Driving brand growth depends on getting more people to buy from your brand more often. In pursuit of this, there are often misconceptions and misinformation that focus wholly on customer retention/loyalty or customer acquisition. Across every brand/retailer and category Circana tracks, retention and acquisition are deeply connected. For brands to sustainably and consistently grow, they need to understand the driving forces behind consumer behavior, and more importantly, understand the complexities of modern consumers.

From Gen Z to boomers, adoption is accelerating across all age groups, reshaping how consumers live, shop, and interact. But as AI becomes mainstream, concerns around trust is rising. From hype to habit: How consumers are embracing AI, the latest research brief from the Capgemini Research Institute, explores this evolving landscape, drawing insights from a survey of 10,000 consumers from 13 countries across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. The results reveal how attitudes toward AI have shifted over the past two years, and what this means for businesses aiming to innovate responsibly. Key findings include:

The 2026 Retail Promotions Study reveals how US shoppers engage with various incentives, including coupons, discounts, and loyalty programs, and how these behaviors are evolving across online and in-store shopping environments.

Read XCCommerce’s infographic to gain insights on:

Key shopper behavior motivators

What establishes long-term customer loyalty

How influences such as the economy, technology, and consumer sentiment are redefining retail promotion strategies

Pinterest isn’t just where ideas start, it’s where shoppers make decisions. Consumers now use Pinterest as a visual search engine, arriving with plans, projects, and purchase intent already in motion. For brands selling across retailers and their own sites, this usage creates a high-impact moment to influence discovery and guide shoppers directly to where they prefer to buy.

Leading brands are using Pinterest to drive high-intent commerce: optimizing for search-driven behavior, making every touchpoint instantly shoppable, and connecting media to measurable omnichannel outcomes. Read on to learn how to ensure your products show up prominently, showcase availability in real time, and convert when inspiration turns into action.

Gen AI is quickly becoming the front door to commerce, but not the checkout lane. To earn high intent traffic through a reshaped funnel, retailers & brands need to be discoverable in the platforms during research, inspiration, and price comparison. They need to earn this new high intent traffic through content + agentic commerce strategy.

Gen AI is a decision accelerator, not a transaction destination (yet). Awareness and usage are very high across generations (88% of respondents are familiar if not using, with 69% using already). But intent to purchase through Gen AI platforms is low with most respondents preferring to further research & transact on a brand or retailer website.

Consumer behaviour is changing fast, and 2026 is going to accelerate every shift we started to see this year. From frictionless shopping and fading brand loyalty to the rise of wellness tech, smart homes, and micro-communities, the year ahead will change more than what people buy. It will change how they discover products, make decisions, and connect with brands across channels and moments. 

In our latest survey of 1,000 consumers across the US, UK, and AUS/NZ, we explore how shoppers are broadening their use of different digital channels, platforms, and apps to seek inspiration and information about brands, products, and trends. This report reaffirms that consumers are embracing mode-centric shopping experiences and that AI platforms specifically are empowering them to get the contextual ideas and recommendations they expect.

How AI is changing what it means to be ‘on the list,’ turning data into discovery. Holiday shopping is a season of tradition. Families gather, retailers roll out promotions, and consumers search for the perfect gifts. Yet in 2025, traditions are colliding with a dramatic shift in how products are discovered, recommended and purchased. A growing share of shoppers, especially Gen Z and millennials, are kicking off holiday shopping on artificial intelligence platforms instead of search engines, social channels or direct retailer sites, marking a fundamental change in where and how commerce happens.