This article was contributed by Bartosz Skwarczek, Founder, G2A.COM
The first half of 2026 has confirmed something I believe will define the next decade of ecommerce. For years, the industry competed on price, convenience and catalogue. Those factors still matter. But they are no longer enough. Today, the real competitive advantage is becoming something less visible, yet far more valuable: the ability to reduce uncertainty.
Whether users are choosing between sellers, deciding how to pay or interacting with AI, they are constantly asking themselves one question: “Can I trust this?” At G2A.COM, serving more than 35 million users across 180 countries gives us a unique view of how those expectations are changing. Markets may differ, but one trend has become impossible to ignore during the first half of 2026: the platforms that remove uncertainty create better experiences, stronger loyalty and ultimately better business.
Trust is part of the experience
Trust used to sit quietly in the background of ecommerce. If everything worked, nobody noticed it. Today, users look for reassurance at every step: when sellers are verified, payment options feel familiar, policies are transparent or support resolves an issue without friction.
Those moments rarely make headlines. Yet together they determine whether someone completes a transaction, comes back or recommends the marketplace to someone else. To better understand how these expectations are evolving, G2A.COM partnered with Juniper Research on The Trust Algorithm, surveying more than 9,000 consumers across nine countries. One finding stood out above all others. Half of respondents believe protecting them from fraud is primarily the responsibility of the ecommerce platform, while only 20% believe that responsibility lies with the user.
That is far more than a cybersecurity statistic. It tells us users increasingly expect trust to be built into the experience itself. The businesses that succeed over the next decade will not simply process transactions efficiently. They will remove uncertainty before users even notice it exists.
AI will only succeed if users trust it
Artificial intelligence is making this challenge even more important. The discussion around AI often focuses on what the technology can do. I believe the more important question is whether users are ready to let it do those things. The findings suggest the industry should be optimistic, yet realistic. Nearly 4 in 10 respondents already say they would be comfortable allowing an AI agent to purchase digital goods on their behalf. For a technology that is only beginning to enter mainstream commerce, that level of confidence is remarkable.
But it is equally clear that trust has not yet caught up with technological progress. That is why the winners in AI-powered commerce will not necessarily be those building the smartest models. They will be those building the most trusted experiences. AI should make digital commerce feel simpler, safer and more predictable. If it creates uncertainty instead, users simply will not adopt it.
The role of marketplaces is changing
This shift is also changing what users expect from marketplaces. For years, marketplaces competed by offering more choice. Choice still matters. But confidence matters more. The latest The Trust Algorithm Research found that users across every market surveyed were more likely to purchase through third-party marketplaces than directly from brands. I do not believe that is simply because marketplaces offer broader selections.
It is because good marketplaces reduce decision fatigue. They help users compare offers, establish confidence between buyers and sellers and provide consistency in an increasingly fragmented digital economy. In other words, marketplaces are becoming trust infrastructure. That is a much bigger role than simply aggregating offers.
Convenience now means confidence
Convenience has also evolved. For years, convenience meant fewer clicks. Today it increasingly means having control. Price and convenience remain the two biggest reasons users choose third-party marketplaces. But what comes immediately afterwards is revealing: the ability to pay using a preferred payment option, confidence in security, positive reviews and reputation all influence purchasing decisions. Perhaps the strongest example comes from payments.
Trusted digital wallets ranked higher than HTTPS encryption, privacy policies or trust badges as the feature that gives users the greatest confidence when shopping online. That tells us something important. Users do not separate convenience from confidence anymore. Increasingly, they are the same thing.
This is why, at G2A.COM, we continue expanding our global payment ecosystem, giving users hundreds of ways to pay across different markets and banking ecosystems. Our objective is simple: allow users to choose the payment option they already know and trust.
Looking ahead
The first half of 2026 has shown us that the future of ecommerce will not be defined by technology alone. AI will continue to improve. Digital commerce will become more intelligent. Payment ecosystems will become more sophisticated. None of that guarantees trust.
And without trust, innovation rarely reaches its full potential. I believe the next generation of market leaders will be those that treat consumer confidence not as a compliance exercise or a security feature, but as a business strategy. Because in the years ahead, trust will no longer be a differentiator. It will be the price of entry.
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