Kantar Marketing Trends 2026.

Kantar's annual planning guide sets out ten shifts it expects to shape marketing in 2026. AI runs through most of them, from shoppers briefing their own AI agents to brands needing to be legible to the models that recommend them, alongside retail media, creators and smaller online communities.

Key findings

• Agents of change: AI agents will shop and choose on people's behalf. 24% of AI users already use an AI shopping assistant, so brands must be findable and persuasive to machines as well as people.
• Generative Engine Optimisation is the new SEO. 3 in 4 AI-assistant users regularly seek out AI recommendations; if a model doesn't know your brand, it won't recommend it.
• Synthetic data and audiences move from hype to practice; Kantar says its synthetic boosting reaches 94–95% accuracy against real data.
• AI-powered creative testing becomes creative intelligence; 74% of marketers say they are excited about generative AI.
• Treatonomics: small everyday indulgences keep spending alive, with 36% of consumers willing to take on short-term debt for things they enjoy.
• Retail media keeps growing: over 200 retail media networks, 1.8x better results than digital ads, and a net 38% of marketers plan to spend more there in 2026.
• Creators must prove business impact: a net 61% of marketers plan to raise creator investment, yet only 27% of creator content ties strongly to the brand.

Why it matters

Most of these trends are already live in the Gulf, from AI search to Snapchat and TikTok creators to retail media at the big grocers. The practical takeaways are to plan for AI discovery and to hold creator work to brand metrics.

About this report

Published by Kantar, November 2025 (for 2026 planning). Free, with sign-up. Get the full report from Kantar