of the United Kingdom’s capitol city.
We're in a new era of consumer psychology. While we are emotionally and mentally no strangers to uncertainty, how we respond to those triggers is vastly different than ten, or even five years ago.
When we seek comfort, it’s only a car drive away to the newest branded cafe experience. If we’re feeling the itch for a dopamine hit, we can click through to the POPMART app and digitally unbox the newest Little Monsters x Hello Kitty drop.
Commerce has always been entwined in our lives, acting as a vehicle for self-expression, sustenance, reward, and even for showing our love. But Gen Z has spent their most formative years embedded in commerce in a way no prior generation has. They’ve grown up with YouTube unboxing videos, TikTok Shop shows, shoppable gaming experiences, and media-savvy influencers as part of their lives. Shaping them, guiding them, selling to them.
The brands and retailers engaging with this cohort have a new playbook to follow, built on dopamine hits, accelerated trend cycles, and an ongoing need to signal individual status and aesthetics through their commerce decisions.
During NRF's State of Retail & the Consumer, Rachel Hardy, Director of Consumer Product Marketing at Pinterest, and MaryLee Bliss, Chief Content Officer of YPulse, came ready with receipts to illustrate what our industry’s most valuable demographic is doing, and why. It added much-needed context to the broader “state of the industry” session, which doubled down on positivity. Although the industry association expects a 4.4% increase in annual retail sales, merchants can’t seize this opportunity without understanding what is actually driving people to shop.
The Consumer Trends That Matter in 2026: Opportunities Hiding in Anxiety
Gen Z came of age during COVID, with the oldest approaching 30. Their innate uncertainty and constantly “waiting for the other shoe to drop” is reshaping what they want from retail: comfort, nostalgia, small indulgences, instant gratification, and the feeling that a brand actually gets them.
Hardy put it simply: "Gen Z is exhausted... this idea of a five-year plan no longer exists, and so their time horizon is more over a one- to two-year period."
Short-termism is a rational response to an irrational world. The brands that meet them there with joy, visual discovery, and earned trust are the ones writing the next chapter of retail.
Here are three major trends that tie into this new reality, and they reaffirm the aesthetics we’ve outlined in our latest print, STRATA Vol. 001:
Treat culture is a vibe and a survival mechanism.
Over half of Gen Z consumers are not confident the economy will improve this year. Yet they are more likely than any other age group to say their biggest financial priority is "buying the things that they want."
Economic pessimism no longer deflates purchase intent. In fact, it’s now quite the contrary. Gen Z, in particular, is constantly on the hunt for “little treats” that give them a dopamine hit and add extra joy to their lives, especially when things look bleak.
"It's not necessarily that huge splurge, but the more consistent purchases that they can have that little dopamine hit to kind of get through the weeks,” Bliss said.
Look at the growing Purse Trinket Economy as proof. In terms of dollars and cents, most of these items don’t cost much. But when they add up to full-blown collections, they gain value over time while also brightening consumers’ lives a bit.
We saw it with Labubus in 2025, but other brands and spin-offs are fueling the fire, making Comfort Maximalism a major aesthetic that shapes how we build and engage with brands.
This is what luxury looks like now, rooted in scarcity and gamified experiences. If your brand is waiting for the economy to improve before connecting with Gen Z emotionally, you will have waited too long.
AI is creating buyer's remorse at scale.
Here's a stat that should be hanging in every office as a reminder: 70% of Gen Z who shop online feel buyer's remorse immediately after purchasing. Hardy connects this directly to AI-driven, text-based experiences that make decisions for users.
The speed and efficiency of these new workflows make things feel more seamless. But sometimes when there’s seamlessness up front, there’s friction after checkout. Consider the implications of impulse, agent-driven purchases on return rates. The data is not quite there yet, but it’s a topic we’re eager to explore.
One thing is clear, though: when Gen Z really wants something, they know it when they see it.
Pinterest's answer to this new era of digital window shopping is visual-first AI. Their new Pinterest Assistant is a visual, conversational discovery tool. “AI is wonderful because it helps people make decisions, get to information faster,” Hardy said. “But it's really important to preserve their autonomy and their taste and help them make decisions that fit into their life.”
The platforms optimizing for conversion speed are manufacturing regret. The ones optimizing for curation, concierge-level service, and emotional resonance are building loyalty. We covered this idea extensively in our holiday AI research. As consumers continue to engage with generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude to research and validate their buying decisions, these behaviors will only become more established.
