The European regulatory framework is reshaping the rules of the game for online business much faster than the technologies themselves. Between the Digital Markets Act, the rollout of TikTok Shop in France, and the increased constraints on tracking, the levers of digital growth are changing in nature. We take stock of the trends that truly matter for companies selling online.
DMA and DSA: Regulatory Constraints Redefining Online Visibility
The implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA) for major platforms (Google, Meta, Amazon) is significantly changing the landscape for any digital acquisition strategy. Gatekeepers must now offer recommendation systems that are not based on profiling, which reduces the accuracy of advertising targeting as it has functioned for the past decade.
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For businesses, the direct consequence is a decrease in the performance of hyper-targeted campaigns on Meta Ads or Google Ads. We recommend diversifying acquisition channels and strengthening the collection of first-party data through forms, loyalty programs, or value-added content.
The CNIL and European authorities have also intensified sanctions for misuse of cookies and tracking. A GDPR compliance plan is becoming an operational prerequisite, not just a legal exercise. Brands that neglect this aspect expose themselves to fines, as well as a degradation of their distribution on marketplaces subject to the DSA.
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To delve deeper into these digital strategy and compliance issues, we invite you to visit the Net Addict website, which regularly addresses these topics as applied to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Social Commerce and TikTok Shop: A Fully-Fledged Sales Channel
TikTok Shop is now rolled out in France and Western Europe. It is no longer an experimental gadget: the algorithm actively promotes shoppable content and live shopping, creating an ecosystem where product discovery and purchase occur in the same session, without redirecting to an external site.
Meta has followed the same logic by relaunching Live Shopping formats on Instagram and Facebook, with simplified integration of product catalogs and in-app payment. The customer journey is drastically shortened, benefiting brands capable of producing native content on these platforms.
What Works in Social Commerce
- Live shopping events with product demonstrations generate higher engagement than static posts, provided a regular rhythm is maintained (at least weekly) and real-time interaction with the audience occurs
- Creator-sellers, straddling the line between influence and e-commerce, represent a powerful lever for SMEs that do not have a significant media budget
- Synchronizing the product catalog between the website and social media shops (Instagram Shop, TikTok Shop) avoids visible stockouts and conversion friction
Social commerce does not replace a dedicated e-commerce site. It acts as a complementary acquisition and conversion channel, particularly effective in segments where the purchase decision is impulsive or driven by social proof.
Content Strategy and First-Party Data: The Sustainable Foundation
With the gradual restriction of third-party tracking, first-party data is becoming the main strategic asset for any online business. Brands that invest in creating targeted content (guides, comparisons, segmented newsletters) gather intention data that is much more reliable than that provided by third-party cookies.
We observe that companies combining a solid SEO strategy with structured first-party data collection achieve a significantly more stable customer acquisition cost over time. Web content is no longer just a visibility tool: it is a qualification tool.
AI Personalization Without Dependence on External Profiling
Generative AI allows for the personalization of customer journeys based on data collected in-house: purchase history, browsing behavior on the site, interactions with emails. Personalization is migrating from advertising targeting to on-site experience, making it compatible with the DMA/GDPR framework.
The most mature use cases involve the automatic generation of product descriptions tailored to the segment, real-time contextual recommendations, and chatbots capable of qualifying a need before suggesting a product. These tools are accessible to SMEs through SaaS solutions, without heavy infrastructure.
Digital Accessibility: Legal Obligation and Conversion Lever
Accessibility is no longer a peripheral issue. European directives impose accessibility standards for online commerce sites, and an accessible site converts better across all segments, not just among people with disabilities.
Accessibility optimizations (contrast, keyboard navigation, alternative descriptions, semantic structure) largely overlap with good SEO and UX practices. A site with clean and structured HTML for accessibility ranks better on search engines and offers a smoother experience on mobile.
- Auditing conversion paths with an accessibility tool (WAVE, DevTools) helps detect invisible friction for valid users but blocking for others
- Poorly labeled order forms, non-closable pop-ups via keyboard, and automatic carousels are the three most common friction points in e-commerce
- Integrating accessibility from the design stage (rather than as a corrective measure) significantly reduces the cost of compliance
The digital trends that truly transform an online business go beyond tools. They encompass the legal framework, data structure, and the quality of the customer experience at every touchpoint. Companies that treat these issues as a coherent whole, rather than a list of technologies to adopt, gain a sustainable competitive advantage.