How ecommerce businesses run their operations in 2026

Key findings

Source: Linnworks Market Survey 2026, conducted by OnePoll among 500 US and UK ecommerce decision-makers, July 28 – August 4, 2026.

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Most ecommerce businesses handle several order types at once

The average ecommerce business handles just over four different order types. Seven of the 11 order types in the survey are handled by at least a third of businesses, and every one of them by at least a fifth.

• Standard pick-and-pack orders 53%
• B2B or wholesale orders 50%
• Orders customized before shipping 43%
• Orders aiming to ship within 60 minutes 43%
• Click and collect (BOPIS) 43%
• Large or bulky goods 35%
• Orders assembled after receipt 34%
• Orders manufactured after receipt 32%
• Orders fulfilled as a 3PL for another brand 29%
• Orders involving raw components 27%
• Regulated goods 22%

Half of the businesses surveyed take B2B or wholesale orders alongside their consumer orders. The mix keeps widening, with 43% expanding into new sales channels or marketplaces in the past 12 to 18 months. Each order type brings its own routing, promise dates, and paperwork.

Smaller businesses handle fewer order types. Companies with annual revenue under £5M (about $6.5M) handle 3.5 on average, and those between £10M and £25M (about $13M to $32M) handle 4.5. US businesses are more likely than UK businesses to handle orders that must be customized before shipping (48% vs. 39%).

See how Linnworks handles order management across every channel

Almost every ecommerce business wants more automation

Just 2% of ecommerce decision-makers say their business doesn’t need more automation anywhere. Inventory accuracy, warehouse operations, and customer service are each named by more than a third as the places where more automation would make the biggest difference today.

Appetite is high, and so is momentum. In the past 12 to 18 months, 53% of businesses adopted more automation or AI in their existing processes, and 38% consolidated their software tools. New technology becoming available drove more of those changes (23%) than cost pressure did (17%).

• Cost of automation tools 42%
• Lack of integration between systems 39%
• Current automation only handles simple cases 31%
• Haven’t found the right tool 29%
• Too complex to configure or maintain 24%
• Don’t yet trust automation for the task 17%
• Not a business priority right now 14%

Most of what holds businesses back comes down to money and connections. Among those who want more automation, 42% say cost stops them and 39% name the lack of integration between their systems. Another 31% say the automation they already have only handles simple cases and leaves anything complex to their team.

UK businesses feel the cost more sharply, with 47% naming it as a blocker compared with 37% in the US.

See how Linnworks automation handles exceptions and complex orders

Most ecommerce businesses have moved past piloting AI

52% of ecommerce businesses describe AI as scaled or broadly adopted across their organization. Another 45% are piloting or exploring it, and only 3% have chosen not to use AI.

52% 45%

• Scaled or broadly adopted : 52%
• Piloting or exploring : 45%
• Chosen not to use AI (3%)

Much of that use is already hands-on. 59% of decision-makers say they have an AI assistant taking actions on their behalf, such as sending messages, updating records, or moving data between systems.

The obstacles to going further are practical ones. Integration complexity is the most common barrier to adopting more AI in operations (18%), and just 8% point to an unclear return on investment. US businesses are more cautious about AI on data and security grounds (34% vs. 22% in the UK), and they are also twice as likely to say nothing significant stands in their way (14% vs. 7%).

AI now shapes software decisions too. 57% say AI capability is among the most important factors when they choose operations software, rising to 64% in the US.

See how Spotlight AI works inside Linnworks

Businesses trust AI most with work they can check

57% of ecommerce decision-makers would trust AI to generate demand forecasts on their behalf today. Only 36% would trust it to make purchasing decisions or to communicate with suppliers.

• Generate demand forecasts 57%
• Draft or optimize product listings 50%
• Flag inventory or fulfillment problems 50%
• Answer questions about business data 45%
• Reroute or prioritize orders automatically 43%
• Make purchasing or reordering decisions 36%
• Communicate with suppliers 36%

Trust follows how easy a result is to check or undo. Forecasts, product listings, and alerts about inventory or fulfillment problems all reach half or close to it. Tasks that commit the business to spending money or to a conversation with a supplier come last.

For most businesses, the practical place to start is work a person can review before it takes effect, and then widen what AI handles as confidence grows.

See how Spotlight AI suggests changes your team can review before anything runs

Half of ecommerce businesses already use EDI

Half of ecommerce businesses use EDI with their trading partners today, and a third more say they plan to adopt it within a year. Adoption rises with size, from 33% of businesses with annual revenue under £5M (about $6.5M) to 62% of those over £25M (about $32M).

The US is further ahead. 57% of US businesses use EDI today, compared with 43% in the UK, and UK businesses are catching up, with 40% planning to adopt it within 12 months (26% in the US).

When businesses choose an EDI provider, three things matter most, almost equally. Among current and planned users, 42% look for visibility of EDI errors, 41% for protection from retailer chargebacks, and 41% for predictable pricing. Pre-built retailer mappings matter to 27%.

Buyers also want to know whose network sits underneath. 43% of EDI users and planners say it matters a lot who actually runs the connection, and they investigate before they buy. In the US, that rises to 50%, compared with 37% in the UK.

How US and UK ecommerce businesses differ

US businesses are further along with EDI and weigh AI more heavily when they buy software. UK businesses are more likely to name cost as the thing holding them back, while US businesses more often point to integration. Every difference below is statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.

Measure	US	UK
Use EDI today	57%	43%
Plan to adopt EDI within 12 months	26%	40%
Handle orders that must be customized before shipping	48%	39%
Say cost stops them automating more	37%	47%
Name warehouse operations as a top area for more automation	32%	41%
Say integration complexity is the biggest barrier to more AI	21%	14%
Say cost is the biggest barrier to more AI	12%	19%
Say nothing significant stands in the way of more AI	14%	7%
More cautious about AI on data and security grounds	34%	22%
Rank AI among the most important factors when choosing software	64%	50%
Say it matters a lot who runs their EDI connection	50%	37%

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