Technological advancements will continue to reshape consumer behaviour in 2026. Now in its 10th year, this annual report explores the top shopper trends that will redefine commerce in the year ahead. The trends included in this year’s edition highlight the growing ubiquity of generative AI, the increasing popularity of brand-produced digital entertainment content, the convergence of buy now, pay later (BNPL) and loyalty programmes, and the rise of the personalised digital health solutions market
Delivery
This report comes in PPT.
Key findings
SearchGPT
As generative AI (GenAI) surges in popularity, consumers are increasingly utilising GenAI platforms in place of traditional search engines when searching for products and services to buy online. Brands are responding to this rapid shift by pivoting from traditional search engine optimisation (SEO) marketing strategies to those centred on “generative engine optimisation” (“GEO”).
Chat Checkout
As GenAI platforms transform product search, they are also increasingly integrating capabilities that allow for in-chat payments, making it possible for transactions to be conducted directly within the platforms. The development is redefining convenience and trust in e-commerce, as shoppers come to expect frictionless, secure and personalised payments without ever leaving the chat.
Shoppertainment
Digital consumers increasingly turn to social media platforms for interactive, entertaining content. Taking a cue from social media, a growing number of brands and retailers are now producing their own entertainment-focused content - across formats such as livestreams, micro dramas and variety shows - blending social media, retail and entertainment to redefining digital engagement.
Earn Now, Pay Later
BNPL providers are increasingly embedding loyalty programmes to evolve from transactional credit offerings into multi-benefit platforms. These programmes align financing with rewards, creating a seamless experience that drives repeat usage, deepens customer relationships and maximises long-term economic returns.
Hyper-Personalised Health
Consumers are increasingly comfortable using health apps and wearables to monitor their vitals and provide personalised insights into their wellbeing. Growing trust in technologies such as GenAI is now driving demand for hyper-personalised digital health solutions, prompting brands to leverage technology to create products and services tailored to individual users’ specific wellness needs.
Why read this report?
Key findings
A snapshot of the global digital shopper in 2026
Leveraging the Retail Reinvention Framework to reach the digital shopper
The five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce in 2026
Digital shoppers are increasingly using GenAI platforms in place of search engines
The allure of convenience is driving the consumer shift to GenAI-powered search
Brands of all kinds are shifting marketing spend towards generative engine optimisation
Galderma revamps its online product descriptions for a GenAI world
Amazon and Walmart embrace GEO in India
A drop in Reddit attributions in ChatGPT responses complicates brands’ GEO strategies
The GEO future is already here
As GenAI platforms compress shopping journeys, in-chat payments rise
Growing consumer trust in digital wallets paves the way for AI-native checkout
Industry players gear up to orchestrate the chat checkout experience
PayPal becomes the first digital wallet integrated into ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout
Instacart app launches in ChatGPT as the first fully embedded grocery platform
Platform power clash: Amazon challenges Perplexity’s autonomous shopping agent
Chat checkout reshapes the shopping experience - and where value is captured
In an era of choice and distractions, consumers expect concise, personalised content
Growing user demand drives innovation and growth of novel entertainment formats
Brands invest in content capabilities to drive engagement and online sales growth
Brand-negotiation variety shows blend fun, engagement and best prices in China
P&G brand Native to launch micro drama “The Golden Pear Affair” in early 2026
Vinted launches RE/Style, a streaming TV series showcasing second-hand fashion
Interactive, fun and concise content is key to user engagement and loyalty
The flex pay revolution
Beyond payments: BNPL as a loyalty engine
Players are bundling financing, rewards and customer insights
Loyalty reimagined: Klarna at the helm
Zilch: The power of a seamless customer journey
Atokara : Widening customer reach at the core of its strategy
The next loyalty inflection: BNPL as a strategic accelerator
Personal health monitoring has become mainstream and data-driven
GenAI transforms digital personalised health
Brands and retailers are evolving from product sellers to trusted digital health partners
Fay partners with Amazon’s Health Benefits Connector
New Nestlé Health Science Store features the AI-powered Anura Magic Mirror
To revive its fortunes, Oriflame turns to digital personalised health solutions
Consumers expect retailers and brands to be trusted health partners
Recommendations for growth
Channels: Helping you understand where and how consumers shop
Retail
Retail is the sale of new and used goods to consumers from a business for personal or household consumption from retail outlets, kiosks, market stalls, vending, direct selling and e-commerce. Retail is the aggregation of Retail Offline and Retail E-Commerce. Excludes specialist retailers of motor vehicles, motorcycles, vehicle parts. Also excludes fuel sales, foodservice sales, rental transactions, and wholesale sales (e.g. Cash and Carry). Sales value excluding or including VAT/Sales Tax. Retail also excludes the informal retail sector. Informal retailing is retail trade which is not declared to the tax authorities. Informal retailing encompasses (a) sales generated by unregistered and unlicensed retailers, i.e. retailers operating illegally, and (b) any proportion of sales generated by a registered and licensed retailer that is not declared to the tax authorities. Unregistered and unlicensed retailers operate predominantly (although not exclusively) as street hawkers or operate open market stalls, as these channels are harder for the authorities to monitor than permanent outlets. Activities in the illegal market, which is usually understood to refer to trade in illegal, counterfeit or stolen merchandise, are included within our definition of informal retailing. Activities in the “grey market”, which is usually understood to refer to trade in legal merchandise that is sold through unauthorized channels – for example cigarettes bought legally in another country, legally imported, but sold at lower prices than in authorized channels – will be included as informal retailing if no tax is paid on sale by the retailer. However if the retailer pays tax – for example on cigarettes bought legally in another country but sold at a lower price than standard – the sale is included within formal retail.
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