11 retail trends for 2026: Charting the future of retail

Tl;DR: Retail in 2026 is more connected, more considered, and more shaped by AI and social discovery than ever. Shoppers move fluidly between online and store, use AI to research far more than to buy, and reward brands that deliver genuine value and convenience. These are the 11 retail trends shaping how people buy, each backed by GWI consumer data.

Retail trends move faster than a TikTok Shop product cycle - viral one week, gone the next. With more ways to shop than ever, retailers need to keep pace with consumers' constantly shifting expectations.

The latest in consumer trends reveal what people are buying right now, and where retail is headed for the rest of 2026 and beyond.

We've got the consumer insight to help you work out what's next in retail. Let's get into it.

Top 11 retail trends worth watching:

1. Omnichannel shopping
2. AI in retail
3. Social commerce
4. Retail media
5. Marketplace discovery
6. In-person shopping
7. Frictionless delivery
8. Athleisure
9. Sustainable shopping
10. Value-seeking shoppers
11. Loyalty and rewards

1. Omnichannel shopping

Omnichannel shopping is the blend of online and in-store within a single journey. People research in one channel and buy in another, and increasingly expect the two to feel like one continuous experience, not separate worlds.

Globally, 58% prefer shopping online, while 42% still prefer hitting the stores in person (GWI, 2026). Baby boomers are the only group where a majority prefers in-store shopping, but that doesn't mean it's irrelevant to younger generations. More than 2 in 5 Gen Z (41%) say they prefer it to shopping online, a figure that's barely moved in years. The physical store experience still holds real value, even for the generation that grew up shopping on a phone.

But what does that experience need to deliver? For Gen Z, it’s more than convenience. 38% say the ability to touch or feel an item is the most important reason to shop in-store for a considered purchase, while 18% are more likely to do so when the store offers an immersive or interactive environment (GWI, 2026). That's the gap "phygital" retail is built to close - combining the speed of online research with something a screen genuinely can't replicate.

Lululemon does this well. Its stores regularly partner with local fitness studios and bakeries to run in-store classes and events, turning a retail visit into something worth showing up for beyond the purchase itself.

Streamlining the checkout experience will also help win over older shoppers, both in-store and online.

2. AI in retail

AI in retail now covers two distinct behaviours: personalised recommendations and AI used as a research assistant to compare products, prices and features before buying.

Sentiment has cooled since AI first hit the mainstream. Only 34% of Gen Z now say AI benefits society, down sharply from a couple of years ago (GWI, 2026). But that hasn't slowed adoption. 33% use AI tools to get detailed product information, 31% for price comparisons and 30% to compare features. 26% use AI for personalisation, while 19% have used AI for shopping recommendations, such as product suggestions or outfit planning, in the past month. People don't have to love AI to use it.

The gap between sentiment and behaviour is even clearer when AI gets closer to spending someone's money. 25% are comfortable with an AI agent researching on their behalf, but that drops to just 8% when the agent completes the purchase itself (GWI, 2026). Consumer trust isn't keeping pace with the technology.

Retailers don't need to build for fully autonomous checkout yet. They need product information that's clear and structured enough for AI to understand, because that's where shoppers are already using it.

3. Social commerce

Social commerce is discovery and purchase happening inside social platforms, from feed to checkout. For many shoppers, the path to purchase now starts in the feed, not a search bar. 26% of consumers use social media to find products to buy (GWI, 2026). On Instagram, that rises to 62% of users.

The effect is even stronger among younger audiences. 33% of Gen Z discover new brands through social media ads, 83% more than Baby Boomers. They're also 335% more likely than Boomers to discover a brand through a celebrity or influencer endorsement, and 216% more likely to buy because of one.

Live shopping takes this from discovery to purchase. 24% of Millennials have bought a product through live commerce platforms such as TikTok Live or Instagram Live, compared with just 2% of Baby Boomers – a twelve-fold gap. Platforms are also removing friction from that moment: TikTok's virtual try-on feature, rolled out in late 2025, has already cut apparel return rates by 31% and lifted conversion by 27%.

