2026年消费趋势报告：主动适应 获取优势（英）

Report Previewof crisis and polarization Contents A notefromour CEO 2025 has been a year of magnitude. Entire countriesand beloved brands under cyber-attack. Powerful peoplecontradicted and canceled. Free speech championedand censored all at once.The meaning of democracy is being called into question, while the definition of “politically correct” is up for grabs asvalues shift. And intensifying polarization may be rippingapart our very ability to connect or form intimate bonds.This is our guide to where to meet the human amid all the change, chaos and unpredictability. May you approach theyear ahead with an adaptable mindset as contradictorybehaviors and counter trends take hold, old normsbecome new again, and commercial opportunitiesemerge in unexpected places.”Meabh Quoirin Welcome toThe Adaptation Advantage again beset by geopolitical unrest, economic turmoil and societal polarization. This time, though,crisis-fatigued consumers are settling into a rhythm of tactical adaptation. They’re learning to livewith the ambient uncertainty, and they’re resorting to wide-ranging strategies to see them through.We’re witnessing a shake-up of identities, priorities, beliefs and spending behaviors, creating tension among consumers.The consumer landscape is now defined by contradiction.For every person who subscribes to an attitude, there’s another who sees the world in a whollydifferent way and adjusts their behavior to match that reality. Four key opportunity spaces haveemerged in this landscape, demanding fresh adaptation and innovation from consumers andbrands alike.Brands must adapt to this new reality, leaning into the consumer behaviors that mostalign with business objectives and values.This excerpt from our Trending 2026 report highlights four key opportunity spaces for the year ahead, with a deep dive intoCognitiveCrossroadsand an overview of three others. The full report, available exclusively to clients,provides detailed analysis and strategic steps for navigating 2026. Contact us to become a clientand access the complete report. Our methodology IntTheTrending 2026report was built by synthesizing quantitativeand qualitative data from a diverse range of sources including:nOur proprietary consumer research spanning 27 markets and 26,000 consumersn4,000 daily commercial signals including pressreleases, patents and news articlesnQualitative insights from our London Gen Z focus group toprovide on-the-ground perspective on emerging cultural shiftsnContinuous scanning of case studies and weak signalsnMonitoring of social media posts andGoogle Trendssearch datanEconomic data and forecasts fromOxford EconomicsnExpert analysis from our global teamSome of visuals in this report were created byour partner design agency and generated using the text-to-image AI programMidjourney. Making the mostof this report Focus your yearlyplanning cycle and articulate the mood of the year, so brands likeyours are better prepared to align with culture andresonate with the consumer mindset. Think of it asa strategic compass to help you: into your decision-making campaign and productdevelopment Turningawarenessinto actionFollow-up actions for you To help you get started, we’ve included two new additions: Strategic actionsAlongside each opportunity area, you’ll find a set of practical steps for translating big-picture shifts into brand actions. These are anchored in theday-to-day reality of business operations – from brand positioning to internalteam alignment. Use these to guide your thinking around what to prioritize,who to involve and how to mitigate risk. While this report offers a robust overview of the consumer in 2026, the real value comes from applyingthese insights to your specific needs and challenges. Work with us to complete an activation scorecard bespoke to your brand– a springboard for identifying which opportunity spaces and consumer behaviors are most relevant to your brand and customers. Clickheretojump to the end of the report and access the scorecard. Reach out to youraccount manager for more tailored guidance on how to use it. CognitiveCrossroadsConsumers are navigating the evolving tensions between humanagency and technological partnership Tech HarmonyLeveraging AI as a partner CognitiveCrossroads to stay competitive andstreamline everyday life reshaping how connected consumers think,work and make everyday decisions. Routineactivities that once demanded deep focus– from writing and planning to problem-solving and product discovery – can nowbe effortlessly delegated to intelligentsystems. The result is a growing blurringbetween human judgment and machineinput, and a rising tension between mentalautonomy and algorithmic assistance.As these forces accelerate in 2026 andbeyond, consumers will increasingly findthemselves at a cognitive crossroads.The most energized consumer behaviorswithin this opportunity space are: Human AutonomyValuing human mastery andoriginality in a world of shortcut