Anti-slop sentiment connects to opacity.
77% of Gen Z believe AI has a more positive impact on the world than a negative one, but 78% want labels on AI-generated social posts.
They're not Luddites; they're just intensely aware of how prevalent AI is, and they want transparency into when, how, and why brands use it. They scan every piece of branded content and every eCommerce site with a single question on their lips: "Is this AI?"
There are two kinds of opportunities for brands. The first, most obvious one, is to be transparent about when you use AI; a simple credit line or statement in your posts will do.
But some brands are leaning into the second opportunity by doubling down on human-led creativity and handmade items. We noted in our 2026 predictions that the tension between AI super fans and creative artisans will be the new battleground in authenticity. We’re already seeing brands like Hermès lean into this moment by hiring professional artists and cartoonists to redesign the eCommerce site and social media content.
We're in a new era of consumer psychology. While we are emotionally and mentally no strangers to uncertainty, how we respond to those triggers is vastly different than ten, or even five years ago.
When we seek comfort, it’s only a car drive away to the newest branded cafe experience. If we’re feeling the itch for a dopamine hit, we can click through to the POPMART app and digitally unbox the newest Little Monsters x Hello Kitty drop.
Commerce has always been entwined in our lives, acting as a vehicle for self-expression, sustenance, reward, and even for showing our love. But Gen Z has spent their most formative years embedded in commerce in a way no prior generation has. They’ve grown up with YouTube unboxing videos, TikTok Shop shows, shoppable gaming experiences, and media-savvy influencers as part of their lives. Shaping them, guiding them, selling to them.
The brands and retailers engaging with this cohort have a new playbook to follow, built on dopamine hits, accelerated trend cycles, and an ongoing need to signal individual status and aesthetics through their commerce decisions.
During NRF's State of Retail & the Consumer, Rachel Hardy, Director of Consumer Product Marketing at Pinterest, and MaryLee Bliss, Chief Content Officer of YPulse, came ready with receipts to illustrate what our industry’s most valuable demographic is doing, and why. It added much-needed context to the broader “state of the industry” session, which doubled down on positivity. Although the industry association expects a 4.4% increase in annual retail sales, merchants can’t seize this opportunity without understanding what is actually driving people to shop.
The Consumer Trends That Matter in 2026: Opportunities Hiding in Anxiety
Gen Z came of age during COVID, with the oldest approaching 30. Their innate uncertainty and constantly “waiting for the other shoe to drop” is reshaping what they want from retail: comfort, nostalgia, small indulgences, instant gratification, and the feeling that a brand actually gets them.
Hardy put it simply: "Gen Z is exhausted... this idea of a five-year plan no longer exists, and so their time horizon is more over a one- to two-year period."
Short-termism is a rational response to an irrational world. The brands that meet them there with joy, visual discovery, and earned trust are the ones writing the next chapter of retail.
Here are three major trends that tie into this new reality, and they reaffirm the aesthetics we’ve outlined in our latest print, STRATA Vol. 001:
Treat culture is a vibe and a survival mechanism.
Over half of Gen Z consumers are not confident the economy will improve this year. Yet they are more likely than any other age group to say their biggest financial priority is "buying the things that they want."
Economic pessimism no longer deflates purchase intent. In fact, it’s now quite the contrary. Gen Z, in particular, is constantly on the hunt for “little treats” that give them a dopamine hit and add extra joy to their lives, especially when things look bleak.
"It's not necessarily that huge splurge, but the more consistent purchases that they can have that little dopamine hit to kind of get through the weeks,” Bliss said.
Look at the growing Purse Trinket Economy as proof. In terms of dollars and cents, most of these items don’t cost much. But when they add up to full-blown collections, they gain value over time while also brightening consumers’ lives a bit.
We saw it with Labubus in 2025, but other brands and spin-offs are fueling the fire, making Comfort Maximalism a major aesthetic that shapes how we build and engage with brands.
This is what luxury looks like now, rooted in scarcity and gamified experiences. If your brand is waiting for the economy to improve before connecting with Gen Z emotionally, you will have waited too long.
AI is creating buyer's remorse at scale.
Here's a stat that should be hanging in every office as a reminder: 70% of Gen Z who shop online feel buyer's remorse immediately after purchasing. Hardy connects this directly to AI-driven, text-based experiences that make decisions for users.
