Consumers discover across social and AI, but buy where they trust, ESW Signals finds

Consumers are discovering products across more channels than ever, from social platforms to AI, but trust still determines where they complete purchases, according to new research from ecommerce company ESW.

ESW Signals 2026 combines 23,000 consumer interviews across 18 markets with ESW’s international transaction data to show how global demand is fragmenting across markets, channels and technologies. The findings reveal a widening gap between where demand is created and purchases are completed.

Across the markets surveyed, 62% of consumers say social platforms influence their purchasing decisions at least occasionally, and 71% of Gen Z use social media for product discovery. But only 6% of consumers prefer to shop primarily through social platforms, compared with 31% who prefer brand or retailer websites.

AI shows a similar divide. Consumers are more open to AI when it helps them search, compare products or find deals, but trust drops closer to checkout. Across the markets surveyed, 57% are open to AI-powered price comparison, 53% to AI-supported deal finding and 40% to AI-assisted product discovery. Only 31% of consumers say they are comfortable with AI-powered payments, although comfort rises to 56% in the Middle East.

Together, the findings show that new channels can create demand, but they do not replace the need for a trusted buying experience.

International growth is rising, but not evenly

The report also finds that international ecommerce growth is no longer moving at one speed. Globally, 48% of consumers say they have increased discretionary spending compared with this time last year, but momentum varies sharply by region. In the Middle East, 67% of consumers report increased discretionary spending, followed by 61% in Asia. By comparison, 30% of consumers in North America and 44% in Europe say they are spending more.

Younger consumers are also pushing the market forward, with 60% of Gen Z and 55% of Millennials reporting increased discretionary spending. For brands, the opportunity is to understand where demand is building and convert it market by market, rather than relying on a single global playbook.

Checkout friction still blocks cross-border conversion

Cross-border shopping is now established behavior. One in five consumers buy from international retailers, driven by better prices, wider choice and access to products not available locally.

But familiar friction points still limit conversion. Shipping costs are the biggest barrier to international purchases, cited by 46% of consumers, followed closely by delivery times at 45% and unclear customs or duties at 32%.

These are the moments where trust is built or lost. When the total cost is unclear, duties appear late or delivery expectations feel uncertain, international demand can fall away before the order is completed.

Payment choice is expanding, but trust remains local

While payment choice is expanding, international orders remain concentrated around established methods. Across ESW’s international transaction data, 61% of orders are paid by credit or debit card, followed by digital wallets at 15%, PayPal at 11% and BNPL at 6%.

Local differences are commercially significant. In the U.S., cards account for 63% of ESW orders. In Germany and Italy, PayPal plays a much stronger role, accounting for 53% and 35% of orders respectively.

The findings underscore that payment localization is not simply about providing more options, but about configuring checkout around the payment methods customers already trust in each market.

Turning fragmented demand into performance

ESW Signals shows that international ecommerce growth is not one story. Growth momentum, discovery behavior, payment trust, checkout friction and AI readiness vary sharply by market. For brands, the opportunity is to convert fragmented demand market by market, with a buying experience that feels local, clear and trusted at every step. That means connecting discovery, checkout, payments, duties, delivery and returns into one reliable path to purchase, even as consumers move across more channels and technologies.

“Consumers are discovering in more places, shopping internationally more readily and responding to new digital experiences faster than many brands can adapt. But attention and conversion are not the same thing,” said Eric Eichmann, CEO, ESW. “What drives performance is whether the experience feels local, clear and reliable, from the first interaction through to delivery and returns. At ESW, we absorb the complexity of international expansion across payments, compliance, logistics and localization, so that ambitious brands can protect the customer experience as they scale.”