At A Glance
2026 marketing trends reveal that people will spend more intentionally, prioritize value and simplicity, and expect personalization that’s transparent and privacy-first. Omnichannel journeys and micro-moments will shape how they shop, with generational differences influencing trust and digital expectations. Experian helps marketers respond with privacy-first identity, high-quality audience intelligence, and omnichannel activation that drive relevant and measurable performance.In this article…
The 2026 consumer is reconsidering how they want to engage with businesses. Research from Nielsen anticipates that in 2026, people will spend more intentionally, think more critically, and expect more from the brands they invite into their lives. They want clear value, marketing experiences that make decisions easier, and personalization that respects their privacy and improves the moment they’re in.
This change has big implications for marketers. Winning in 2026 will require understanding the motivations, concerns, and trust drivers behind consumer behavior. This means embracing a privacy-first identity foundation, deep audience intelligence, high-quality and ethically sourced data, omnichannel activation, and measurement that closes the loop across channels.
Below, we break down consumer shifts shaping 2026 and how you can translate them into practical strategies for 2026.
How will consumer behavior change in 2026, and how should marketers respond?
Consumers are going into 2026 feeling deeply cautious. According to 2026 consumer outlook data, 32.8% of global shoppers say they’re financially worse off than last year, and 73% of those consumers cite rising cost-of-living pressures as the reason.
Ultimately, people are spending, but they’re directing most of their dollars toward core categories like food, health, and household care. That mix of caution and restraint is shaping what they want from brands: clear value, relevant personalization, and simple, low-effort experiences that make choices feel easier and worthwhile.
Want more details on how consumer caution shaped the peak buying season in 2025? Explore our 2025 Holiday spending trends and insights report for insights that can set the foundation for your 2026 strategy.
Here are the consumer trends we expect to shape decision-making most in 2026 and how Experian can help you adapt.
Economic stability will outweigh values
Consumers are prioritizing the realities of their household budgets going into 2026. Global consumer research shows that environmental concerns fell from the #4 global worry to #9 in 2025, while financial pressures and geopolitical issues moved to the top of the list.
People still care about brand values, but economic stability is becoming a stronger driver behind how they decide what to buy, where to shop, and which brands they trust. Consumers want brands to be responsible, fair, and transparent, but they also expect brand values to align with their financial reality.
| Insight | Data point |
| Consumers who feel financially worse off than last year | 32.8% |
| Of those, consumers citing cost-of-living pressures | 73% |
| Environmental concerns falling in priority (2024 to 2025) | #4 to #9 in top global worries |
Source: Consumer Outlook: Guide to 2026
For your marketing, this means shifting from broad value messaging to audience-specific offers tailored to each group’s financial situation, understanding:
- Who feels financially stretched
- Who still has spending flexibility
- Who is shifting habits subtly (frequency, basket size, channel choice)
How marketers should respond to this trend
Experian helps brands read financial signals with accuracy. Using generational segments, income bands, lifestyle indicators, and geo-indexed audiences, you can distinguish between:
- Value-seeking shoppers who prioritize stretch, savings, and reliability
- Higher-income households motivated by sustainability, wellness, or premium experiences
- Multigenerational families with diverse influencers and decision drivers
- Urban vs. suburban households with different price sensitivities and convenience factors
Paired with Experian’s privacy-first identity graph, your brand can activate audiences aligned with consumer insights across commerce media networks (CMNs), connected TV (CTV), social platforms, and programmatic channels using curated private marketplaces (PMPs). This ensures your messaging reflects the financial realities of consumers in 2026. Experian’s predictive insight capabilities also help forecast shifts in financial mindset, enabling you to anticipate change instead of reacting to it.
As financial caution shapes everyday choices, the next question becomes how to remove friction and deliver value in ways that feel simple, relevant, and worth the spend.
Consumers will prioritize value, simplicity, and relevance
With everyday expenses still weighing on households, people will likely simplify their shopping habits in 2026. They want brands to make decisions easier, save them time, and offer clear value without extra effort.
