Which retail trends are set to define 2026? Using location intelligence, we explore the shifting patterns that could shape the retail landscape in the year ahead. In 2026, adaptability will be retailers’ greatest competitive edge. The next era of retail will belong to brands that can continue to refine their operating strategy – while staying true to a clear brand identity.

Ask a dozen marketers, and some will say the customer journey has, in turn, collapsed, condensed, lengthened, looped, died and been born anew. What’s not up for debate is that it has fundamentally changed. That’s what Global CMO of Assembly Bria Bryant helped unpack when we met for a morning of shopping and shop talk. 

“If we look at the way consumer purchase behavior was back in the day, it was: You see an ad, you go to the store, you make a purchase,” said Bryant. “Now, it’s not as linear, and marketers really need to think about things more fluidly. Consumers also aren’t waking up in the morning and thinking, ‘today I’m [exclusively] a digital shopper.’” 

Based on the past five years of analysts’ predictions, one would think that 2023, after a period of pandemic-accelerated trial and error, was going to be the year that live shopping took off in the West. Or maybe it was 2024. No, 2025 has undoubtedly been the year of the live sale, right?

The culture and rapid growth of live shopping in Asia have long entranced U.S. brands. It’s likened to QVC or the Home Shopping Network, but with a faster, more frenetic rhythm that matches our shortened attention spans and drives real-time purchases that add up fast.

Retailers are inundated with operational challenges today. But as they manage tariff turbulence and other immediate concerns, they can’t afford to lose sight of the long-term evolution of the strategic landscape. The tectonic movements gradually reshaping the industry haven’t weakened during this period of economic and geopolitical flux. If anything, they’ve gotten more powerful.

Retail is on the cusp of a profound reinvention that requires bold choices from executive teams over the next decade. Retailers need to embrace AI while retaining human judgment, personalize relevant value at scale, redefine the role of stores and networks, and build for scale beyond borders. The prize will be big for those that act early and reinvest strategically even as they mitigate today’s margin pressure. They won’t just weather the coming change; they’ll help shape a new era of retail excellence.

In today’s competitive market, customer loyalty is more important than ever. With rising acquisition costs and evolving consumer behaviors, businesses need to focus on building lasting relationships with their customers.

From the power of loyalty programs to the growing influence of ethical and personalized marketing, this article compiles essential customer loyalty statistics that will help your brand navigate 2026 and beyond. 

Marketers in 2026 face two priorities: bring back real-world brand experiences and get ready for AI-led discovery, according to the “Signals from the Stage” report from the ANA Masters of Marketing Conference. 

These strategic tensions reflect a rapidly shifting consumer landscape shaped by digital fatigue, rising expectations for personalization and growing reliance on AI agents to handle day-to-day decisions. In this context, brands must reassess how they engage with audiences, both offline and through intelligent digital intermediaries.

Google’s newest model brings deeper reasoning, multimodal intelligence and agentic automation—resetting expectations for what AI delivers for CX.

The Arrival of Gemini 3. Google launches its latest update to Gemini, featuring a simultaneous rollout in its platforms and a new agent development app, Antigravity.

Reasoning meets reality. Gemini 3 brings enhanced reasoning capabilities and a 1 million-token context window, enabling sophisticated analysis of complex customer data in single requests.

Marketing and communications leaders are facing another year of transformation, disruption, and uncertainty. From AI reshaping search and workflows, to video dominating attention, to the professionalization of influencer commerce and the critical role of social customer care, the next twelve months will give us plenty of challenges and opportunities. 

This definitive guide breaks down the 15 biggest trends that will shape the year ahead in marketing, PR, and social media. Each trend comes with clear action points and shows how Meltwater’s suite of solutions can help you not just keep up, but lead.