New Year, New Me:

As consumers adopt new habits in the new year, brands must meet them where they are — equipped with real-time insights and shoppable media experiences. Powered by first-party data, MikMak helps brands understand the macrotrends shaping 2026 commerce and turn seasonal motivation into measurable results through frictionless shoppability and precise analytics.

In this report, you’ll discover the emerging forces that will define 2026 and how your brand can take advantage of shifting trends, with specific insights and recommendations for Grocery, Alcohol, Beauty, Personal Care, and Health & Wellness brands.

1. AI Commerce Agents Will Redefine How People Shop

According to McKinsey Research, intelligent AI agents capable of anticipating needs, comparing products, and executing purchases are set to transform the digital commerce experience, projecting up to five trillion dollars in global retail influenced by this new model by 2030.

MikMak data further underscores this point, revealing that MikMak customers have seen a more than 150x rise in ChatGPT referral traffic since December.

ChatGPT Traffic Over Time | Dec 2024 - Sep 2025

These shopping agents will represent the next evolution of eCommerce marketing, making every product feed, ad placement, and data connection more important than ever. Brands that want to win in 2026 need to structure their content and data in ways these systems can easily interpret and recommend. Using Where-to-Buy tools and implementing a strong omnichannel marketing strategy will ensure your products stay discoverable and shoppable across every channel.

2. Shoppers Are Shopping Across A Diverse Array of Platforms

Adobe’s 2025 Digital Insights Report revealed a ten percent year-over-year increase in online holiday spending, driven largely by convenience and personalization.

At the same time, Forbes predicts that immersive commerce, sustainability, and AI-powered personalization will define 2026 commerce. These trends point to an ecosystem where commerce media and real-time analytics connect awareness, engagement, and conversion in one continuous loop.

Research in MikMak’s recent Omnichannel Commerce Strategy Playbook showed that consumers are most likely to convert from Paid Search media, and most traffic is coming from Paid Social. However, a large portion of product discovery is happening on Organic Search.

As the data shows, while Paid Search and Social lead when driving awareness, balancing media across channels can lead to conversions throughout the shopper journey. Here are MikMak’s best practices and examples for each channel so your brand can optimize its omnichannel campaign strategy.

3. Data-Driven Agility Is the Key to Brand Profitability

For brands asking “How can my brand prepare for 2026?,” the answer lies in agility and leveraging actionable insights. Adopt an always-on approach across social, retailer, and owned channels. Invest in first-party data to understand which moments drive purchase intent. Use real-time commerce media insights to measure performance end-to-end and adapt strategy in real time.

2026 will reward brands that act on insights quickly, connect every shoppable experience, and build personalized commerce experiences across the entire path to purchase.

Perspectives from Our Partners at Pinterest

Visual discovery continues to be one of the most powerful drivers of inspiration and intent.

“Our platform is designed for moments of intention. People come to Pinterest with goals in mind, giving brands an opportunity to meet them at the very start of their journey.”

— Carlos Garcia, VP of Sales, CPG, Pinterest 

As discussed in our webinar with Pinterest, The Magnum Ice Cream Company, and Spieckerman Retail, nearly 96 percent of Pinterest searches are unbranded, meaning consumers are open to discovering new products. Combined with MikMak’s first-party data, Pinterest enables brands to connect discovery with checkout in a measurable way.

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“With partners like MikMak, advertisers on Pinterest can reach and measure in detail the audiences ready to buy, helping close the loop from inspiration to conversion.”

— Carlos Garcia, Pinterest

Pinterest’s integration with MikMak’s Headless Commerce API and its proprietary technology makes every ad shoppable without leaving the platform. This eliminates friction and gives marketers the insights needed to refine creative, retailer strategies, and media performance across the funnel.