If 2025 was the year marketers embraced AI experimentation, 2026 is the year everything becomes real. The next 12 months won’t be defined by more channels, more tools, more data, but by doing what matters, better. 

Wunderkind brought together a host of eCommerce business leaders and thought-leaders, who are at the coalface of digital marketing to find out what they see happening in the year ahead. The answers are pretty clear and consistent: the most successful brands will be those who combine intelligence with intimacy, pairing machine-speed execution with human-centered experiences. Automation isn’t replacing marketers,  it’s finally empowering them.

Download 2026 Digital Marketing Forecast 

AI Matures: From Automation to True Augmentation

The rise of agentic AI is reshaping marketing as we know it. What once required manual workflows, rigid journeys, and endless testing cycles is giving way to systems that act, learn, and optimize autonomously. In the full report, experts describe how AI is eliminating bottlenecks,  from segmentation to creative iteration, and elevating teams to focus on strategy and storytelling. 

AI isn’t here to replace creativity; it’s here to amplify it. Repetitive work fades into the background as brands unlock real-time personalization, cross-channel orchestration, and predictive experiences that feel almost telepathic.

With the rise of autonomous marketing platforms, journeys will be a thing of the past for leading brands. Agents will personalize journeys at the customer level, determining timing, channel, and offer in real-time for each individual.– Chris Marriott, President & Founder, Email Connect

Identity and Data Strategy: The New Backbone of Growth

With the cookie era officially behind us, 2026 is when data strategy stops being a compliance exercise and becomes a competitive advantage. Experts in the forecast make it clear: brands are shifting from data hoarding to data activation, using AI-powered identity graphs, real-time pipelines, and privacy-first partnerships to create connected, consent-driven ecosystems.

First-party data is no longer just a marketing input, it’s the engine. And the brands that win will be those who turn every customer interaction into intelligence, unlocking relevance at scale.

Marketers have been drowning in first-party data but struggling to use it. We collect everything, analyze little, and personalize even less. AI changes that completely. Data + AI unlocks the ability to process millions of behavioral signals in real time and turn them into action, not quarterly insights, but personalization that happens in the moment it matters. – Jimmy Kim, Co-Founder & CEO, eCom Email Marketer

Owned Channels Become Experience Engines

Owned channels are undergoing their biggest transformation in a decade. Email is evolving into an interactive micro-app environment, SMS continues its rise as the most immediate, high-intent channel, and loyalty programs become the connective tissue of long-term relationships.

AI-driven orchestration now determines the right message, channel, and moment dynamically,  helping brands show up with relevance instead of noise. Over half (53%) of consumers prefer receiving personalized offers via email, and SMS continues its surge as a primary retention lever. Owned channels aren’t just cost-efficient; in 2026, they’re intelligent, adaptive, and deeply human.

It’s not about sending more; it’s about being worth opening. The brands that stand out will deliver content that feels personal, timely, and genuinely helpful. People don’t need more emails, they need better ones.– Chase Dimond, Email Marketer & Agency Owner, Structured

Advertising Reinvented: Precision Over Volume

Digital advertising is entering a new era, one where brands no longer pay for reach, but for relevance. With AI-native shopping agents reshaping discovery and privacy limits forcing reinvention, paid media is transitioning from broad strokes to precision.

Experts describe a world where brands compete for AI shelf placement the way they once fought for SEO ranking. Social proof, product data, and creative variety become the currency of algorithmic influence. 

At the same time, the smartest teams are consolidating their MarTech stacks, eliminating tool bloat in favor of decisioning systems that integrate seamlessly across channels. Efficiency becomes the new performance.

Why This Forecast Matters

The 2026 Forecast isn’t just another prediction piece. It’s a blueprint for the year ahead, grounded in expert insights, real consumer data, and Wunderkind’s vantage point across thousands of brands. It outlines a future where:

– AI augments marketers, not replaces them

– Precision beats volume in every channel

– Identity becomes the foundation of profitability

– Owned channels evolve into high-growth ecosystems

– Loyalty is reimagined as emotional, not transactional

If you want to understand where the next wave of growth will come from, and how your brand can lead it — this guide is your head start.

This blog is just a teaser. The full guide dives deeper into every trend, expert quote, and actionable strategy you’ll need to navigate the year ahead. Your smartest year yet starts now.