AI, Immersive Retail and Sustainability Top the 2026 Technology Agenda for Direct Selling

A ranked view of where the channel is investing

Direct selling's technology priorities for 2026 have been mapped in an analysis by Minu Chandran, published on the Epixel MLM Software blog and updated on 11 February 2026. The piece sets out the business trends the author expects to shape the sector over the coming year.

At the centre of the analysis is a top ten list of technology trends compiled from Epixel's own data collection, branded Epixel Originals. The ranking places applied AI first, followed by generative AI, business intelligence and data analytics, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, big data, the metaverse, augmented reality, blockchain and, in tenth place, chatbots.

The ordering is notable for how heavily it leans toward data and automation: four of the top six entries concern artificial intelligence, analytics or the infrastructure required to run them at scale, while immersive and distributed-ledger technologies sit further down the list.

Generative AI moves from experiment to expectation

The commercial case for the top-ranked categories is built on market forecasts cited in the analysis. According to Statista, the generative AI market could expand at an annual growth rate of 46.47% between 2025 and 2030, reaching a market volume of USD 356.1 billion by 2030.

Adoption among practitioners is already well advanced. Statista data indicate that 37% of marketing professionals have used generative AI in their work. A Salesforce study cited in the report adds a demographic dimension, finding that 70% of generative AI users belong to Generation Z — a cohort that direct selling companies increasingly count among both their customers and their field.

Artificial intelligence in e-commerce is charted on a similar trajectory. Precedence Research figures quoted in the analysis put the market at USD 7.25 billion in 2024 and USD 9.01 billion in 2025, with projections of more than USD 64.03 billion by 2034 at a compound annual growth rate of 24.34%. The wider context is a global retail e-commerce turnover expected to exceed USD 6.3 trillion in 2024.

Immersive storefronts and the service gap

Augmented and virtual reality feature in the ranking at seventh and eighth place, and the underlying usage numbers are substantial. Statista estimates AR and VR user penetration at 52.8% in 2025, rising to 55.9% by 2028, with the market growing at a 9.64% CAGR between 2025 and 2028 to a volume of USD 58.3 billion.

The analysis points to Mary Kay's Suite 13, a virtual reality-based store presenting the company's product catalogue and corporate history, as an example of how immersive formats are being applied to the shopping and brand-storytelling experience in the channel.

Customer service remains the counterweight to all of this technology investment. An Accenture survey referenced in the report found that 47% of customers feel less valued when helpful support is difficult to reach — a reminder that automation strategies are judged, ultimately, on whether people can get assistance when they need it.

Sustainability as an obligation, not an option

Beyond the technology stack, the analysis argues that sustainability is increasingly becoming a corporate obligation rather than a discretionary commitment. The report notes that Generation Z is often described as the sustainability generation.

That framing connects directly to the demographic data elsewhere in the analysis: the same cohort that dominates generative AI usage is also the one associated most strongly with environmental expectations, suggesting that digital and sustainability agendas will be assessed together by the sector's newest participants and buyers.