The AI Hype Report That Accidentally Proved Why Human Connection Still Wins
Many of the CEOs and marketers I talk to are spiraling about AI shopping assistants. ChatGPT can now bypass your website entirely. AI agents will handle all commerce. The robots are coming for your customer relationships.
I just read EMARKETER's "Retail Trends to Watch in 2026: AI’s Impact Is Top of Mind Across the Path to Purchase" report, and you know what? The data tells a completely different story than the headline panic.
This AI-focused report accidentally proved that while everyone's chasing shiny AI objects, the real opportunity is still in the decidedly un-sexy fundamentals: human connection, physical experiences, and direct customer relationships.
Let me show you what I mean.
The Numbers That Should Calm Everyone Down
Here's the stat that made me LOL: When researchers asked US shoppers where they first discovered new products they purchased in the past 6 months:
Social media came in at 39.2%.
AI shopping assistants and chatbots? 3.9%.
GenAI tools? 3.8%.
Social media drives 10x more product discovery than all the AI tools everyone's losing sleep over combined.
No wonder brands like Duolingo are paying their social teams the big bucks they deserve. Social isn't the unpaid intern's job (if you actually want to grow, but that is a soapbox for another day.)
But wait, it gets better.
When asked what brand experiences consumers notice and remember most:
79% said in-store experiences and events.
In-store window displays came in at 72%.
Physical mail at 71%.
Packaging at 69%.
Online ads at 67%.
Social media ads and catalogs tied for lowest at 63%.
Translation: While we're all freaking out about becoming obsolete, consumers are literally telling us they remember and value human experiences more than digital anything.
The AI Story That Nobody's Talking About
Here's another interesting nugget in this report: 70% of shoppers worldwide said they're interested in using AI agents to optimize their loyalty points.
Not to replace shopping. Not to eliminate brand relationships. To maximize the programs brands already built.
The prediction that matters? "Loyalty programs protect customer relationships against the threat from AI."
Think about that. A strong loyalty offering creates incentives for consumers to engage directly with you. It defends against disintermediation from AI platforms. While ChatGPT is trying to insert itself between you and your customers, loyalty programs pull people back into direct relationships.
This is exactly backwards from how most people are thinking about AI.
What Smart Retailers Are Actually Doing (While Everyone Panics About Algorithms)
The report notes that retailers are "leaning more on physical stores and developing other strategies to foster customer engagement and build brand loyalty."
Ulta Beauty held their first ticketed consumer event this year. San Antonio Spurs field one, a convention center. These aren't just marketing stunts - they're creating entirely new revenue streams while building brand affinity that no algorithm can replicate.
More than 80% of retail sales will still come from physical stores in 2026. Despite the ever-growing influence of digital on shopping behavior, the majority of retail dollars are still spent offline.
Experiential retail is having a resurgence. Gen Z is breathing new life into shopping malls. Netflix is investing in massive retail-entertainment destinations. Why? Because consumers are craving shopping experiences that include social engagement - a direct contrast with the automated, algorithm-driven shopping that dominates online.
The Content Opportunity Everyone's Missing
The report does have legitimate insights about AI's impact. Brands now need to create product content for three distinct audiences:
1. Human consumers - who want emotional connection and social proof
2. Human consumers using AI tools - who want in-depth information and points of comparison
3. Autonomous AI agents - who need structured data and comprehensive specs
But here's the thing: Two out of three of those audiences are still humans. They still make decisions based on trust, emotion, and social validation.
The report found that social media drives roughly 10 times as much product discovery as genAI platforms and shopping assistants. More than half (52%) of US social users discovered a product of interest via a creator or influencer in the past 6 months.
AI-generated content is saturating marketing channels, so retailers are turning to human credibility to set themselves apart. Consumers increasingly look for social validation from trusted sources like subject-matter experts and everyday customer voices.
The differentiation isn't in your AI strategy. It's in your human one.
What This Actually Means For Your Marketing
If you're a founder or marketer reading this report and thinking "we need an AI strategy," you're asking the wrong question.
The right question is: How do we build direct customer relationships that AI can't disintermediate?
That means:
Loyalty programs that create genuine value, not just points for purchases. Make them sticky enough that customers have a reason to come directly to you instead of discovering you through an AI agent.
Experiential touchpoints that create memorable brand moments AI can't replicate. Whether that's events, in-store experiences, or community building - these are the things people actually remember and talk about.
Social presence with real human voices - not just branded content, but partnerships with creators and subject-matter experts who bring credibility and trust. This drives 10x more discovery than AI tools.
Direct relationships and first-party data so you own the customer connection and aren't dependent on third-party platforms or AI intermediaries.
Product content that works for both humans and algorithms - rich information that helps AI agents make decisions, but emotional storytelling that helps humans feel confident in theirs.
The Real Opportunity
Everyone's freaking out about AI shopping assistants because they're new and shiny and feel disruptive.
But the actual data shows that consumers still discover products through social media, remember experiences that happen in physical spaces, and make purchase decisions based on human credibility and trust.
The brands that win in 2026 won’t be the ones with the best AI strategy. They're the ones who use this moment - while everyone else is distracted by technology - to double down on the fundamentals that actually drive loyalty and growth.
Build trust. Earn loyalty. Unlock growth.
Love when a hype report just accidentally proved that formula still works.
Source: EMARKETER Retail Trends to Watch in 2026
Want help building marketing foundations that compound over time instead of chasing the next shiny object? That's exactly what I do. Let's talk.
