58.0% of E-Commerce Executives State They "Cannot Win the AI Competition Without Data Integration." Meanwhile, Approx. 90% of Integrated Companies Experience KPI Improvement—The Reality of Stagnant Data Integration
A survey of 400 e-commerce executives conducted by Mercart Co., Ltd. revealed that 58.0% recognize the critical need for data integration in the AI era. However, only 18.2% of companies plan to make data integration infrastructure their top investment priority in 2026. While about 90% of those who have already integrated their data report improved KPIs, many companies still spend enormous amounts of time gathering data, highlighting a structural gap between awareness and action.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 19, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 19, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 19, 2026 at 12:32 (1h 0m after Collected)
Mercart Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Akimasa Watanabe / hereafter, Mercart), provider of the cloud e-commerce site building platform "Mercart," conducted a "Survey on Awareness Regarding Data Integration" targeting 400 executives of companies operating e-commerce businesses. The results revealed that while 58.0% of executives responded that they "cannot win the AI competition without data integration," only 18.2% plan to make their largest investment increase in data integration infrastructure in fiscal 2026. Furthermore, approximately 90% of companies that have completed data integration report feeling some level of KPI improvement, bringing to light the structural issue that "the necessity of data integration is recognized, but action is not following suit."
How is data integration positioned in the management of e-commerce businesses? We introduce the realities based on the results of this survey.
Background of the Survey
The environment surrounding e-commerce is entering a period of major transformation driven by the evolution of AI technologies. New technologies, notably Generative AI, are expected to be utilized across all aspects of e-commerce operations, including inventory management, promotional planning, and customer service.
On the other hand, to truly leverage AI, it is essential to "integrate" fragmented customer, inventory, and behavioral data within the company and keep it in a usable state. This survey was conducted with the aim of revealing the gap between the awareness of management regarding the AI era and the actual status of their initiatives.
Survey Result 1: Rising Sense of Crisis—58.0% of Executives Feel They "Cannot Win the AI Competition Without Data Integration"
When asked, "Do you feel that your company's data fragmentation (silos) hinders AI learning and utilization, becoming a decisive factor that widens the 'gap in management capability' with competitors?", a total of 58.0% of executives strongly recognized the need for data integration, comprising those who "feel it very strongly" (22.2%) and "feel it somewhat" (35.8%).
Additionally, in response to the question, "Do you think e-commerce platforms should evolve from being 'mere places for sales and management' to 'brains that support management decision-making' based on data?", 68.8% answered either "strongly agree" or "somewhat agree." It is evident that the very role management expects from e-commerce platforms is changing.
Survey Result 2: Real-World Initiatives Are Only Halfway There—1 in 4 Companies Integrated, 1 in 3 Are Passive
While rising awareness is observable, the survey also revealed significant disparities in actual initiatives.
When asked about the "current status of data integration in your company," only 24.2% of companies responded that it was "already integrated," which, combined with "in progress" (16.5%), totaled about 40%. On the other hand, those saying "it is an issue, but so far it has not had a major impact on management decisions" (15.2%) and "priority is low, and we do not feel any opportunity loss" (17.2%) combined reached 32.4%, making it clear that about one in three executives takes a passive stance toward data integration.
This reveals a reality where, despite a spreading sense of crisis, the number of companies translating that into action remains limited.
Survey Result 3: The Real Gap Between Awareness and Action—Even Executives in Crisis Plan Merely ~20% Investment in Data Integration
When the executive segment feeling a sense of crisis that they "cannot win the AI competition without data integration" (n=232) was asked which item they planned to increase the budget for the most in their 2026 IT/system budget, only 23.3% cited "Data Integration Infrastructure / Analytics Environment (CDP/DWH/BI)." This means that approximately 80% of executives who possess a sense of crisis are selecting another item as their top investment priority.
Looking at overall trends, companies naming "Data Integration Infrastructure" as their most increased budget item stood at 18.2%, while the most common response, given by 30.8% of companies, was "do not plan to increase budget for anything."
Challenges are also apparent in the speed of management decisions. In response to the question, "When asked for figures requiring aggregation across multiple data sets at a management meeting, how much time does it take for them to reach you?", 38.0% answered "takes 2-3 days or more." Companies responding "takes 1 week or more, or cannot be calculated" amounted to 10.5%.
Furthermore, regarding the "time spent by marketing or corporate planning personnel solely on 'data extraction, processing, and report creation'," 50.2% of companies responded that it takes over 20 hours per month, revealing the reality that enormous amounts of labor are allocated just to prepare information for management decisions.