Cultural relevance drives discovery, but the platforms are closing the gap between seeing something and owning it. Make social creative actionable, not just aspirational.

4. Retail media

Retail media is advertising sold across a retailer's digital platforms, including product pages, search results and apps, using the first-party data it holds on its shoppers.

It isn't a consumer-facing trend in the same way as hybrid shopping or social commerce, but it's too significant to ignore. Worldwide retail media ad spend is forecast to reach $196.7 billion in 2026, accounting for roughly 16% of global ad spend (WARC, 2026). That's up from around $150 billion just a couple of years ago, so it's no surprise more brands want a slice.

Competition is fierce, with retailers racing to launch their own media networks and generate revenue from their digital platforms. For consumers, 23% now typically discover new brands through retail websites, while 18% have clicked a sponsored ad or post in the past month (GWI, 2026). This isn't just an ad-industry story; it's shaping discovery.

For retailers, these networks are more than a revenue stream. They deepen brand partnerships and can help fund a better shopping experience for the customers generating that data.

5. Marketplace discovery

Marketplace discovery is using online retailers and marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay, to research and compare products, not just to complete a purchase.

It's a bigger role than "discovery" alone suggests. 58% of consumers now primarily use online retailers such as Amazon to research products before purchase (GWI, 2026), putting marketplaces ahead of most other research channels. Search engines still lead overall brand discovery at 33%. But once someone is comparing options, the marketplace becomes the decision-making environment, with reviews, ratings and related listings doing the convincing.

That rewards strong marketplace visibility, credible ratings and smart use of the retail media placements alongside product listings (see Retail media, above). It's where interest and intent overlap – a chance to reach someone already in a shopping mindset, with the next step just a tap away.

6. In-person shopping

In-person shopping is the continued pull of the physical store, not just as a place to buy, but as somewhere to discover something new. Once shoppers are through the door, the experience still has to earn the visit.

Discovery hasn't moved fully online. 21% of shoppers typically find new brands through in-store ads, displays and promotions (GWI, 2026), close to what marketplaces deliver. Retailers are investing accordingly. CVS is on track for around 11,000 in-store digital screens by the end of 2026. Its own research finds that 54% of shoppers say the screens are useful, with 20% taking action after seeing one. Walmart Connect has gone further, with roughly 170,000 screens across 4,600 stores tied directly to register data, allowing an aisle impression to be linked to an actual sale.

But discovery only gets someone through the door. What happens next determines whether the visit converts. For considered and luxury purchases, GWI's data shows what matters most: 34% are more likely to buy when there's a free gift or sample, 29% want a wide range of sizes and fit options, and 21% cite tidy, well-kept displays as a deciding factor. Kohl's is betting heavily on this, rolling out around 100 new small-format stores through 2026, alongside a deeper in-store Sephora partnership bringing in brands such as MAC and Charlotte Tilbury.

The store isn't competing with the website for attention. It's a discovery surface and an experience in its own right. Retailers that invest in both are better placed to capture the full value of a physical visit.

7. Frictionless delivery

Frictionless delivery is now table stakes at checkout: free shipping, easy returns and fast, convenient fulfilment. Get it wrong and it can undo everything that went right earlier in the journey.

Free delivery remains the single most-wanted feature, named by 52% of shoppers, or around 942 million people (GWI, 2026). Easy returns follow at 33%, then next-day delivery at 30% and click & collect at 15%.

Our on-demand world keeps raising the bar. Amazon is rolling out "Amazon Now", a new 10-to-20-minute dark-store delivery service, with a target of more than 1,000 dark stores by the end of 2026. It's a clear signal of how far delivery expectations have moved. Competitors will increasingly need to keep pace.

Returns matter just as much as speed. Baby boomers are the group most likely to prioritise an easy returns policy: 40% do, 28% more than the average shopper. This isn't just a younger-shopper preference; it's close to universal.

Real-time order tracking, flexible delivery windows, alternative drop-off points and clear communication about delays all build the trust that keeps shoppers coming back, regardless of how fast the fastest competitor gets.

