AI is reshaping how consumers in Europe discover, compare, and choose products, creating new opportunities and challenges for retailers and brands.

AI is reshaping the banking customer journey, from product discovery to financial action. As AI gains influence and autonomy, banks must work to stay relevant while preserving customer trust and control.

AI adoption is broadening as familiar tools bring new users into the market. Search is becoming a hybrid of AI and traditional behavior, while cheaper subscriptions boost paid adoption but put pressure on revenues per subscriber.

Companies disagree on letting AI complete purchases, but visibility on AI platforms is becoming harder to ignore.

Consumers are making AI part of their health decisions, from researching symptoms to filling gaps in care. As AI moves from answers to action, healthcare brands face a new challenge: being visible and cited while earning consumer trust.

Online marketplaces are taking a bigger share of ecommerce, but rising shopper expectations, tighter margins, and weaker customer relationships are reshaping the opportunity for brands and retailers.

AI is gaining influence over what consumers discover and consider long before it commands a meaningful share of the digital economy. But existing advantages in reaching consumers, earning trust, and driving transactions still matter.

AI referrals convert at higher rates, despite limited scale: Marketers should measure value per visit and build AI visibility alongside SEO.

ChatGPT and Gemini have emerged as the clear leaders in the genAI platform race. Their advantage in awareness, usage, and paid adoption is widening the gap with rivals and shaping where marketers should focus their attention.

PayPal’s fusion with Stripe could reorder the landscape of crypto, BNPL, agentic commerce and digital wallets.

Last November, we identified 11 trends we expected to shape the business landscape in 2026. Our Trends 2026 update reveals where expectations are holding, where surprises have emerged, and what businesses should watch through year-end.

Exclusive data shows AI shopping trails habits: Just 16.6% use genAI weekly for shopping, making major marketing investments premature.

Reddit helps shoppers vet AI advice: Consumers check AI recommendations on Reddit, giving brands purchase influence that clicks may not capture.

Perplexity’s win makes it harder to keep AI shopping agents off retail sites.

AI answers now drive more brand searches: Marketers should watch citation share and search lift, not just page views.

Agentic commerce is reorganizing retail around five ecosystem layers. As AI agents gain influence, retailers and brands must decide where to compete, where to partner, and who controls the customer relationship.

GenAI user penetration is high across Asia-Pacific, but every country has its nuances. Government policy, local AI ecosystems, demographics, and digital infrastructure are creating distinct paths to adoption in China, India, Japan, and South Korea.

Optimization lags as AI search becomes a top distribution channel: Regular audits and fresh content are imperative as zero-click AI answers narrow visibility.

A successful takeover could reorder the balance of power for digital wallets and agentic commerce.

Issuers should design products around value and essentials as consumers demonstrate resilience.