Social commerce & live shopping
Social Commerce in 2026: TikTok Shop's $20B Moment and the Margin Reality CPG Brands Are Avoiding
TikTok Shop is crossing $20 billion in gross sales, live shopping is pulling FMCG shoppers into impulse discovery, but the margin math behind creator-led commerce is harder than the brand-awareness story most CPG teams are telling internally.
In-store experience & digital shelf
In-Store Experience in 2026: Discovery Zones, Digital Shelf Signals, and the Confidence Gap
Physical stores are reclaiming their role as discovery engines, but only when digital shelf tools like QR codes, ratings, and planogrammed sampling close the gap between browsing and buying.
Retail media networks
Retail Media Networks in 2026: Where the Budget Is Going and What You Still Cannot Measure
CPG brands are sending close to 40 percent of their ad budgets into retail media networks, but the tools to prove what that spending actually buys are still catching up to the dollars.
Retail Media Networks in 2026: The Budget Is Massive and the Proof Is Still Thin
CPG brands are on track to direct half of all ad spend through retail media networks, but the measurement tools needed to justify that allocation are nowhere near ready.
Sustainability claims & regulation
The EU Green Claims Directive Is Nine Months Away and Most Brands Are Not Ready
With enforcement starting September 2026, vague sustainability language on pack and in advertising shifts from a reputational risk to a legal one, and the brands that stay quiet face a different problem entirely.