Ecommerce Trends

Average traffic per store fell 29.1% month over month in October, to 119,846 visits. Organic search also declined, down 26.2% from September and 31.9% year over year. Instagram and TikTok traffic moved up instead. For agencies, the size of those changes makes this a good time to examine channel and landing-page data before recommending account changes.

The US Census Bureau reported that retail ecommerce sales were 12.2% higher year over year in Q2 2026 and represented 17.1% of total US retail sales (quarterly ecommerce report). That national growth provides a wider backdrop to October’s lower average store traffic; use the client’s account history to decide what the difference means for its acquisition plan.

This report covers 90,429 stores. Market-wide figures and per-store averages measure different things. The sections below cover traffic, SEO, paid media, social referrals, referring domains, and two broader market developments, then turn those findings into practical agency steps.

Use these trends to prepare client reviews and identify account questions. The reports hub links to category-specific views that can help you frame a more relevant discussion. Bring one channel or page question to each review, and leave with a named account-team next step.

Traffic trends

October traffic movement

Average traffic per store fell 29.1% month over month and 22.9% year over year in October, to 119,846 visits. The October figure is lower than September’s 169,132 and October 2025’s 155,364. Both comparisons point down, so a client review should consider the recent monthly movement and the year-over-year pattern rather than rely on just one. A monthly check can identify the latest account questions, while the same-month comparison helps place a short movement in a longer view.

The latest Contentsquare retail benchmark found that traffic to retail sites fell 2.6% in 2025 (retail digital experience benchmark). That wider retail result gives agencies context for October’s decline. Use the contrast to examine acquisition sources and what visitors do after they arrive.

Investigate the traffic shift

Start with the client’s analytics. Compare the same date ranges, then break traffic down by channel, campaign, landing page, device, and new versus returning visitors where those dimensions are available. Look for pages or channels whose movement differs from the overall result. A decline across several sources calls for a different investigation than a decline limited to one campaign or a group of landing pages. Check the destinations behind the movement, too. Confirm that important campaign links work, priority pages still load, and product and category pages match the campaign promise. Test the path from landing page to product details and checkout on mobile.

For an agency, the takeaway is to make the traffic review specific: show the client the period, source, and pages behind the change. Leave the meeting with a short list of questions to check in the account, rather than a broad recommendation to “get more traffic.” For category-specific questions, compare fashion ecommerce trends, automotive ecommerce trends, and CPG ecommerce trends. Use the closest category to frame the discussion, then check the client’s source and page data before proposing work.

SEO performance

Organic search performance

Average Google organic traffic fell 26.2% month over month and 31.9% year over year in October, to 73,759 visits per store. The year-over-year comparison is the larger warning for agencies planning organic-search reviews. Check whether the movement concentrates in particular query types or pages before recommending a broad change to an SEO program. Compare the month and year view so a short-term shift does not obscure the longer comparison.

Reboot Online’s analysis of 25,044 ecommerce sites found that 70.5% had a Google Lighthouse performance score rated “needs improvement” (ecommerce SEO statistics). That technical finding gives agencies a concrete page-level check alongside October’s decline in organic visits. Review performance on priority landing pages and devices.

Separate visibility from clicks

In a client account, compare Search Console impressions, clicks, and average position for the same periods. Segment branded and non-branded queries, then inspect the pages with the biggest changes. Review titles, product information, indexability, internal links, and page usefulness for the query. For a search-results review, record whether a query shows an AI Overview and whether the client’s pages or brand appear in it. The review should distinguish a change in visibility from a change in clicks rather than combine the two into one result.

Turn findings into a small, prioritized worklist. Choose a batch of affected pages, agree on the work, and select the measures to revisit. The client should leave with a clear account of where organic visits changed and what the agency will inspect next. For other category comparisons, see beauty ecommerce trends and jewelry ecommerce trends, then validate any opportunity against the client’s query and landing-page data.

Paid media trends

Google Ads traffic and spend

October’s average paid Google traffic was 2,823 visits per store across 7,165 stores. Average Google Ads spend was 1,957 per store across 6,663 stores. Use the client’s own campaign reporting to judge performance and decide which comparison to build next.

Estimated Meta traffic averaged 4,081 visits per store across 26,626 stores. Estimated Meta spend averaged 3,213 per store across 26,626 stores. Treat each platform’s estimate as its own account-review prompt, and check the client’s campaign reporting before making a recommendation.

