What peak season revealed about eCommerce growth and customer behavior in 2026

Peak season comes and goes every year, almost like a fever dream. Was it actually as busy as everyone thought, or was everyone just hyped up on caffeine?

Looking at our global post-purchase data from December, the answer is clear. eCommerce didn’t just keep pace with 2024; it matured. Growth continued, engagement deepened, and shopper behavior became noticeably more intentional.

Our data reveals that while overall activity increased year over year, how customers interacted with brands shifted in meaningful ways. Volume alone didn’t tell the full story. Efficiency, relevance, and experience mattered more than ever.

Online orders were up

Order tracking activity rose steadily year over year, signaling continued strength in eCommerce fulfillment volumes. In 2025, we saw 53.5 million order trackings generated, up from 51.8 million in 2024 – a 3.26% increase.

This growth aligns with broader industry reporting. Adobe Analytics noted that global eCommerce continued to expand in late 2025 despite inflationary pressure, driven by convenience, mobile adoption, and stronger omnichannel strategies. Retailers weren’t just selling more. They were shipping more, too.

Post-purchase communication took center stage

Retailers sent more post-purchase emails than ever before. Between December 1–26, 161.7 million emails were sent globally, compared to 152.1 million in 2024 — a 6.34% increase year over year.

This jump reflects a growing recognition that post-purchase communication isn’t optional. Retailers are realizing that these touchpoints with their customers are a crucial part of their customer experience. Brands that communicate clearly after checkout reduce uncertainty, lower support volume, and improve customer satisfaction.

Email remains the backbone of post-purchase engagement. From shipping confirmations to delivery updates, exception alerts, and returns communication, a personalized message is a must. More retailers are understanding the role the post-purchase experience plays in building customer lifetime value and revenue as a whole.

Engagement increased, but shoppers became more selective

While total email volume rose, customer engagement told a more nuanced story. Globally, customers of retailers that use parcelLab opened 110.5 million emails in 2025, representing a 9.32% increase compared to 2024. This is a meaningful jump and signals that customers were actively checking their order status updates.

However, click-through behavior became more selective. Total clicks increased from 22.2 million to 23.4 million, but click rate dipped slightly from 14.6% to 14.47%, a 0.89% decrease.

This pattern could reflect a broader industry shift. Deloitte and McKinsey have noted that consumers are becoming more intentional with their attention. They still expect updates, but they only engage deeply when the content is relevant, timely, and useful.

In other words, more emails didn’t hurt engagement. Relevance and personalization continue to matter more than ever.

Tracking pages become more efficient touchpoints

One of the most interesting shifts appeared in order tracking behavior. In 2025, total visits to order tracking pages decreased 6.58%, from 192.6 million visits in 2024 to 179.9 million in 2025. At the same time, unique visitors increased by 9.43%, rising from 23.1 million to 25.3 million shoppers.

This could be due to a few reasons. Retailers’ post-purchase communication has become more proactive and detailed. Instead of clicking through to a tracking page for more details, shoppers could be getting the right updates at the right time in their inbox.

It could also mean new shoppers are engaging with your brand. While customers may be checking their order status fewer times, more individual shoppers were engaged overall. This means new customers interacting with your brand and loyal customers showing they trust your brand’s delivery promise.

Retailers used post-purchase more strategically

Retailers didn’t just send more messages. They activated more campaigns through parcelLab’s Campaign Manager capability. In 2025, our team saw an 8.18% increase in campaigns created throughout peak season.

These campaigns can be used to target specific customers by using behavioral, demographic, and preference-based filters. Retailers create campaigns to let customers know about potential delays, sales, customs document information, new product lines, and more.

This increase in campaigns reflects a strategic shift away from purely operational messaging toward experience-driven post-purchase journeys. Brands are increasingly using shipping and delivery moments to:

• Reinforce brand trust
• Educate customers
• Offer cross-sell or loyalty incentives

Post-purchase is one of the most underutilized stages of the customer lifecycle, and one of the most effective for retention when done well.

The bigger picture for retail moving forward

Taken together, the data shows how retail evolved from 2024 to 2025. Retailers grew, but they also got smarter. They scaled communication without overwhelming customers, delivered more efficient tracking experiences, and invested in post-purchase engagement as a retention lever, not just an operational necessity.

Growth in 2025 wasn’t driven by volume alone. It was driven by clarity, relevance, and experience.

As the industry looks ahead to 2026, one thing is certain: the retailers that win won’t be the ones dropping off after a customer clicks the buy button. They’ll be the ones delivering the most value after the sale.