CLICKS TO CASH
2026 PRODUCT BUSINESS TRENDS
How product teams sell, run, and get paid
With exclusive 2025 data and top predictions for 2026
+520%
AI referral traffic as assistants take over product discovery
53%
single-item orders in 2025 set the stage for quick buys within chats
28%
businesses source from 2+ regions, for broader, closer supply
Is your business ready for 2026?
The path from click to cash is changing fast, and the way businesses run, sell, and get paid will look very different next year. Get ready for agentic buying, instant money rails, and the smart operational changes you need to protect your margins in this new, velocity-driven economy.
Clicks: selling your products
Shoppers finish purchases inside chat and search, so clean product data and live stock determine who shows up.
- Chat checkout grows in 2026, boosting one-item buys.
- Search panels favor current product data and clear delivery dates.
- Price-watch turns promos into short, fast-converting windows.
Ops: running your business
Drones handle light delivery while 2D barcodes make every unit identifiable, putting inventory on a machine-readable rhythm.
- More U.S. metros add sub-30-minute drone drops.
- 2D codes roll out through 2026 ahead of 2027 POS.
- Faster counts drive nightly, data-true reorders.
Cash: getting your profit
Money moves faster and checkout costs change, affecting how quickly cash lands and what each order costs.
- Phone-as-POS and instant rails bring same-day funds.
- If approved, new card rules enable category acceptance.
- Tap-to-pay coverage grows, making hardware-free checkout standard.
Get the report
Get ahead for 2026: see what changes and how to prepare your team.
2026 is going to be busy.
Give your systems a head start.
Katana is built for simple, flexible inventory management that keeps up when everything around it moves.