Instead of wading through endless choices or chasing promotions, shoppers are responding to experiences that feel straightforward and trustworthy, with:
- Transparent pricing
- Clear benefits
- Recommendations aligned to budget and needs
- Frictionless decision paths
For your brand, it’ll be essential to deliver carefully crafted and targeted messages at the right moment, rather than overwhelming consumers with excessive messaging. Experian helps you pinpoint what value looks like for different audiences and tailor relevant experiences.
How marketers should respond to this trend
To meet consumers’ demand for value and simplicity, you’ll need to understand what “easy” and “worth it” mean to each audience before you activate a campaign. Experian enables this by identifying the moments, motivations, and household realities that shape how people simplify decisions.
Using Experian’s lifestyle indicators, category affinities, geo-indexed spend patterns, and financial mindset segments, you can quickly pinpoint:
- Which audiences want streamlined choices (e.g., fewer SKUs, clearer value cues)
- Which shoppers expect premium quality without complexity
- Which households prioritize speed and convenience over price
- Which consumers prefer digital-first journeys vs. in-store simplicity
Then, through Experian’s privacy-first identity graph, you can reliably reach these audiences across CMNs, CTV, social, and digital environments with:
- Product recommendations that reduce decision fatigue
- Promotions tuned to value drivers
- Creative that matches each audience’s expectations for ease
- Consistent messaging that aligns across all channels
Experian’s AI-powered simplicity helps reduce manual effort in this process, enabling your team to uncover opportunities, streamline workflows, and focus more time on strategy and outcomes. And as Experian continues to explore agentic workflows, you’ll be able to move from manual audience setup to intelligent audience discovery — enabling strategies you may not have considered before.
Once you’ve simplified the experience, consumers will expect the next layer of relevance: helpful, respectful personalization grounded in the data they choose to share.
People want personalization on their terms
According to Qualtrics’ 2026 Consumer Experience Trends Report, consumers still want personalization going into 2026, but they expect it to happen on their terms:
| Insight | Data point |
| Prefer personalized experiences | 64% |
| Say benefits outweigh privacy trade-offs | 39% |
| Feel uncomfortable with many data-driven personalization tactics | 32% |
Source: 2026 Consumer Experience Trends Report
First-party data is now the foundation of meaningful, privacy-first engagement. Consumers are far more willing to share information when the value exchange is obvious and when they feel in control of how that data is used. They expect brands to:
- Use only necessary data
- Explain how personalization improves the experience
- Offer easy preference controls
- Demonstrate transparent, privacy-first data practices
As your brand lives up to these expectations, trust grows, and consumers become more willing to share the first-party data you need for impactful, privacy-centric personalization in 2026.
Experian helps you meet these needs with Audience Engine, a self-service activation tool that enables you to quickly and accurately view and activate your first-party data and partner segments across 200+ platforms without high operational overhead. And when you need deeper insight, it also connects 3,500+ syndicated audiences and 20+ trusted third-party providers, so you can enrich your first-party data with privacy-safe insights.
This includes Experian’s most recent 2025 Syndicated Audiences release, which adds 400+ updated segments — including 62 Auto Loyalists — giving you a more granular, privacy-safe view of shifting values, lifestyle preferences, and intent signals for 2026. These segments break out characteristics by generation, income, gender, and urbanicity, so your brand can analyze where demand is rising and how behaviors differ across audience groups.
For example:
- An automaker can target Auto Loyalists: Acura with model-specific offers
- A luxury brand can activate Auto Loyalists: Alfa Romeo and adjust messaging by income band, age, urbanicity, or lifestyle
Used together, first-party data and enriched syndicated audiences allow you to personalize responsibly, target more effectively, and respond to 2026 consumer expectations while respecting their privacy wishes.
How marketers should respond to this trend
The future of personalization in 2026 is first-party and zero-party data, supported by a trustworthy identity framework.
