Business-to-consumer marketing will face multiple challenges in 2026, such as price hikes, artificial intelligence-driven privacy breaches and a decline in measurement confidence, according to a report from Forrester. Industry executives are gearing up for a year of volatility, with 52% predicting tighter budgets and 51% anticipating reduced headcounts. Overall, 64% of B2C marketing executives believe that 2026 will be more volatile than 2025.
“It's not great news in terms of the strife and headwinds that CMOs and other business leaders are going to face,” said Mike Proulx, vice president, research director, Forrester.
“Predictions 2026: B2C Marketing” was put together using input from analysts to evaluate what potential trends will be seen in the following year. It is supported by data collected throughout the year, including from Forrester’s Q3 CMO Pulse survey.
Loyalty and trust doesn't come free
As low price continues to be a top-purchase driver, price hikes in 2026 are expected to cause up to one-third of consumers to walk away from B2C brands in favor of better deals elsewhere. While 37% of online U.S. adults say they are willing to pay a higher price for a brand or product they love, the majority of consumers won’t be as easy to convince. The solution, according to Forrester, is to create a consumer experience that makes them want to stay.
“Brands need to understand their consumers and their different segments that exist within their diverse target audiences, and ensure they are meeting them where they are, with regards to their own individual economic conditions,” said Proulx.
Consumer loyalty isn’t the only thing that will face a reckoning in 2026. The measurement crisis is only going to get worse, with confidence predicted to slip 7%, according to the report. Despite confidence being high in 2025, with 79% of B2C marketers saying they feel confident in their ability to accurately measure the value of marketing, this will be temporary. Concerns around data transparency, especially as AI becomes increasingly entrenched in the measurement process, will erode the faith marketers have around measurement. The politicization of economic measurements will only exacerbate the matter.
The fault in the AI machine
AI’s presence in the advertising industry has undoubtedly grown. In 2026, some of the excitement surrounding the new technology will begin to wane as some major issues become impossible to ignore. The upcoming year is already predicted to be a challenging one in terms of consumer confidence and AI may only make that worse. For example, data breaches driven by the technology are expected to increase class action lawsuits by 20%, according to the report.
Implementation will also continue to be a struggle for marketers in 2026, according to the report. Only about a third of employees, 37%, feel confident adapting AI systems for work. These issues will cause agentic AI adoption to slow, predicts Forrester. B2C marketers should continue to clarify their desired levels of autonomy as well as ensuring alignment across, data, tech and the workforce.
However, the challenges won’t completely derail AI’s use in marketing. Three AI-native B2C marketing applications are expected to hit the market in 2026, according to Forrester. Marketers still have a strong desire to implement AI into their workflow and AI companies are going to race to meet those needs. Marketers should evaluate each new technology carefully and ensure they align with their needs and values.
“There are a lot of promises being made by third party vendors,” said Proulx. “Any technology provider is going to tout their AI capabilities…what is pivotal is to ensure that as AI advances as a commonplace aid to getting work done, the human quotient cannot be removed.”
