What’s Shaping Retail in 2026?

Introducing Advantage Solutions “State of the Industry” — First Half 2026

It’s shaping up to be the year “value” rewrites the rules. From cautious optimism to relentless value-seeking, our Advantage360™ State of the Industry report maps what’s changing and what that means for you.

This isn’t a forecast that sits on a shelf. It’s a working read on the four forces reshaping retail right now:

• The macro picture — a soft-landing economy with a value-seeking shopper at its center
• The Value Now shopper — spending up, sentiment down, and a cart that economizes and splurges at once
• Channel transformation — trips fragmenting and online redrawing the path to purchase
• AI-powered retail — from discovery to delivery, the rules of getting found are being rewritten

Wherever your shoppers are headed, this is the read that helps you get there first.