The retail landscape
As 2026 begins, retail is changing quickly. Consumer behavior and new technologies are reshaping the market. Understanding relevant trends helps businesses prepare.
The changing consumer
Retail is driven by consumers. The article describes more selective, careful purchasing in 2026. The Consumer Outlook Guide to 2026, a global study by NIQ (NielsenIQ), reports that shoppers assess purchases more closely and seek value, clarity and trust, as well as price.
In this environment, caution has become the norm. Living costs and the number of available options continue to rise. Consumers research more, compare more and consider decisions more carefully.
Technology can help throughout the journey, supporting comparison, convenience and more personalized service.
Technology and artificial intelligence
The article describes a shift from simple service chatbots toward AI agents: systems that observe, decide and act automatically to complete assigned tasks.
– AI is becoming less noticeable within everyday processes, making some interactions feel more natural;
– Research by Gartner forecasts that by the end of 2026, 40% of enterprise applications will include task-specific AI agents. This compares with 5% in the previous year;
– The Capgemini figures cited here report that 64% of shoppers are open to new products suggested by AI.
Possible retail applications include:
Demand forecasting: estimating which products will sell based on store activity and seasonality to support stock planning and reduce waste.
Back-office automation: helping businesses use pricing and cash-control tools.
Purchasing support: identifying likely repeat-purchase needs and suggesting products based on customer habits.
Customer and sales recovery: using AI to support giftback offers that encourage inactive customers to return and increase average purchase value.
Personalization at scale: using agents to serve many customers efficiently.
These technologies also support another trend: hyper-personalization.
Hyper-personalization
Beyond basic personal details, this approach considers shopping behavior, needs and context to select the message, timing and channel.
Examples include:
• Paid ads for products or services a shopper recently explored;
• Offers selected for a particular signed-in e-commerce customer.
The aim is to make customers feel understood and make relevant offers easier to find.
Trade marketing in 2026
Technology supports retailers, while the point of sale remains important to customer decisions.
The Varejo S.A. perspective cited here emphasizes human contact. Promoters do more than replenish shelves: they connect data with consistent in-store execution and build trust.
Specialist Jorge Luis Barreda identifies five changes for a more effective point of sale:
Close attention to stock: apps can flag unavailable products or incorrect prices, helping avoid wasted visits and lost sales.
Smarter shelves: allocate space to products customers actually buy and keep them easy to find.
Decisions in seconds: Barreda describes a three-to-five-second decision window, making clear, direct messages important.
An approach for each store: a neighborhood shop may emphasize relationships and speed, while a hypermarket focuses on promotions and signs.
Fewer barriers: make products easy to locate and remove obstacles from the shopping journey.
What does this mean?
The article's outlook for 2026 is a more attentive consumer seeking simple experiences consistent with brand promises.
Retailers need to identify which trends fit their business and audience. Understanding the environment, improving processes and making considered decisions can reduce improvisation.
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Sources: https://www.supervarejo.com.br/varejo/calendario-promocional-do-varejo-2026-aproveite-datas-sazonais https://www.supervarejo.com.br/varejo/tendencias-do-varejo-para-2026-mudam-a-experiencia-de-compra https://exame.com/marketing/nrf-2026-10-tendencias-e-previsoes-que-vao-moldar-o-varejo-em-2026/ https://inforchannel.com.br/2026/01/10/cinco-tendencias-que-irao-moldar-a-industria-e-o-varejo-em-2026/ https://exame.com/bussola/as-4-tendencias-que-guiarao-o-varejo-popular-em-2026/ https://blog.vocedm.com.br/principais-tendencias-do-varejo-para-2026/ https://www.totvs.com/blog/gestao-varejista/tendencias-do-varejo/ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jorge-luis-barreda_trademarketing-shoppermarketing-puntodeventa-activity-7396330990182301696-UoFo/ https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/report/2025/consumer-outlook-guide-to-2026/