Review campaign performance

Meta’s Q3 2026 results reported that the average price per ad increased 14% year over year (Meta results filed with the SEC). Use the platform-level change as context for reviewing the client’s own costs, campaigns, and goals.

For Google, review spend beside clicks, conversions, and the outcome the client cares about. Break out brand and non-brand activity where possible, and inspect search terms, campaign settings, and landing pages. For Meta, check delivery and cost alongside the creative, audience, and destination used by each campaign. Keep platform reporting and the store’s analytics in view together so the client can see what each system measures.

A useful weekly agency check is to select a few campaigns and verify their tracking, destination pages, and conversion events. Note which results come from platform reporting and which come from the store’s own analytics. If the client asks for a budget change, prepare evidence at campaign level and clarify what result should guide the decision. The takeaway is to investigate campaigns and account outcomes before recommending a budget change.

For the client recap, keep a decision log with one entry per campaign: the objective, the result being reviewed, the evidence source, and the next action. Record who will verify each open item and when it will be revisited. This gives the client a clear path from campaign evidence to a proposed decision and makes follow-up easier to assign across the account team. If teams use different reporting views, name the source beside each result so the client can follow how the recommendation connects to the available evidence.

Social media trends

Instagram and TikTok referrals

Average Instagram traffic rose 2.1% month over month, to 596 visits per store in October across 61,027 stores. TikTok traffic increased 11.5%, to 360 visits per store across 16,144 stores. Keep the September-to-October comparison period visible when presenting the trend.

Review the social shopping path

Use the movement to structure a platform-by-platform review. In the client’s analytics, compare the same periods and check which posts, campaigns, and landing pages were active. Confirm that referral tracking distinguishes paid campaigns from other social visits where possible, campaign labels are consistent, and links on current posts reach their intended destinations. Then compare the visits with the client’s platform engagement and conversion reporting. Before planning the next social test, ask the client to choose one variable—format, message, or featured product—and name the outcome they want to review. Record the planned change and review date.

Commerce activity on social platforms provides additional context. Momentum Works estimated that US TikTok Shop gross merchandise volume grew 68% in 2025 (Momentum Works report). The estimate gives agencies another prompt to review how a client’s social content connects with its store and product pages.

For a client review, sample recent posts and ads from each platform. Follow each link on mobile, confirm the product or collection is still relevant, and check that tracking captures the source. Pair each post with its destination and the client’s chosen outcome in the review notes. The takeaway is to keep Instagram and TikTok separate in reporting. If you sell social services, bring the client a platform-by-platform view and a small set of linked posts or campaigns to investigate. The pet ecommerce trends and food and beverage ecommerce trends reports offer category context where relevant. Ask the account team to keep the post, destination, and agreed outcome together in its review notes. That makes the next client check easier to repeat and helps the team decide whether to maintain or adjust the test.

Link profile

Referring-domain movement

Average referring domains per store fell 15.4% month over month in October, to 504 from 595 in September. This measure counts distinct domains linking to a site. It gives agencies a starting point for reviewing link breadth and the pages that attract links; the next step is to check what those links point to and whether the destinations still help the client’s audience.

The decline makes link monitoring a useful part of the next SEO review. Identify which pages receive links, whether those pages support current priorities, and whether referring sites are relevant to the store and its audience. Check that valuable links still reach working pages. Reboot Online’s ecommerce SEO research found that 52% of ecommerce websites use digital PR to build backlinks (ecommerce SEO statistics). That industry finding gives agencies a reference for discussing link work alongside this month’s referring-domain movement.

Turn the link data into an audit

For a practical audit, review the client’s referring domains and note each destination page. Flag broken destinations, irrelevant links, and priority pages with limited link coverage. Then propose a focused next step, such as repairing a broken destination or developing an outreach idea tied to a specific page. Keep repair work separate from outreach so the client can see the different tasks and owners.

Internal links also help visitors move from supporting content to relevant product or category pages. Check whether useful articles make the next step clear and whether their links still lead to the intended destination. In agency reporting, show the domain trend beside examples of pages receiving links. That connects the number to work the client can assess and gives the next review a clear follow-up. For a category perspective, compare the jewelry ecommerce trends report with the client’s own data.