The speed and efficiency of these new workflows make things feel more seamless. But sometimes when there’s seamlessness up front, there’s friction after checkout. Consider the implications of impulse, agent-driven purchases on return rates. The data is not quite there yet, but it’s a topic we’re eager to explore.
One thing is clear, though: when Gen Z really wants something, they know it when they see it.
Pinterest's answer to this new era of digital window shopping is visual-first AI. Their new Pinterest Assistant is a visual, conversational discovery tool. “AI is wonderful because it helps people make decisions, get to information faster,” Hardy said. “But it's really important to preserve their autonomy and their taste and help them make decisions that fit into their life.”
The platforms optimizing for conversion speed are manufacturing regret. The ones optimizing for curation, concierge-level service, and emotional resonance are building loyalty. We covered this idea extensively in our holiday AI research. As consumers continue to engage with generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude to research and validate their buying decisions, these behaviors will only become more established.
Anti-slop sentiment connects to opacity.
77% of Gen Z believe AI has a more positive impact on the world than a negative one, but 78% want labels on AI-generated social posts.
They're not Luddites; they're just intensely aware of how prevalent AI is, and they want transparency into when, how, and why brands use it. They scan every piece of branded content and every eCommerce site with a single question on their lips: "Is this AI?"
There are two kinds of opportunities for brands. The first, most obvious one, is to be transparent about when you use AI; a simple credit line or statement in your posts will do.
But some brands are leaning into the second opportunity by doubling down on human-led creativity and handmade items. We noted in our 2026 predictions that the tension between AI super fans and creative artisans will be the new battleground in authenticity. We’re already seeing brands like Hermès lean into this moment by hiring professional artists and cartoonists to redesign the eCommerce site and social media content.
We're in a new era of consumer psychology. While we are emotionally and mentally no strangers to uncertainty, how we respond to those triggers is vastly different than ten, or even five years ago.
When we seek comfort, it’s only a car drive away to the newest branded cafe experience. If we’re feeling the itch for a dopamine hit, we can click through to the POPMART app and digitally unbox the newest Little Monsters x Hello Kitty drop.
Commerce has always been entwined in our lives, acting as a vehicle for self-expression, sustenance, reward, and even for showing our love. But Gen Z has spent their most formative years embedded in commerce in a way no prior generation has. They’ve grown up with YouTube unboxing videos, TikTok Shop shows, shoppable gaming experiences, and media-savvy influencers as part of their lives. Shaping them, guiding them, selling to them.
The brands and retailers engaging with this cohort have a new playbook to follow, built on dopamine hits, accelerated trend cycles, and an ongoing need to signal individual status and aesthetics through their commerce decisions.
During NRF's State of Retail & the Consumer, Rachel Hardy, Director of Consumer Product Marketing at Pinterest, and MaryLee Bliss, Chief Content Officer of YPulse, came ready with receipts to illustrate what our industry’s most valuable demographic is doing, and why. It added much-needed context to the broader “state of the industry” session, which doubled down on positivity. Although the industry association expects a 4.4% increase in annual retail sales, merchants can’t seize this opportunity without understanding what is actually driving people to shop.
The Consumer Trends That Matter in 2026: Opportunities Hiding in Anxiety
Gen Z came of age during COVID, with the oldest approaching 30. Their innate uncertainty and constantly “waiting for the other shoe to drop” is reshaping what they want from retail: comfort, nostalgia, small indulgences, instant gratification, and the feeling that a brand actually gets them.
Hardy put it simply: "Gen Z is exhausted... this idea of a five-year plan no longer exists, and so their time horizon is more over a one- to two-year period."
Short-termism is a rational response to an irrational world. The brands that meet them there with joy, visual discovery, and earned trust are the ones writing the next chapter of retail.
Here are three major trends that tie into this new reality, and they reaffirm the aesthetics we’ve outlined in our latest print, STRATA Vol. 001:
Treat culture is a vibe and a survival mechanism.
Over half of Gen Z consumers are not confident the economy will improve this year. Yet they are more likely than any other age group to say their biggest financial priority is "buying the things that they want."
Economic pessimism no longer deflates purchase intent. In fact, it’s now quite the contrary. Gen Z, in particular, is constantly on the hunt for “little treats” that give them a dopamine hit and add extra joy to their lives, especially when things look bleak.
