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EMARKETER

Retail Trends to Watch in 2026

AI’s Impact Is Top of Mind Across the Path to Purchase

Report by Sky Canaves, Blake Droesch  |  Nov 17, 2025

Top Trends to Watch in 2026

Need-to-Know Trends Reshaping the Digital Future

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Report
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Table of Contents
AI commerce will join the forces chipping away at Amazon’s marketplace dominance
Retailers will counter AI’s rise by connecting with customers IRL
AI-generated content will drive retailers to strengthen their ties to human creators
The digital shelf for ecommerce will adapt to speak to AI audiences
Retailers will revamp loyalty programs for the coming era of AI commerce
Sources
Media Gallery
About This Report
Future-proofing against—and capitalizing on—advances in consumer-facing AI will be the overarching theme for retailers in 2026.
Topics
Retail Ecommerce Sales
United States
Table of Contents
AI commerce will join the forces chipping away at Amazon’s marketplace dominance
Retailers will counter AI’s rise by connecting with customers IRL
AI-generated content will drive retailers to strengthen their ties to human creators
The digital shelf for ecommerce will adapt to speak to AI audiences
Retailers will revamp loyalty programs for the coming era of AI commerce
Sources
Media Gallery

The impact of AI on consumer behavior is the overarching challenge retailers will face in 2026, as the technology continues to move beyond internal and operational use cases. Its rapid pace of development will compel retailers to rethink how they approach every consumer touchpoint, from physical stores to loyalty programs, product detail pages, and creator relationships.

Here’s what’s in the full report

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Table of Contents

  1. AI commerce will join the forces chipping away at Amazon’s marketplace dominance
  2. Retailers will counter AI’s rise by connecting with customers IRL
  3. AI-generated content will drive retailers to strengthen their ties to human creators
  1. The digital shelf for ecommerce will adapt to speak to AI audiences
  2. Retailers will revamp loyalty programs for the coming era of AI commerce
  3. Sources
  1. Media Gallery

Charts in This Report

Consumers Rank In-Store Experiences and Events as Most MemorableSocial Media Drives Far More Product Discovery Than AI Shopping Assistants and Tools
Brands Need to Create Product Content That Will Resonate With 3 Distinct Shopping AudiencesConsumers Are Likely to Turn to AI Agents to Maximize Their Loyalty Program Benefits

authors

Sky Canaves, Blake Droesch

Contributors

Suzy Davidkhanian
VP, Content
Penelope Lin
Director, Data Visualization
Cindy Liu
Senior Forecasting Analyst
Wendy Malloy
Director, Reports Editor
Emma Noyes
Graphic Designer, Data Visualization
Naomi Rebuelta
Copy Editor
Amy Rotondo
Director, US Research
Shelleen Shum
VP, Forecasting
Matt Torpey
Senior Chart Editor
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