The merchant roadmap to the next era of digital commerce
As shoppers move between apps, websites and physical stores, merchants want to improve the checkout experience in every channel, according to the 2026 Global Digital Shopping Index (GDSI) report.
What's in the 2026 Global Digital Shopping Index report
Now in its sixth year, the GDSI examines gaps in the checkout experience between merchants' apps and their websites, looks at agentic commerce readiness, and considers how merchants can address both to improve their competitive positioning.
The report also looks at how merchants are turning digital engagement into increased customer loyalty with repeat purchases with features like biometric authentication, one-click checkout and stored credentials that help reduce checkout friction. By improving their cross-channel checkout experiences, many merchants are focused on converting intent to revenue.
66%
of merchants report growth in Tap to Pay by card in-store
87%
of merchants want to improve their checkout experiences
49%
of merchants see AI agents as an opportunity for revenue growth
Tap to Pay becomes standard in-store
Tap to Pay has become the go-to option for many shoppers, helping to streamline the checkout experience in-store. Two-thirds of merchants report growth in Tap to Pay by card over the past 12 months and 57% say the same for Tap to Pay by digital wallet.
Mobile apps are driving sales growth
Merchants report that their mobile apps are a powerful growth driver for retail sales in 2026. More than half of merchants (57%) reported sales growth via their own apps—more than for any other channel. The report also shows that apps tend to offer more advanced checkout features than merchant websites.
Fraud dropped, but demand for better protection remains
Merchants report broad declines in every category of fraud, including incidents related to disputes and false declines, and only 22% rate fraudulent transactions as a severe problem. Even so, six in 10 merchants are very or extremely interested in stronger fraud protection, showing that risk management remains central to checkout modernization.
Merchants are preparing for agentic commerce
Almost half of merchants see AI agents as an opportunity, and they're preparing to get ahead. Already, 23% of merchants have visibility into AI-driven traffic, and 15% have structured data ready to make their websites readable to agents. Merchants that invest in agentic commerce capabilities now can get ahead by positioning themselves to capture agent-driven purchases. Download our report for a roadmap to help you prepare for agent-ready commerce.
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Make payments your business advantage
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Online payments
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Mobile and Tap to Pay
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Fraud protection
Identify, manage and prevent suspicious and potentially fraudulent transactions.