"It's not necessarily that huge splurge, but the more consistent purchases that they can have that little dopamine hit to kind of get through the weeks,” Bliss said.
Look at the growing Purse Trinket Economy as proof. In terms of dollars and cents, most of these items don’t cost much. But when they add up to full-blown collections, they gain value over time while also brightening consumers’ lives a bit.
We saw it with Labubus in 2025, but other brands and spin-offs are fueling the fire, making Comfort Maximalism a major aesthetic that shapes how we build and engage with brands.
This is what luxury looks like now, rooted in scarcity and gamified experiences. If your brand is waiting for the economy to improve before connecting with Gen Z emotionally, you will have waited too long.
AI is creating buyer's remorse at scale.
Here's a stat that should be hanging in every office as a reminder: 70% of Gen Z who shop online feel buyer's remorse immediately after purchasing. Hardy connects this directly to AI-driven, text-based experiences that make decisions for users.
The speed and efficiency of these new workflows make things feel more seamless. But sometimes when there’s seamlessness up front, there’s friction after checkout. Consider the implications of impulse, agent-driven purchases on return rates. The data is not quite there yet, but it’s a topic we’re eager to explore.
One thing is clear, though: when Gen Z really wants something, they know it when they see it.
Pinterest's answer to this new era of digital window shopping is visual-first AI. Their new Pinterest Assistant is a visual, conversational discovery tool. “AI is wonderful because it helps people make decisions, get to information faster,” Hardy said. “But it's really important to preserve their autonomy and their taste and help them make decisions that fit into their life.”
The platforms optimizing for conversion speed are manufacturing regret. The ones optimizing for curation, concierge-level service, and emotional resonance are building loyalty. We covered this idea extensively in our holiday AI research. As consumers continue to engage with generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude to research and validate their buying decisions, these behaviors will only become more established.
Anti-slop sentiment connects to opacity.
77% of Gen Z believe AI has a more positive impact on the world than a negative one, but 78% want labels on AI-generated social posts.
They're not Luddites; they're just intensely aware of how prevalent AI is, and they want transparency into when, how, and why brands use it. They scan every piece of branded content and every eCommerce site with a single question on their lips: "Is this AI?"
There are two kinds of opportunities for brands. The first, most obvious one, is to be transparent about when you use AI; a simple credit line or statement in your posts will do.
But some brands are leaning into the second opportunity by doubling down on human-led creativity and handmade items. We noted in our 2026 predictions that the tension between AI super fans and creative artisans will be the new battleground in authenticity. We’re already seeing brands like Hermès lean into this moment by hiring professional artists and cartoonists to redesign the eCommerce site and social media content.
We're in a new era of consumer psychology. While we are emotionally and mentally no strangers to uncertainty, how we respond to those triggers is vastly different than ten, or even five years ago.
When we seek comfort, it’s only a car drive away to the newest branded cafe experience. If we’re feeling the itch for a dopamine hit, we can click through to the POPMART app and digitally unbox the newest Little Monsters x Hello Kitty drop.
Commerce has always been entwined in our lives, acting as a vehicle for self-expression, sustenance, reward, and even for showing our love. But Gen Z has spent their most formative years embedded in commerce in a way no prior generation has. They’ve grown up with YouTube unboxing videos, TikTok Shop shows, shoppable gaming experiences, and media-savvy influencers as part of their lives. Shaping them, guiding them, selling to them.
The brands and retailers engaging with this cohort have a new playbook to follow, built on dopamine hits, accelerated trend cycles, and an ongoing need to signal individual status and aesthetics through their commerce decisions.
During NRF's State of Retail & the Consumer, Rachel Hardy, Director of Consumer Product Marketing at Pinterest, and MaryLee Bliss, Chief Content Officer of YPulse, came ready with receipts to illustrate what our industry’s most valuable demographic is doing, and why. It added much-needed context to the broader “state of the industry” session, which doubled down on positivity. Although the industry association expects a 4.4% increase in annual retail sales, merchants can’t seize this opportunity without understanding what is actually driving people to shop.
The Consumer Trends That Matter in 2026: Opportunities Hiding in Anxiety
Gen Z came of age during COVID, with the oldest approaching 30. Their innate uncertainty and constantly “waiting for the other shoe to drop” is reshaping what they want from retail: comfort, nostalgia, small indulgences, instant gratification, and the feeling that a brand actually gets them.
