Even if tariffs ease, their effects on consumer behavior will linger into 2026, redefining how consumers evaluate value, loyalty, and where they spend.
This FAQ explains how data clean rooms have become essential infrastructure for retail media, enabling privacy-safe data collaboration, closed-loop measurement, and proof of performance as ad spend grows and marketers demand greater accountability.
China’s ad rebound remains narrow; Q4 spending stabilized, but concentrated in low-risk, performance-driven channels—signaling a cautious market entering 2026.
Wellness is now a full-year play, not just a January focus.
Creator programs become table stakes: Pacsun and David’s Bridal are the latest retailers to rely on social commerce and user-generated buzz to boost sales.
Beijing’s crackdown on ecommerce price wars could put an end to excessive discounts, but demand remains weak.
This FAQ addresses how retail media works, who the major players are, and what marketers should consider when allocating budgets.
Neighborhood Rewards hit physical stores, eyeing loyalty from Gen Z and millennial renters.
As software standardizes, AI features emerge as key differentiators for survival-focused SMBs.
Opt-in discoverability could lock in younger, AI-curious shoppers early.
Legal and political pressure is rising, but shaken consumer confidence may be harder to fix.
28% of retail commerce media decision-makers in North America and Europe say they review and approve creatives manually but lack automation or dynamic capabilities, according to November 2025 data from Koddi and Forrester Consulting.
As AI agents gain traction, reliability will determine if consumers stick around.
As product catalogs grow, content multiplies, and shopping journeys splinter across platforms, AI recommendation engines are becoming the connective tissue between desire and decision. In 2026, retail leaders expect the technology to move from responding to queries to proactively anticipating what consumers want and guiding them through increasingly complex choice environments.
With 63% of consumers expecting unemployment to rise, retailers may face more belt-tightening ahead.
This FAQ examines what's verifiable about ad blocking today and what marketers should watch in 2026.
Kroger, CVS, and others are increasing in-store retail media investments as interest grows.
JPMorgan buys the $20B portfolio at a discount, inheriting risks but gaining a unique opportunity.
With AI-powered security and no retail conflict, Clover’s palm-pay push could win where Amazon stumbled.