Experian enables this through:
- Identity resolution connected to 95% of U.S. households
- Privacy-first activation across digital, CTV, and CMNs
- Data modernization that maintains accuracy and compliance
- Responsible automation that delivers high-performance, human-centered personalization consumers want in 2026
- Mosaic® USA, our household-level consumer classification system that provides a privacy-safe view of lifestyles and preferences so you can apply personalization intelligently across channels
- Audience Engine, which lets you activate and enrich your first-party data for richer, permission-based insights
- Marketing Attributes, which gives you access to thousands of demographic, behavioral, lifestyle, financial, and interest characteristics
As soon as your brand earns permission to personalize, the next expectation is to apply that personalization across channels.
Omnichannel behavior and real-time micro-moments will define how people shop
Consumers don’t differentiate between channels anymore. They want a seamless, cohesive shopping journey. Consumer buying trends indicate that people are shopping more frequently but purchasing fewer items per trip. This suggests more small, mission-driven decisions, often triggered by digital or mobile discovery.
As shoppers move fluidly between mobile, in-store, CTV, and social platforms, they rely on time-saving cues, simple comparisons, and contextual recommendations instead of complex decision-making processes. CMNs now influence choices across the digital shelf, in-store screens, and publisher networks, blurring the lines between media and commerce. Speed also matters; anything longer than next-day delivery reduces the likelihood of a purchase.
These behaviors create more micro-moments: quick, intent-driven decisions shaped by life stage, financial mindset, household composition, real-time signals, and micro-behaviors like quick trips, small-basket missions, and mobile search checks. Meeting consumers in these moments requires contextual relevance, not broad targeting.
How marketers should respond to this trend
Experian helps you act on omnichannel and micro-moment behavior by unifying identity and audiences across:
- CMNs
- CTV
- Social platforms
- Programmatic partners
- Retail media publishers
- In-store digital environments
Meanwhile, our audience assets give you the contextual accuracy these moments demand with:
- Geo-indexed spenders to understand financial posture and neighborhood patterns
- Generational household segments to reflect digital comfort and shopping rhythms
- Lifestyle and interest indicators aligned to real-life needs
- In-market and behavioral signals to reach consumers at the moment intent appears
With privacy-first identity resolution anchoring it all, your brand can deliver consistent sequencing, informed personalization, and accurate measurement across channels. This is essential when omnichannel is the expectation and micro-moments decide who wins the sale.
As these real-time behaviors shift, generational differences will further shape how consumers navigate channels, interpret value, and decide which brands earn their loyalty.
What’s new with Experian Marketing Data?
Explore hundreds of new and updated segments now available — auto, income, lifestyle, spend, TV, and more.
How are generational shifts shaping 2026 consumer behavior?
Generational dynamics are also likely to play a significant role in how people discover, evaluate, and buy in 2026. While every age group is prioritizing value, simplicity, and trust, they express these priorities differently.
Experian’s Syndicated Audiences updated for November 2025 include 61 new demographic segments — broken out by generation, income band, gender, and urbanicity — to help you reach each group with accuracy. These segments are informed by decades of responsible automation and predictive modeling, giving you a clearer view of how each group behaves, even as signals shift.
For example, a retail brand can use the Gen X Dual-Income Households segment to reach value-driven, digitally engaged shoppers, while another brand might activate Millennial Urban Professionals to tailor offers based on lifestyle, income, or urbanicity.
Here’s how key generations will shape buying and the Experian segments that can help you act on these customer insights.
Gen Z expects transparency, authenticity, and digital ease
- Values: Transparency, authenticity, responsible data use
- Digital behavior: Always-on, mobile-first, social and creator-influenced
- Decision drivers: Trust, clarity, seamless digital experiences
- Relevant Experian segments: Gen Z Urban Households, Gen Z Renters
Millennials seek value alignment, financial flexibility, and reliability
- Values: Fair pricing, quality, reliability
- Digital behavior: Efficiency-focused omnichannel shoppers
- Decision drivers: Time savings, cost relief, trust
- Relevant Experian segments: Millennial Urban Professionals, Millennial Parents
Gen X is increasingly digital, highly value-conscious, and loyal
- Values: Reliability, clarity, long-term value
- Digital behavior: Digitally engaged but friction-averse
- Decision drivers: Practicality, stability, predictable service
- Relevant Experian segments: Gen X Dual-Income Households
As these generational differences shape how people discover, evaluate, and buy, one theme unites every age group: trust now determines whether a brand earns attention, data, and loyalty. With today’s consumers scrutinizing how their information is used, that trust might just be what helps you succeed in 2026.