Holiday demand and the conversion check

Plan for the holiday period

The holiday window is approaching, and forecasts point to continued ecommerce growth. Deloitte forecasts US ecommerce sales growth of 7.5% to 8.4% from November 2026 through January 2027, compared with 4.0% to 4.8% growth for total retail sales (Deloitte holiday forecast). Agencies can use it to frame planning conversations about traffic, merchandising, and readiness.

Salesforce reported that global digital traffic increased 18% in Q2 2026 while orders rose about 1% (Salesforce holiday predictions). That gap makes the quality of the visit and the experience after arrival relevant topics for a client review. Use the forecast to ask what the client needs ready before its peak period. Check inventory messaging, shipping and return information, promotion landing pages, customer support details, and the usability of key pages. For paid campaigns, confirm that the offer and destination match. For organic search, verify that priority product and category pages are current and easy to reach.

Make readiness measurable

Agencies can make this discussion actionable by separating preparation from measurement. Agree on the pages and campaigns to check before launch, identify who owns each task, and decide which account measures the team will review during the season. After launch, compare results with the client’s own baseline and adjust the plan around observed performance. October’s traffic and search measures describe store-level activity; the holiday outlook is a forward-looking market forecast. Keep the period and measure clear in a client deck or strategy conversation.

For a concrete meeting plan, list the important landing pages, the offer or product shown, and the next action a visitor should take. Ask the client which pages or campaigns need an early check and which account data will be available. Close by assigning an owner and a date to revisit the same measures. This turns a market forecast into a readiness checklist for the retailer’s own goals.

In the client discussion, separate decisions that need approval from work the team can complete independently. For each open decision, show the options, the page or campaign affected, and the person who can confirm the choice. This keeps the review focused on removing blockers and gives the client a concise record to use when plans change.

Discovery is spreading across channels

Where shoppers discover products

Shoppers can encounter products through search, social platforms, and AI-assisted tools. Salesforce predicts that AI chat agents will account for 20% of holiday ecommerce traffic in 2026 (Salesforce holiday predictions). Against October’s lower overall and organic averages, use the forecast as context for reviewing where client discovery starts and what the account can track.

Adobe found that mobile accounted for 56.4% of US online holiday transactions in 2025 (Adobe holiday shopping analysis). The Census Bureau reported that ecommerce represented 17.1% of US retail sales in Q2 2026 (quarterly ecommerce report). Alongside October’s rise in Instagram and TikTok referrals, these market findings make source tracking and mobile product-page checks useful next steps.

Check the path from discovery to purchase

Start by checking the client’s analytics for referrals from AI tools and other sources the team already tracks. Keep those referrals distinct in reporting. Review product titles, descriptions, availability, and shipping details for clarity and consistency across the store. Then test the path from discovery to a usable product page, especially on mobile. Note which sources the client can track and decide whether a tracking change would improve future reviews. Bring catalog, content, and analytics owners into the review. Agree on a shared product-page change list, record who will make each update, and set a date to confirm the approved changes are live.

The agency opportunity is practical: show the client where discovery paths lead and where the experience needs attention. Bring examples of product pages, referral sources, and mobile steps to the meeting. Agree on one or two changes to implement and a date to review them, rather than promising a specific result from an emerging channel. For wider ecommerce context, the ecommerce trends hub connects this overview to the sector reports; select one that matches the client before framing recommendations.

In the client meeting, organize examples by the shopper’s task rather than by platform: finding an item, comparing options, and confirming fit. Review the same product through those steps, then note where language, imagery, or navigation needs clarification. This gives creative, merchandising, and UX teams a shared basis for prioritizing experience updates.

What to do next

Start the next 30 days with three checks. First, compare traffic and organic search by source, query, and landing page over matching periods. Second, audit a focused set of paid campaigns and social links, confirming that tracking and destinations work. Third, review referring domains and the pages they reach, then identify a repair or outreach task.

Prepare one client-facing summary that separates what changed in this report from what the account’s own data shows. Assign an owner to each follow-up and agree when to revisit the measures. For a closer category comparison, see fashion ecommerce trends, automotive ecommerce trends, jewelry ecommerce trends, beauty ecommerce trends, CPG ecommerce trends, food and beverage ecommerce trends, and pet ecommerce trends. Use the reports hub to choose relevant context, then ground recommendations in the client’s account.