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JANUARY 7, 2026 |
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Which of the following categories do consumers expect to spend more on in 2026? |
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A) Health and wellness B) Home improvement/furniture & furnishings C) Travel D) Investing |
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TOP STORY |
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Agentic AI is reshaping commerce by removing friction from the middle of the funnel. As shoppers delegate comparison, evaluation, and planning to AI agents, the journey from intent to action is accelerating, raising the stakes for trust, transparency, and brand presence in fewer, faster interactions. |
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IN THE NEWS |
Shoppers turned to AI this holiday season—but mostly for customer service. Globally, AI and agents influenced 20% of all retail sales, or $262 billion in revenues, according to Salesforce’s final holiday tally. Read online |
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Other headlines: |
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Starbucks has a starring role in ‘Beast Games’ season 2. To pull customers back into stores, the company is activating multiple levers to rebuild relevance and excitement. Read online
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Auto sales set to slip in 2026 as affordability concerns mount. Cox Automotive expects auto sales to fall to 15.8 million units this year, down 2.4% YoY while Edmunds also forecast a slight dip, from 16.3 million cars sold in 2025 to 16 million this year. Read online | | | |
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ANALYSIS |
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Five years ago, influencer marketing was seen as experimental. Brands knew they needed to do it, but often didn’t know why. |
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“It was really tactical… We needed content, we needed to work with these folks, but we weren’t exactly sure what that’s getting us,” said Casey DePalma McCartney, chief brand communications officer at Unilever US at an Advertising Week New York session. |
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PODCAST |
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On today's episode, our analysts compete in a "Great British Bake Off"–style competition, discussing how ecommerce's digital shelf will adapt for AI audiences and how retailers will counter AI’s rise by connecting with customers IRL. Tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Or watch our video podcast on YouTube! Follow us on Instagram. |
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