep dive: TikTok Shop in 2026: what works for brands and creators.
E-commerce deep dive: Tools and vendors for d2c & mobile commerce in 2026.
E-commerce deep dive: How to choose your first international market as a small seller.
E-commerce deep dive: How Mercado Libre fulfillment compares to Amazon FBA.
E-commerce deep dive: How Shopee free shipping really works for sellers.
E-commerce deep dive: eBay store subscriptions explained: when they pay off.
Platforms deep dive: BigCommerce multi-storefront for mid-market retailers.
Pillar: How retail payments are changing across cards, BNPL and crypto.