Why is trust the new currency in data-driven marketing?
In 2026, trust will differentiate the brands that flourish. Consumers want:
- Clear data practices
- Transparent value exchanges
- Confidence that brands are honoring their preferences
And as signals decline, first-party data strategies supported by privacy-first identity resolution and responsible automation have become the reliable, transparent foundation for trust-driven marketing.
Experian’s long-standing focus on data accuracy, modernization, and compliance — from quarterly releases and updates to our twice-yearly attribute retirement process — ensures you activate with the most current, ethical, and regulation-aligned data available. These practices strengthen consumer trust and drive more accurate targeting, better match rates, and measurable performance across channels.
This focus on accuracy, governance, and transparency also underpins Experian’s approach to ethical AI, ensuring innovations serve people first while giving you confidence in every decision.
How can marketers apply 2026 consumer insights today?
As trust becomes the deciding factor in whether consumers engage, share data, or stay loyal, marketers need clear ways to operationalize that trust. Fortunately, the insights shaping 2026 translate directly into practical actions your team can take right now.
Here’s where you can start:
- Audit your first-party data strategy and CRM hygiene
- Invest in scalable, privacy-first identity resolution
- Tailor messaging to financial attitudes, not just demographics
- Use Experian’s audience segments to match consumer values, generational traits, and urbanicity
- Build journey-based activation across mobile, CTV, social, and CMNs
- Implement measurement and closed-loop analytics so every activation feeds intelligence back into planning
- Evaluate where predictive insight and responsible automation can reduce manual work and improve outcomes
With Experian, you can reach the right people with the right message at the right moment with accuracy they can trust. Teams gain the predictive insight and responsible automation needed to act on these shifts at scale.
Looking for more insights into the year ahead?
If you’re planning for 2026, consumer behavior is just the starting point. Experian’s 2026 Digital trends and predictions report takes you deeper into the forces reshaping marketing —from AI moving from hype to implementation and the evolution of commerce media beyond retail.
What role does Experian play in helping brands activate data-driven marketing?
As you put these 2026 consumer insights into practice, the challenge becomes turning strategy into scaled, privacy-safe execution. Experian’s data, identity, and activation infrastructure can make the difference:
- Identity as the foundation: Connect first-party data to 95% of U.S. households for a unified, privacy-first view.
- Privacy-first activation: Engage audiences safely across every channel with compliant targeting.
- Actionable data depth: Combine demographic, behavioral, contextual, and household-level attributes to enrich insights.
- Omnichannel reach: Activate at scale across CTV, CMNs, social, programmatic, and in-store environments.
- Closed-loop measurement: Tie exposure to outcomes across channels, enabling more effective optimization and continuous improvement.
These capabilities provide your brand with the clarity, confidence, and control necessary for future success — powered by Experian’s human-centered approach to AI, which combines privacy-first clarity, predictive insight, AI-powered simplicity, real-time intelligence, and transparent innovation to deliver trust, accuracy, and measurable performance in 2026.
Build your 2026 strategy with data you can trust
Those who win in 2026 will be the ones who turn shifting consumer behavior into actionable intelligence rooted in trusted identity, accurate data, and measurement that proves what works. With economic caution shaping decisions, rising privacy expectations, and omnichannel journeys becoming the norm, brands that invest now in a strong data and identity foundation will be the ones that stay visible, relevant, and resilient.