Survey Result 4: Integrated Companies Reliably Feel Results—Approx. 90% Experience KPI Improvement
When asked, "By realizing data integration, to what extent have key KPIs such as LTV (Life Time Value) and repeat rate improved compared to before introduction?", approximately 90% of companies reported feeling some level of improvement.
How is data integration positioned in the management of e-commerce businesses? We introduce the realities based on the results of this survey.
Background of the Survey
The environment surrounding e-commerce is entering a period of major transformation driven by the evolution of AI technologies. New technologies, notably Generative AI, are expected to be utilized across all aspects of e-commerce operations, including inventory management, promotional planning, and customer service.
On the other hand, to truly leverage AI, it is essential to "integrate" fragmented customer, inventory, and behavioral data within the company and keep it in a usable state. This survey was conducted with the aim of revealing the gap between the awareness of management regarding the AI era and the actual status of their initiatives.
Survey Result 1: Rising Sense of Crisis—58.0% of Executives Feel They "Cannot Win the AI Competition Without Data Integration"
When asked, "Do you feel that your company's data fragmentation (silos) hinders AI learning and utilization, becoming a decisive factor that widens the 'gap in management capability' with competitors?", a total of 58.0% of executives strongly recognized the need for data integration, comprising those who "feel it very strongly" (22.2%) and "feel it somewhat" (35.8%).
Additionally, in response to the question, "Do you think e-commerce platforms should evolve from being 'mere places for sales and management' to 'brains that support management decision-making' based on data?", 68.8% answered either "strongly agree" or "somewhat agree." It is evident that the very role management expects from e-commerce platforms is changing.
Survey Result 2: Real-World Initiatives Are Only Halfway There—1 in 4 Companies Integrated, 1 in 3 Are Passive
While rising awareness is observable, the survey also revealed significant disparities in actual initiatives.
When asked about the "current status of data integration in your company," only 24.2% of companies responded that it was "already integrated," which, combined with "in progress" (16.5%), totaled about 40%. On the other hand, those saying "it is an issue, but so far it has not had a major impact on management decisions" (15.2%) and "priority is low, and we do not feel any opportunity loss" (17.2%) combined reached 32.4%, making it clear that about one in three executives takes a passive stance toward data integration.
This reveals a reality where, despite a spreading sense of crisis, the number of companies translating that into action remains limited.
Survey Result 3: The Real Gap Between Awareness and Action—Even Executives in Crisis Plan Merely ~20% Investment in Data Integration
When the executive segment feeling a sense of crisis that they "cannot win the AI competition without data integration" (n=232) was asked which item they planned to increase the budget for the most in their 2026 IT/system budget, only 23.3% cited "Data Integration Infrastructure / Analytics Environment (CDP/DWH/BI)." This means that approximately 80% of executives who possess a sense of crisis are selecting another item as their top investment priority.
Looking at overall trends, companies naming "Data Integration Infrastructure" as their most increased budget item stood at 18.2%, while the most common response, given by 30.8% of companies, was "do not plan to increase budget for anything."
Challenges are also apparent in the speed of management decisions. In response to the question, "When asked for figures requiring aggregation across multiple data sets at a management meeting, how much time does it take for them to reach you?", 38.0% answered "takes 2-3 days or more." Companies responding "takes 1 week or more, or cannot be calculated" amounted to 10.5%.
Furthermore, regarding the "time spent by marketing or corporate planning personnel solely on 'data extraction, processing, and report creation'," 50.2% of companies responded that it takes over 20 hours per month, revealing the reality that enormous amounts of labor are allocated just to prepare information for management decisions.
Survey Result 4: Integrated Companies Reliably Feel Results—Approx. 90% Experience KPI Improvement
When asked, "By realizing data integration, to what extent have key KPIs such as LTV (Life Time Value) and repeat rate improved compared to before introduction?", approximately 90% of companies reported feeling some level of improvement.
FAQ
Why is data integration necessary in e-commerce?
Without integrating customer, inventory, and behavioral data, AI learning and utilization are hindered, causing companies to fall behind competitors in management decisions and customer service.
Why do many companies not invest in data integration?
There is a gap between awareness and action; while recognized as necessary, it often lacks priority or loses budget to other IT systems.
How does delayed data integration affect operations?
It causes massive delays in data extraction, resulting in half of marketing staff spending over 20 hours a month just on processing data and creating reports.