Retail Experts Claim Curation, Integrated Retail Media, and Sustainability Will Drive Business in 2026

According to a panel of expert commentary compiled by Retail Touchpoints, three major factors will come to the fore for retailers in 2026: Sustainability and the importance of the circular economy will be even more prominent, particularly in demand from Gen Z consumers; curation, rather than raw assortment, means more to today’s consumer who is looking for the best product at the right time; and the confluence of traditional retail media networks, agentic retail, and discovery commerce (via social channels like TikTok or YouTube) will form hybrid entities tailored to each company’s needs.