E-commerce Live 2026: our takeaways from an inspiring day

Major changes in Google Search

The most talked-about development on the floor? The sweeping changes in Google Search. At I/O 2026 this past May, Google announced that Search is entering a fundamentally new era.

AI Overviews (the answers Google shows at the top of the search results page) are already used more than a billion times a month. But Google is going further. The search box itself is getting its biggest upgrade in 25 years: it’s now fully powered by AI, understands your question instead of just reading keywords, and offers suggestions that go beyond standard autocomplete. People can search using text, images, files, videos, and even browser tabs.

What this means for your online store:

From search results to product pages. Instead of a list of search results to choose from, consumers are increasingly getting a direct answer or recommendation. That calls for a different approach: your product pages, product descriptions, and structured data need to be good enough for Google to trust them as a source.

Short videos take center stage. Alongside regular videos in search results, short-form videos (think TikTok-style formats) are becoming increasingly visible in Google Search. A product shown in a short, authentic video could soon rank just as well as a written product description. It’s an opportunity merchants can seize today: invest in short product videos and make sure people can find them through Google.

Search agents work for consumers, 24/7. Google is introducing what it calls “information agents”: AI agents that continuously monitor the web on the user’s behalf. Imagine a shopper asking their Google agent to alert them as soon as a specific product drops below a certain price. That agent then scans the web nonstop, including your online store. So make sure your pricing and availability data is always current and properly structured.

Staying visible in the AI era: agentic commerce is the new standard

One question came up in almost every session: how do you make sure your online store gets found now that AI is taking over the path to purchase?

The answer we heard again and again: agentic commerce. Specifically, it comes down to two standards that are gaining traction, the Universal Cart Protocol (UCP) and the Agent Commerce Protocol (ACP). Together, they let AI agents (such as those from Google, ChatGPT, or other assistants) search, compare, and buy on behalf of consumers, directly through your online store.

Your customer’s AI assistant is about to become a serious player in purchasing decisions. If your online store isn’t technically ready to communicate with these agents (through structured data, fast load times, and the right protocols), there’s a good chance you won’t even show up for consumers.

That’s exactly what Cream and Hyvä tackled in Danny and Tom’s session: how do you build a technical foundation that’s ready for the future?

Our session: composable commerce in practice with Beauty Plaza

Besides attending sessions, we also gave one. Danny Verkade, CTO of Cream, and Tom Ketels, Partner Marketing Manager at Hyvä, walked the audience through the world of composable e-commerce.

Using BeautyPlaza as an example, we showed how a merchant builds a future-proof e-commerce architecture on Magento Open Source and Hyvä. This wasn’t a theoretical talk about everything composable commerce could be. It was an honest case study focused on the questions that really matter: which platform do you choose, why, and how do you stay in control of a landscape that’s constantly shifting?

The central theme was freedom of choice. Composable commerce builds your online store from separate, replaceable components rather than one large, monolithic system, so as a merchant, you’re free to choose what works best for you. You can combine the best search solution with the best checkout and the best CMS, without everything being tangled together. Want to replace one component later? You won’t have to overhaul the entire platform.

BeautyPlaza deliberately chose Magento Open Source as a stable, proven foundation, with Hyvä as its frontend. Hyvä replaces the traditional Magento frontend with a lightweight, fast layer. That choice contributed directly to faster load times, higher conversion rates, and a better day-to-day experience for the development team.

Danny and Tom’s key message: flexibility and control aren’t technical details. They’re strategic choices. The merchants who can respond fastest to new opportunities are the ones making the right architecture decisions today.

What makes TikTok Shop interesting for merchants? Its strength lies in combining entertainment with shopping. Consumers watch a video, get inspired, and buy without ever leaving the app. The barrier to purchase is extremely low, and engagement is high. Brands that know how to create authentic content (or have creators make it for them) can scale incredibly fast here.

Timing matters a lot, too. TikTok Shop is growing fast in Europe, but the market is still relatively unsaturated compared to what has long been the norm in Asia. Merchants who get in now have a head start. Success here depends less on technical integrations and more on presence: being visible on the platform, working with the right creators, and making sure your products appeal to TikTok users. TikTok Shop can generate serious revenue, provided you treat it as a serious channel.

European Accessibility Act: are you compliant?

One topic that stood out at the conference, and that may be getting overshadowed by all the AI talk, was the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which took effect on June 28, 2025.

The law requires businesses to make their digital products and services, including online stores, accessible to people with disabilities. Think of factors like sufficient contrast, keyboard navigation, text that screen readers can interpret, and well-structured pages.

The EAA applies to every business offering products or services to consumers in the EU, even if the business is based outside the EU. Small businesses (fewer than 10 employees and annual revenue under €2 million) are exempt, but the requirement still applies to most online stores.

Haven’t started on this yet? Begin with an accessibility audit of your current online store. Identify the barriers facing people with visual, motor, or cognitive impairments, then remove them step by step. Beyond meeting a legal requirement, an accessible online store lets you reach a wider audience.

What does this mean for your online store?

AI is changing how consumers search, compare, and buy. New channels like TikTok Shop are shifting attention. New legislation demands action. And the technical bar for your online store keeps rising. Speed, structure, accessibility, and agentic readiness matter more than ever.

At Cream, we help online stores and brands prepare for all of these changes. Whether you need a future-proof commerce architecture, a migration to Hyvä for more speed and flexibility, or a strategy to stay visible in the AI era, we’re happy to help you explore your options.