Experian gives you that foundation by unifying identity, high-quality data, activation, and closed-loop measurement through a human-centered approach to AI. With privacy-first clarity, predictive insight, AI-powered simplicity, real-time intelligence, and transparent innovation, Experian helps you understand your audiences deeply, reach them responsibly, and adapt in real time as the market evolves.
2026 is coming fast. Now’s the moment to build a high-performance strategy.
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FAQs
The biggest consumer trends for 2026 revolve around intentional spending, value-conscious choices, low-effort experiences, and personalization that feels transparent and trustworthy. Consumers are cautiously optimistic but still managing tight budgets, prioritizing essentials, and gravitating toward brands that simplify decisions with clear value and relevant experiences that meet them across channels. Personalization remains a differentiator when it’s rooted in responsible data use and clear benefits.
You can use 2026 consumer insights to identify your highest-opportunity audiences, match your messaging and offers to their financial reality and values, and build journey-based activation across channels instead of working in silos. Experian’s identity graph and audiences help you connect online and offline behavior into a single, actionable view.
Experian’s identity graph helps marketers in 2026 by providing a privacy-first, unified view of consumers across channels, connecting first-party data to 95% of U.S. households. This allows you to recognize individuals and households accurately, enrich their data with reliable attributes, and activate personalized experiences across digital, CTV, and CMNs with confidence.
The result is better targeting, higher match rates, and more consistent, relevant engagement at every touchpoint. All of this is further strengthened by Experian’s human-centered approach to AI, which enhances clarity, accuracy, and real-time relevance.
Privacy-first marketing uses consumer data responsibly and transparently to improve the customer experience. In 2026, consumers still want personalization but are more selective about how their data is used.
With privacy-first marketing, you build trust by explaining why data is collected, giving people control, and personalizing only with consented, high-quality data. Experian supports this through our Responsible Data Practices, which prioritize fairness, accuracy, transparency, security, and inclusion.
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Originally appeared in Streaming Media Magazine Navigating today’s fragmented, privacy-conscious media landscape is a bit like stepping into a dense jungle. The buy-side—marketers, agencies, and demand-side platforms (DSPs)—must find their way through signal loss, measurement challenges, and evolving consumer expectations. But this isn’t just a challenge; it’s a strategic opportunity. Let’s dive into how buy-side players can use Experian’s advanced data and identity solutions to be their guide through the jungle and emerge as winners. Marketers: Maintaining personalization and measurement across channels Marketers are navigating an increasingly fragmented media jungle, where the deprecation of signals like cookies, mobile ad IDs (MAIDs), and IP addresses makes finding and understanding audiences feel like guesswork. To chart a clear path, marketers need a reliable compass—and identity resolution provides exactly that. A strong identity provider, grounded in offline data like names, addresses, phone numbers, and emails, acts as a guide through the chaos. By connecting offline signals with digital identifiers in a privacy-first manner, marketers can uncover the relationships between households and devices, then enrich those profiles with valuable marketing data. With a complete view of your customers, you gain deeper insights and can seamlessly reach the right audience across channels—even as signals evolve. It’s a marketer’s North Star—constant, dependable, and always pointing you in the right direction. How Experian can help Imagine a financial services brand aiming to connect with high-net-worth individuals across today’s fragmented media world. They’ve excelled on social and search but now want to dive into connected TV (CTV) and other emerging channels. Enter Experian’s Digital Graph. By seamlessly connecting digital identifiers like MAIDs, CTV IDs and hashed emails (HEMs), our graph becomes the bridge that unifies their audience across every channel. Suddenly, the same audience that saw their ad on social during lunch is now watching a personalized spot on CTV that evening, all thanks to Experian. The result? A cohesive campaign that delivers hyper-relevant messages, stronger engagement, and measurable success. With Experian, fragmentation becomes connection, and personalization stays powerful across the entire media landscape. Agencies: Strategic partners in a fragmented world Agencies are the architects of the identity jungle, building bridges that guide brands through fragmentation and deliver