New Rithum Report Uncovers Why Commerce Leaders are Unprepared for 2026 Headwinds

Launched at Rithum LIVE, The 2026 Commerce Readiness Index explores commerce executives’ readiness to face macroeconomic headwinds in 2026.

Rithum, a leading global commerce solutions provider, today launched The 2026 Commerce Readiness Index at the inaugural Rithum LIVE summit in New York City. Based on a survey of 200 U.S. and U.K. retail and brand executives, the report pulls back the curtain on the fault lines shaping readiness for 2026, from AI adoption and tariff mitigation to fragmented workflows. It highlights where leaders are focusing amid growing pressure to modernize operations and where they are falling short on efficiency, speed, and competitiveness.

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Rithum's new 2026 Commerce Readiness Index unveils how retailers and brands can prepare for 2026 headwinds.

“Commerce leaders know the turbulence of this year isn’t slowing down, and many factors—like tariffs and inflation—remain out of their control,” said Suzin Wold, CMO at Rithum. “What they can control is how quickly and effectively they adapt. Our report offers a roadmap to help retail and brand executives do that.”

Based on the survey responses, the report dives deep into what commerce leaders say are their five critical challenges for 2026:

• External and internal roadblocks: Nearly 75% of commerce leaders admit that decisions are often made on outdated, inconsistent, or incomplete data, creating dangerous blind spots. Executives may feel confident in their dashboards, but in reality, they’re flying blind at critical moments.
• Reliance on manual processes: Around half of commerce leaders still depend on spreadsheets and manual workflows. This bottleneck slows their ability to respond to fast-moving signals, from viral demand spikes to sudden supply chain disruptions.
• Shaky AI adoption: Nearly 3 in 4 leaders say AI is evolving faster than they can adopt it, creating a widening execution gap. But at the same time, many are rushing into AI investments without fixing underlying data quality issues—risking faster, automated bad decisions.
• Margin pressures: Rising costs, tariffs, and product complexity are forcing executives into hard trade-offs on pricing, assortment, and promotions. With 91% of retail executives saying pricing is heavily influenced by government policy, and 92% of brands citing product complexity as a cost-control barrier, protecting profitability has become increasingly elusive.
• Revenue leakage in customer journeys: Over 90% of commerce leaders shifted their marketing mix in the past year, but operational cracks remain. Retailers see the biggest leaks before checkout—broken links, outdated product content, irrelevant ads—while brands lose revenue after the sale through costly returns, fulfillment gaps, and poor customer service.

To learn more about how retailers and brands can prepare for 2026 headwinds, download the full report.

About Rithum

Rithum (formerly CommerceHub and ChannelAdvisor) is a leading global commerce solution that supports the entire commerce journey—from product listing and discovery to order fulfillment and performance optimization. By streamlining the path to purchase, Rithum enables brands and retailers to operate more efficiently, so they can maximize profitability.

With AI-powered automation, unified insights, and seamless integration across commerce and media channels, Rithum allows your team to focus on growth strategies while we handle the complexity of omnichannel orchestration. Whether you’re launching new products, expanding into new markets, or optimizing retail media campaigns, Rithum helps you turn every customer touchpoint into a revenue-driving opportunity.

Top global retailers and brands, such as Adidas, Best Buy, B&Q, Draper Tools, The Home Depot, and Zalando, trust Rithum to streamline their commerce operations and maximize results. With teams based in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Spain, and Australia, we partner with clients worldwide to make commerce smarter, faster, and more connected.

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