8. Athleisure

Athleisure is activewear worn as everyday clothing. It's proved far more durable than a passing fashion moment and is now a wardrobe default rather than a niche look.

The numbers back that up when you look at athleisure trends. 38% of people wear activewear for non-athletic occasions once or twice a week, while 20% do it most days (GWI, 2026). Together, that means well over half of consumers have made it a routine habit, not an occasional one. Among sports fans, 32% have bought sports-brand leisure clothing in the last six months.

The old worry that athleisure might be "tailing off" as the market gets crowded hasn't played out. If anything, the category is moving upmarket. There's real appetite for premium crossover: 61% of luxury watch buyers are interested in a luxury or designer brand collaborating with Nike, while 55% want the same with Adidas. Zegna is already there. Its January 2026 collaboration with technical running brand Norda produced five models in Zegna's signature colours, bringing Italian luxury craftsmanship to a performance shoe.

The lesson for category brands: treat performance and lifestyle as one line, not two. Limited-edition collaborations with luxury houses, designers or cultural brands can keep a mature category feeling fresh.

9. Sustainable shopping

Sustainable shopping reflects demand for eco-friendly products and brands, tempered by growing price sensitivity. Intention and behaviour don't always line up.

On the surface, the numbers look strong: 58% say they'd pay more for an eco-friendly product, while 40% want the brands they buy from to be eco-friendly (GWI, 2026). But only 28% prefer sustainable or eco-friendly food products day to day, and the same proportion prefer locally sourced food. Preference for organic sits slightly higher, at 35%.

The gap between intention and behaviour is the real story. People have good intentions, but as prices rise, sustainability becomes harder to prioritise. Consumers are more likely to make the eco-friendly choice when they can comfortably afford it.

The retailers getting this right aren't selling sustainability as a premium; they're pricing it out of the equation. Amazon's 365 by Whole Foods line uses the retailer's scale to bring organic and sustainably sourced groceries to a competitive price point, rather than charging shoppers extra for making the better choice.

That's the model worth following: make the sustainable option easy and affordable, built into the product and price rather than sold at a green premium.

10. Value-seeking shoppers

Value-seeking shoppers are becoming more deliberate about spending, across every income level – not just among budget-conscious households.

71% of people now prefer to save up and wait for a product rather than buy it immediately (GWI, 2026), while 44% actively use discount codes or coupons when shopping. Private label is winning as a result: 67% of own-label buyers now purchase fresh or refrigerated own-label products, a meaningful jump from a few years ago.

Retailers are responding by making private label genuinely premium, not just cheap. Kroger relaunched its Simple Truth range in January 2026 with 24 new high-protein products, taking the line past 110 products. It's proof that "own brand" no longer has to mean compromise.

This reframes what "premium" means. Shoppers will still trade up, but they need to see the value in every purchase, whether that's a $4 own-label yoghurt or a considered luxury buy. Brands that can't make that value case explicit risk losing ground to the store brand next to them on the shelf.

11. Loyalty and rewards

Loyalty and rewards are increasingly influencing what people buy, where they buy it and how much they spend – well beyond simple retention. 33% of shoppers use loyalty or rewards programmes, roughly 1.05 billion people (GWI, 2026), while 45% specifically engage with grocery loyalty schemes. Just 13% don't participate in any loyalty programme. This is close to a default behaviour now, not a niche one.

The pull reaches premium categories too: 36% are more likely to buy luxury or designer products when loyalty rewards are available. And it's not just about points. 58% say they're more likely to engage with a brand community when they can earn rewards for it.

The programmes winning now have moved beyond simple discounts. Nike's "Member Days" ties exclusive product drops to engagement history rather than a generic points balance, treating loyalty as an experience worth showing up for. That distinction matters as underlying brand loyalty softens: loyalty programmes increasingly carry more of the retention burden themselves.

Loyalty data is also a first-party asset, not just a retention tool. It gives brands a direct read on what people actually buy, sharpening everything from segmentation to the next campaign.