campaign success. Thriving in this terrain requires data solutions that create actionable insights, enable personalization, and drive measurable outcomes. To meet marketers’ demands, many agencies have invested heavily—acquiring data companies or forging strategic partnerships to strengthen their foundations in data and identity solutions. These investments help them connect fragmented audience data and unlock new opportunities for their clients. But even with in-house capabilities, agencies often need more—more attributes, more integrations, and greater connectivity. In the jungle of identity, success isn’t just about building better data assets; it’s about ensuring those assets can be utilized across platforms. How Experian can help Picture a large independent agency ready to step up its game—expanding beyond its middle-market niche to attract enterprise-level clients. But to play in the big leagues, they need more than a solid strategy; they need data and identity solutions that deliver a competitive edge. Enter Experian. With our rich identity graph and deep customer insights, the agency can unlock new opportunities for its clients. Imagine offering enterprises the ability to connect fragmented audience data, create hyper-targeted campaigns, and measure success across every channel. The payoff? The agency doesn’t just win over new enterprise clients; it strengthens relationships with existing customers by proving it can navigate today’s fragmented media landscape with precision and measurable impact. With Experian, the agency becomes an indispensable strategic partner in the data-driven advertising world. DSPs: Navigating signal loss with a multi-ID strategy For DSPs, navigating the identity jungle means forging a path through the winding trails of cookieless strategies. With third-party cookies fading and no single identity solution—like Unified ID 2.0 (UID2)—able to cover all media engagement, DSPs must adapt to a multi-ID world. The challenge is twofold: finding flexible solutions to manage a multitude of identifiers while staying compliant with a growing number of state-level privacy laws. It’s not just a technical problem; it’s a call for strategic vision. And the way to thrive in this ever-changing terrain is to invest in identity solutions that connect digital and offline identifiers to a single customer profile. How Experian can help Imagine a DSP navigating a complex web of identifiers—UID2, HEMs, proprietary IDs—while juggling compliance with evolving privacy laws. Experian steps in as the ultimate connector. Our identity solutions, powered by stable offline data, are signal-agnostic and integrated across the advertising ecosystem. This ensures that DSPs can confidently manage multiple identity frameworks, keeping campaigns targeted, measurable, and compliant. With Experian, DSPs gain more than a stopgap solution; they get a future-proof identity strategy. The result? Better targeting, smoother omnichannel execution, and the strategic edge needed to thrive in a fragmented, multi-ID world. Turning identity challenges into a strategic advantage The identity jungle is a thriving ecosystem for those with the right guide. Experian helps marketers, agencies, and DSPs chart the course by unifying multiple identifiers into a single, complete customer profile. With the right tools (and a good map), buy-side stakeholders can learn more about their customer, reach audiences across channels, and deliver personalized marketing. Read our companion article to learn how the sell-side is approaching data and identity challenges. Read now Get started today Latest posts
We spoke with industry leaders from Ampersand, Basis Technologies, Captify, Cuebiq, CvE, Fetch, Madhive, MiQ, and Samsung to gather insights on how innovations in data and identity are creating stronger consumer connections. Here are five key insights to consider. 1. Build on trust with first-party data Stricter privacy regulations and growing customer expectations mean businesses must rethink how they gather and use data. A robust first-party data strategy centers on gathering high-quality data, such as behavioral and transactional data. By using behavioral, lifestyle, and purchasing data, brands can craft personalized strategies that align with their goals. This approach balances effective targeting with building trust and complying with privacy rules. Integrating identity solutions like Unified I.D. 2.0 (UID2) and ID5 into existing data strategies improves interoperability across platforms while keeping user privacy intact. These tools help create more effective campaigns. "We've been preparing and leaning into educating our clients around the value of first-party data. These are very important and primary considerations in any of our campaigns."April Weeks, Basis Technologies 2. Align metrics with business goals To demonstrate clear value, campaigns need to tie their outcomes to broader goals. Relying only on click-through rates or CPMs won’t cut it. Metrics that measure meaningful results, like driving sales or increasing customer retention, provide greater transparency