Hardy put it simply: "Gen Z is exhausted... this idea of a five-year plan no longer exists, and so their time horizon is more over a one- to two-year period."
Short-termism is a rational response to an irrational world. The brands that meet them there with joy, visual discovery, and earned trust are the ones writing the next chapter of retail.
Here are three major trends that tie into this new reality, and they reaffirm the aesthetics we’ve outlined in our latest print, STRATA Vol. 001:
Treat culture is a vibe and a survival mechanism.
Over half of Gen Z consumers are not confident the economy will improve this year. Yet they are more likely than any other age group to say their biggest financial priority is "buying the things that they want."
Economic pessimism no longer deflates purchase intent. In fact, it’s now quite the contrary. Gen Z, in particular, is constantly on the hunt for “little treats” that give them a dopamine hit and add extra joy to their lives, especially when things look bleak.
"It's not necessarily that huge splurge, but the more consistent purchases that they can have that little dopamine hit to kind of get through the weeks,” Bliss said.
Look at the growing Purse Trinket Economy as proof. In terms of dollars and cents, most of these items don’t cost much. But when they add up to full-blown collections, they gain value over time while also brightening consumers’ lives a bit.
We saw it with Labubus in 2025, but other brands and spin-offs are fueling the fire, making Comfort Maximalism a major aesthetic that shapes how we build and engage with brands.
This is what luxury looks like now, rooted in scarcity and gamified experiences. If your brand is waiting for the economy to improve before connecting with Gen Z emotionally, you will have waited too long.
AI is creating buyer's remorse at scale.
Here's a stat that should be hanging in every office as a reminder: 70% of Gen Z who shop online feel buyer's remorse immediately after purchasing. Hardy connects this directly to AI-driven, text-based experiences that make decisions for users.
The speed and efficiency of these new workflows make things feel more seamless. But sometimes when there’s seamlessness up front, there’s friction after checkout. Consider the implications of impulse, agent-driven purchases on return rates. The data is not quite there yet, but it’s a topic we’re eager to explore.
One thing is clear, though: when Gen Z really wants something, they know it when they see it.
Pinterest's answer to this new era of digital window shopping is visual-first AI. Their new Pinterest Assistant is a visual, conversational discovery tool. “AI is wonderful because it helps people make decisions, get to information faster,” Hardy said. “But it's really important to preserve their autonomy and their taste and help them make decisions that fit into their life.”
The platforms optimizing for conversion speed are manufacturing regret. The ones optimizing for curation, concierge-level service, and emotional resonance are building loyalty. We covered this idea extensively in our holiday AI research. As consumers continue to engage with generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude to research and validate their buying decisions, these behaviors will only become more established.
Anti-slop sentiment connects to opacity.
77% of Gen Z believe AI has a more positive impact on the world than a negative one, but 78% want labels on AI-generated social posts.
They're not Luddites; they're just intensely aware of how prevalent AI is, and they want transparency into when, how, and why brands use it. They scan every piece of branded content and every eCommerce site with a single question on their lips: "Is this AI?"
There are two kinds of opportunities for brands. The first, most obvious one, is to be transparent about when you use AI; a simple credit line or statement in your posts will do.
But some brands are leaning into the second opportunity by doubling down on human-led creativity and handmade items. We noted in our 2026 predictions that the tension between AI super fans and creative artisans will be the new battleground in authenticity. We’re already seeing brands like Hermès lean into this moment by hiring professional artists and cartoonists to redesign the eCommerce site and social media content.
We're in a new era of consumer psychology. While we are emotionally and mentally no strangers to uncertainty, how we respond to those triggers is vastly different than ten, or even five years ago.
When we seek comfort, it’s only a car drive away to the newest branded cafe experience. If we’re feeling the itch for a dopamine hit, we can click through to the POPMART app and digitally unbox the newest Little Monsters x Hello Kitty drop.
Commerce has always been entwined in our lives, acting as a vehicle for self-expression, sustenance, reward, and even for showing our love. But Gen Z has spent their most formative years embedded in commerce in a way no prior generation has. They’ve grown up with YouTube unboxing videos, TikTok Shop shows, shoppable gaming experiences, and media-savvy influencers as part of their lives. Shaping them, guiding them, selling to them.
The brands and retailers engaging with this cohort have a new playbook to follow, built on dopamine hits, accelerated trend cycles, and an ongoing need to signal individual status and aesthetics through their commerce decisions.
