Commerce Media Trends to Watch in 2026

AI AgentsIn-StoreFinancial Services
Written By Joe Fitzgerald

EMARKETER forecasts that 2026 will be a year of organizational evolution for commerce media, with retailers restructuring internally and financial media networks pushing deeper into shoppable experiences. Agentic AI is emerging as a new monetization surface that could erode the value of traditional sponsored search.

Key Data Points

  • Sponsored search drives 60%+ of retail media spend but faces disruption from AI agents

  • In-store digital media represents less than 1% of retail media spend despite 85% of grocery visits happening in stores

  • Financial media networks have expansive cross-merchant purchase history but lack browsing environments

Joe Fitzgerald
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