than surface level data, like clicks or impressions. A continuous feedback loop between targeting and measurement ensures campaigns can be refined to better align with business objectives. This feedback helps marketers understand who they are targeting and how those audiences are driving key business results. Shifting focus to metrics that resonate with stakeholders ensures that marketing efforts are evaluated based on their true contribution to the company's objectives. "The television industry has access to more data than ever before, and at Samsung Ads, our ACR technology helps us provide valuable insights about what content and ads are being viewed. This abundance of data enables us to support clients in aligning their campaigns with business objectives effectively."Justin Evans, Samsung Ads 3. Personalize experiences to boost engagement Personalization drives stronger customer relationships by delivering tailored experiences to individual customer needs. Using data-driven insights to fine-tune offers and messaging makes interactions more relevant, strengthening brand loyalty. Combining behavioral, lifestyle, and transactional data provides a comprehensive understanding of the customer journey and ensures each touchpoint feels personal. Testing and iterating on personalization strategies also helps identify which data and approaches yield the best results. Scaling these efforts means customers receive the right messaging at the right time, and businesses see better outcomes. "Every business should be building a data strategy that thinks about the different versions of data that exist and how they bring that together. They don't necessarily need to own all of it but have a clear rationale and strategy about where you're using which data sets."Paul Frampton, CvE 4. Utilize advanced measurement tools for smarter decisions Improving the effectiveness of campaigns starts with using sophisticated measurement tools to gain actionable insights. Using analytics like brand lift studies, foot traffic analysis, app download tracking, incrementality, and share of search allows marketers to understand the full impact of their efforts. With these resources, teams can pinpoint what’s working, make real-time adjustments, and refine their approach. This adaptability ensures budgets are used as effectively as possible. Learn how Swiss Sense measured marketing outcomes using Mosaic® "We are playing a leading role in democratizing new tools for local advertisers. By mimicking the marketing funnel mentality, we've introduced solutions ranging from measuring brand lift to tracking foot traffic and app downloads."Luc Dumont, Madhive 5. Adapt quickly to stay competitive The only constant in advertising is change. Adapting quickly to new technologies and consumer behaviors keeps businesses competitive. A culture of agility fosters innovation, making it easier to respond to industry shifts and discover new opportunities. Companies that anticipate change and invest in modern data solutions position themselves for long-term growth. Whether it’s adjusting to privacy updates, exploring emerging tech, or staying flexible, businesses must continuously invest in adapting their platforms and strategies. "Falling behind is not really an option. There's always a change in advertising and in data where there's a new horizon. The people who stay close to that and innovate will always follow it."Amelia Waddington, Captify Shaping the future Building meaningful consumer connections requires advertisers to combine robust data strategies with flexibility and innovation. By focusing on these five considerations, marketers can adapt to today’s challenges while preparing for what’s ahead. Connect with our experts Latest posts
Agencies, platforms, and marketers stand at the crossroads of transformation, as privacy regulations tighten, technology accelerates, and consumer behaviors evolve. Yet these challenges also present extraordinary opportunities. Our 2025 Digital trends and predictions report highlights five trends that will shape 2025 and digs into: What’s changing in the market How to keep learning about your customers How to reach your customers in different places How to measure what’s really working along the way In this blog post, we’ll give you a sneak peek of three of these trends — from cracking the code of signal loss to tapping into the buzz around connected TV (CTV) and stepping up your omnichannel game. Think of it as a taste test before the main course. Ready for the full menu? Download our report to get the lowdown on all five trends. Download now 1. Signal loss: A rich appetizer of alternate ingredients As traditional cookies crumble, marketers need fresh ingredients to keep the flavor coming. Already, about 40% of browser traffic doesn’t support third-party cookies, and marketers are spicing things up with first-party data, alternative identifiers like Unified I.D. 2.0 (UID2) and ID5, and contextual targeting strategies. In fact, 50% more of our clients received alternative IDs (UID2, ID5, Hadron ID) in their Digital Graph in 2024 compared to 2023. The number of alternative IDs resolved to individuals in our Digital Graph increased by 30% year-over-year – as everyone looks beyond the cookie jar. There is no secret sauce to replace cookies. Instead, expect a multi-ID recipe that brings together different identifiers, unified by an identity graph. This approach turns a fragmented pantry of data into a cohesive meal, giving you a complete view of your customer on every plate. 