During NRF's State of Retail & the Consumer, Rachel Hardy, Director of Consumer Product Marketing at Pinterest, and MaryLee Bliss, Chief Content Officer of YPulse, came ready with receipts to illustrate what our industry’s most valuable demographic is doing, and why. It added much-needed context to the broader “state of the industry” session, which doubled down on positivity. Although the industry association expects a 4.4% increase in annual retail sales, merchants can’t seize this opportunity without understanding what is actually driving people to shop.
The Consumer Trends That Matter in 2026: Opportunities Hiding in Anxiety
Gen Z came of age during COVID, with the oldest approaching 30. Their innate uncertainty and constantly “waiting for the other shoe to drop” is reshaping what they want from retail: comfort, nostalgia, small indulgences, instant gratification, and the feeling that a brand actually gets them.
Hardy put it simply: "Gen Z is exhausted... this idea of a five-year plan no longer exists, and so their time horizon is more over a one- to two-year period."
Short-termism is a rational response to an irrational world. The brands that meet them there with joy, visual discovery, and earned trust are the ones writing the next chapter of retail.
Here are three major trends that tie into this new reality, and they reaffirm the aesthetics we’ve outlined in our latest print, STRATA Vol. 001:
Treat culture is a vibe and a survival mechanism.
Over half of Gen Z consumers are not confident the economy will improve this year. Yet they are more likely than any other age group to say their biggest financial priority is "buying the things that they want."
Economic pessimism no longer deflates purchase intent. In fact, it’s now quite the contrary. Gen Z, in particular, is constantly on the hunt for “little treats” that give them a dopamine hit and add extra joy to their lives, especially when things look bleak.
"It's not necessarily that huge splurge, but the more consistent purchases that they can have that little dopamine hit to kind of get through the weeks,” Bliss said.
Look at the growing Purse Trinket Economy as proof. In terms of dollars and cents, most of these items don’t cost much. But when they add up to full-blown collections, they gain value over time while also brightening consumers’ lives a bit.
We saw it with Labubus in 2025, but other brands and spin-offs are fueling the fire, making Comfort Maximalism a major aesthetic that shapes how we build and engage with brands.
This is what luxury looks like now, rooted in scarcity and gamified experiences. If your brand is waiting for the economy to improve before connecting with Gen Z emotionally, you will have waited too long.
AI is creating buyer's remorse at scale.
Here's a stat that should be hanging in every office as a reminder: 70% of Gen Z who shop online feel buyer's remorse immediately after purchasing. Hardy connects this directly to AI-driven, text-based experiences that make decisions for users.
The speed and efficiency of these new workflows make things feel more seamless. But sometimes when there’s seamlessness up front, there’s friction after checkout. Consider the implications of impulse, agent-driven purchases on return rates. The data is not quite there yet, but it’s a topic we’re eager to explore.
One thing is clear, though: when Gen Z really wants something, they know it when they see it.
Pinterest's answer to this new era of digital window shopping is visual-first AI. Their new Pinterest Assistant is a visual, conversational discovery tool. “AI is wonderful because it helps people make decisions, get to information faster,” Hardy said. “But it's really important to preserve their autonomy and their taste and help them make decisions that fit into their life.”
The platforms optimizing for conversion speed are manufacturing regret. The ones optimizing for curation, concierge-level service, and emotional resonance are building loyalty. We covered this idea extensively in our holiday AI research. As consumers continue to engage with generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude to research and validate their buying decisions, these behaviors will only become more established.
Anti-slop sentiment connects to opacity.
77% of Gen Z believe AI has a more positive impact on the world than a negative one, but 78% want labels on AI-generated social posts.
They're not Luddites; they're just intensely aware of how prevalent AI is, and they want transparency into when, how, and why brands use it. They scan every piece of branded content and every eCommerce site with a single question on their lips: "Is this AI?"
There are two kinds of opportunities for brands. The first, most obvious one, is to be transparent about when you use AI; a simple credit line or statement in your posts will do.
But some brands are leaning into the second opportunity by doubling down on human-led creativity and handmade items. We noted in our 2026 predictions that the tension between AI super fans and creative artisans will be the new battleground in authenticity. We’re already seeing brands like Hermès lean into this moment by hiring professional artists and cartoonists to redesign the eCommerce site and social media content.
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