The digital commerce landscape is undergoing one of the most rapid transformations in its history. Buyers across both B2C and B2B markets now expect seamless, personalized, and consistent experiences across every touchpoint. Leading brands are delivering on these expectations and reaping the rewards of greater loyalty, higher engagement, and increased revenue. But for many, delivering these experiences at scale remains a challenge.

The roadblocks are familiar: fragmented data, unclear ROI models, and limited internal expertise. Brand leaders need clear implementation pathways and scalable deployment strategies that balance innovation with oversight. Concerns around over-automation and loss of control remain real, especially in customer-facing experiences.

Organizations are under growing pressure to drive more revenue through digital channels while maintaining agility across geographies, product lines, and customer segments. Scaling modern commerce requires not just ambition but smarter architecture, integrated data, and the right applications of AI.

Market Challenges for Brands

Despite clear demand and opportunity, several structural challenges make it difficult for organizations to deliver on the promise of digital commerce:

Platform Migration and Modernization Pressures Legacy commerce platforms are increasingly viewed as barriers to agility. With end-of-life systems and rising support costs, many brands are actively planning migrations to modern, cloud-native platforms. But migration is no small feat. These transitions introduce technical complexity, operational risk, and significant investment. For brands looking to evolve quickly, success means choosing platforms that minimize disruption while supporting long-term flexibility, integration, and growth.

AI Implementation and Scaling Complexity Commerce teams see AI as a critical driver of efficiency and personalization - powering content creation, product recommendations, search, and automation. But despite strong intent, many are stuck at early stages of adoption.

Personalization at Scale Implementation Demands Personalization has shifted from a competitive differentiator to a customer expectation. But for most enterprise organizations, delivering personalization across millions of customers, multiple brands, and diverse channels remains out of reach.

Integration and Data Unification Requirements Modern commerce relies on a patchwork of systems - CRM, analytics, CMS, automation - and the challenge is making them work together. Leading brands are prioritizing platforms with strong APIs, built-in connectors, and data activation capabilities to unify the customer journey across teams and channels.

Omnichannel and Multi-Brand Scaling Challenges Brands now operate across multiple geographies, audiences, and channels all while trying to maintain distinct experiences per brand. Scaling requires infrastructure that balances centralization with flexibility, especially in areas like inventory, pricing, and personalization.

These challenges create a clear tension: brands understand what their customers expect, but many still lack the integration, speed, and cross-functional coordination to meet those demands at scale.

The Focus of This Research

Delivering Personalized Commerce Experiences at Scale Consumers have made their preferences clear. According to research from McKinsey, 80% of U.S. adults expect personalization across digital touchpoints, and 76% feel frustrated when brands miss the mark. Leading organizations are seeing 2× growth when personalization is executed well but most still struggle to operationalize. Data silos, legacy systems, and the sheer volume of customer data make it difficult to act in real-time. Brands recognize that automation, AI, and integrated data strategies are essential to delivering personalization at scale — but many are still in the early stages of this journey.

Building Differentiated and High-Performing Storefronts In a post-Covid landscape, your storefront is your flagship. High-performing storefronts are no longer "nice to have" - they are mission-critical for growth. Organizations need storefronts that are fast, flexible, and optimized for conversion. They also need the ability to test, iterate, and evolve experiences quickly. Increasingly, brands are turning away from third-party marketplaces and focusing on their own digital storefronts, where they can control the experience, capture customer data, and maximize margins.

Addressing the Rising Demands of B2B Ecommerce B2B e-commerce represents a monumental $32.1 trillion market opportunity according to data from Capitol One Shopping. Buyers now expect the same self-service convenience they enjoy in B2C - 24/7 ordering, personalization, and seamless purchasing flows. For businesses operating across both B2B and B2C, the challenge is even greater: managing complex business models often requires costly customization or even multiple ecommerce platforms. Without the right foundation, these complexities slow down growth, inflate costs, and limit agility.

Summary of Research Findings

We engaged with 100 industry experts to understand how they're rethinking platforms, personalization, and customer experience — and what sets top-performing brands apart.

Enterprise commerce is undergoing a wave of transformation - technically, operationally, and culturally. Brands are adopting AI to enhance personalization, content, and workflows, while also modernizing their platforms to support scalability and integration.

Leaders are focused on activating real-time data, delivering consistent omnichannel experiences, and building more flexible, future-ready architectures. Across interviews, six shared challenges emerged: scaling personalization, balancing B2B and B2C needs, adopting AI with care, modernizing without disruption, and unifying fragmented tech stacks.