2. The rising power of CTV: A hearty entrée of opportunities CTV is quickly becoming the main dish on the streaming menu, as viewers load up on their favorite shows. While CTV is slated to make up 20% of daily U.S. media consumption by 2026, advertisers are still holding back on pouring in the ad spend. To unlock its full flavor, marketers need to whip up solutions like frequency capping and unified audience activation. Although CTV will account for 20% of daily U.S. media consumption by 2026, it’s projected to command only 8.1% of ad spend. Frequency capping and unified audience activation solutions will be key to unlocking CTV’s full potential. By 2025, nearly half of CTV "diners" will choose free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST). Marketers need strategies to prevent ad overexposure. With 50% of U.S. consumers avoiding products due to ad overload, and 30% of marketers willing to increase their CTV spend if frequency capping improves, unified identity solutions help ensure every impression is served just right. 3. Omnichannel: A flavorful fusion plate No one likes a one-flavor meal. Marketers are moving beyond single-channel “side dishes” to omnichannel “fusion feasts” that blend direct mail, digital, CTV, and retail media networks (RMNs) into a truly cohesive culinary experience. Even though only 21% of global B2C professionals currently put omnichannel at the top of their shopping list, the growing demand for seamless, audience-first campaigns is heating up. In 2025, having an audience-first approach will be like having a perfect pairing for every course. Unified identity solutions act as your master sommelier, ensuring that each channel complements the next, and every customer enjoys a well-rounded, memorable journey. Vertical trends: A dessert sampler from four unique kitchens Different markets have their own signature flavors. In Auto, crossover utility vehicles (CUVs) claim 51% of new vehicle registrations, and consumers in the 35-54 age group and families are the primary buyers. Automotive marketers should prioritize CUV advertising with a strong focus on family-oriented and income-appropriate messaging In Financial Services, marketers need to anticipate shifts in consumer behavior tied to economic conditions, such as increasing demand for deposit products when interest rates are high. For insurance, aligning campaigns with life events, like new home purchases or marriage, can maximize engagement. In Healthcare, advertisers are prioritizing personalized, regulation-compliant campaigns that address social determinants of health (SDOH). In Retail, advertisers are increasingly activating on both CTV and social platforms, with many managing their own in-house campaigns. While larger brands often rely on media agencies, a shift toward in-house media buying is emerging among some bigger players, offering more control over audience targeting and performance metrics. Our report covers each vertical’s unique menu, helping you select the right “ingredients” for your customers. With the top Experian Audiences on hand, you can create feasts that delight, nourish, and convert. Download our new 2026 Digital trends and predictions report Marketing in 2026 will be defined by connection: between activation and measurement, data and AI, platforms and outcomes. These connections are what turn innovation into impact, and they’re where Experian helps marketers lead with confidence. What you'll learn AI is only as good as its data : Find out why the marketers who shape how AI works, with high-integrity, human-centered data, will be the ones who lead. Activation and measurement are coming together: Explore how marketers are shifting from reporting after the fact to guiding performance in the moment. First-party data activation is becoming a foundational capability: See how it’s now possible to onboard and activate privacy-compliant audiences across channels, all from a single system. Commerce media is no longer just a retail play: Understand why auto, CPG, financial services, and travel brands are now adopting retail-style models to connect data, media, and sales outcomes. Curation is the new programmatic standard: Learn how curation brings identity, quality, and control together, allowing marketers to target confidently across connected TV (CTV), audio, and the open web. Download now Experian's U.K. 2025 advertising trends This article highlights the major advertising trends set to shape the U.S. market in 2025, but significant industry changes are happening on a global scale. For a more comprehensive look at worldwide trends, check out Experian's U.K. 2025 advertising trends. Read now Contact us Latest posts