Marketing Insights
Performance Marketing Trends for 2026
Signal loss, retail media maturation and the return of brand-led efficiency: where the performance discipline is heading.
Retail media is now the third structural channel alongside search and social, but its measurement conventions remain immature.
We expect a partial reconsolidation of budget towards brand as marginal performance efficiency plateaus across mature accounts.
Our position: capability without an operating model produces expensive noise.
Shard & Co · Strategy Practice
This insight forms part of Shard's ongoing research programme. For the underlying methodology or a briefing with the authoring team, contact the practice directly.
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