A merchant selling phone cases from France has been receiving notifications from his marketplace since September 2026, asking him to provide additional customs data for each item shipped from a non-EU warehouse. This type of constraint, which was still marginal two years ago, illustrates the speed at which the regulatory framework for online commerce is tightening, well beyond just marketing or logistics issues.
European customs reform and online commerce: what is changing concretely
The European Parliament adopted a reform of the Union’s customs code in September 2026, which directly modifies the daily operations of online sellers. Marketplaces facilitating remote sales from third countries are now treated as importers. In practice, platforms will have to transmit customs data and ensure the payment of duties.
This includes several concrete aspects. The platform must ensure that the goods comply with European law. A processing fee mechanism is planned, applicable no later than November 1, 2026. The reform also creates a European customs authority responsible for coordinating inspections.
For a French e-merchant using a marketplace to sell products made in Asia, this means that the platform itself will require proof of product compliance before listing. Responses vary on this point depending on the marketplace, but the trend is clear: we are moving from a declarative system to pre-emptive control. Those following the information on Guide Info Commerce will have noticed the acceleration of these obligations since the first half of the year.
Another direct consequence: the elimination of customs exemptions on small shipments is no longer a given. Low-value packages, which were long exempt, will gradually be subject to the same duties as standard shipments. For consumers, this will result in higher purchase prices on low-cost platforms like Temu or Shein.
Agentic commerce: when AI buys on behalf of the customer
Fevad published an analysis in September 2026 on AI agents that are beginning to transform the online shopping experience. We are no longer just talking about chatbots that answer questions. Autonomous agents can now search, compare, and purchase a product without human intervention at every step.
In practice, a consumer configures an agent with criteria (budget, brand, delivery time) and the agent browses multiple sites to find the best deal. This model reshuffles the cards of value sharing among brands, marketplaces, and comparators.
Why product sheets are becoming a technical issue
If an AI agent selects products on behalf of the customer, the quality of structured data on each sheet becomes crucial. A poorly written product title, a sheet without standardized attributes, or a price displayed only via JavaScript may be ignored by these agents.
- Schema.org tags (Product, Offer, AggregateRating) must be complete and up-to-date for the agent to access the price, stock, and reviews without parsing the HTML
- Product feeds sent to marketplaces require additional attributes (material, origin, certifications) that agents use as filtering criteria
- The server’s response speed matters: an agent querying dozens of sites in parallel eliminates those that respond too slowly
We are far from classic SEO. Here, search engine optimization no longer targets a human but a program that makes the purchasing decision.
Audience of low-cost platforms in France: signals from the second quarter of 2026
After several quarters of rapid growth, low-cost platforms like Temu, Shein, and AliExpress are facing an increasingly unfavorable environment in France. The tightening of European regulations weighs on their model.
The combination of several factors explains this pressure:
- The prospect of customs duties applied to small packages reduces the perceived price advantage for consumers
- The strengthened product compliance requirements imposed by the Digital Services Act (DSA) require platforms to remove non-compliant listings more quickly
For French brands, the growing difficulties of low-cost platforms open a window. Consumers returning to national sites, however, expect a shopping experience at least as smooth as that of Asian giants.
Right of withdrawal and online returns: the French transposition of 2026
France transposed an ordinance at the beginning of 2026 to facilitate online returns, often referred to as “one-click return.” The goal is to harmonize the withdrawal process at the European level.
On the ground, this means that e-merchants must integrate a withdrawal button directly accessible from the customer area, without requiring the buyer to send a letter or fill out a PDF form. The return process must be as simple as the purchase process.
Impact on reverse logistics
Facilitating returns mechanically increases their volume. Merchants without a structured logistics process to handle returns quickly will see their costs rise. Managing returns becomes a budget item to anticipate from the design of the offer, not a topic to be addressed after launch.
French online commerce continues to progress, with a growth of 6.6% according to Fevad. This dynamic is accompanied by an increasingly demanding legal and technical framework. Merchants who integrate these constraints – customs, AI agents, simplified returns – into their operational strategy will gain a concrete advantage over those who continue to treat these issues as administrative details.
