Guide to Next 2026 Industry Trends Report | Publicis Sapient

Sapient Slingshot wins Technology Breakthrough of the Year. Explore Slingshot
Sapient Bodhi ranked #1 for deep research. Explore Bodhi
Meet Sapient Sustain: context-aware AI for complex IT operations. Explore Sustain
3M lines of COBOL → clear specs in 8 weeks. Get the details

We surveyed 500+ industry leaders and interviewed nearly 70 strategy, product, engineering, customer experience, data and AI experts to illuminate the tensions and trends ahead.

Across every sector we studied, AI ambition is high, but alignment still lags. The right moves won’t just be technological; they’ll be structural, cultural and human.

92 %
of media leaders say consent-first UX boosts trust, but over half cite privacy as AI’s top barrier.

37 %
of CPG leaders audit how AI assistants describe them each month.

60 %
of automakers are ready to monetize in-car AI, but only one-third have scaled.

52 %
of retail leaders say they’re ready for agent-to-agent commerce—even though it doesn’t exist yet.

Overview Overview Macro Trends Financial Services Consumer & Mobility Essential Industries Let's Connect

In this section

Editor’s Note
2026: Where the Cracks Are Starting to Show
Illustration: Words That Will Define 2026

Every year, “Guide to Next” is our chance to take a clear-eyed look at what’s coming. But this year, the stakes feel higher—the decisions heavier, the bets bigger.

Leaders told us they’re walking into 2026 with equal parts optimism and unease. The phrase that stuck with us was this: optimistic uncertainty.

That tension is real. Across Publicis Sapient’s own industry surveys, the majority of executives say their AI technology and programs are scaled or enterprise ready. Yet our data, and the experts we spoke with, reveal a different story: most organizations are still in pilot mode. Confidence is outpacing capability, and that gap has become the new fault line in enterprise AI.

It’s what our research calls decision debt: when optimism moves faster than evidence, and assumptions scale before systems do.

Here's where the cracks are starting to show, and the fights in front of every organization in 2026:

“Guide to Next 2026” is both a map and a mirror: a look at where markets are headed and a reflection of how ready leaders truly are.

Across every sector we studied, ambition is high, but alignment still lags. Winning now means closing that distance. It means turning confidence into capability, not just in what you build, but in how you govern, measure and lead.

The bold moves ahead won’t just be technological; they’ll be structural, cultural and human. Don’t play it safe. Dare to prove your optimism right.

Your systems are already shaping your future. The only question is: are they fighting for you or against you?

—The Publicis Sapient Editorial Team

Drawn from our conversations and interviews, these are the themes that surfaced again and again. The signals of what’s shifting, what’s urgent and what’s next. This is the language your 2026 will speak.

Caption: These words were identified through interviews with nearly 70 subject matter experts across Publicis Sapient, reflecting the key themes and ideas they believe will define 2026.

+ + +

What research methodology is the report based on?

This report is based on internal qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey conducted by IPSOS in September 2025, spanning five industries: Consumer Products, Retail, Transportation & Mobility, Telecommunications and Media. The study captured insights from nearly 70 Publicis Sapient strategy, product, engineering, customer experience, data and AI experts who participated in 30-minute in-depth interviews and 540 senior decision-makers in digital transformation across seven markets: the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, China, Australia and Italy. Markets were selected for their leadership in shaping global industry standards and innovation. Fieldwork was conducted via secure, self-completed online surveys in local languages, adhering to market research guidelines, confidentiality and data protection standards. Results were analyzed at industry and total levels, with significance testing at the 95 percent confidence interval to identify meaningful differences.

Who were the respondents?

Respondents were C-Suite leaders or direct reports with recognized expertise and decision-making authority. They represented functions including executive leadership, IT, marketing, customer experience, operations, procurement and supply chain, strategy and transformation (including AI), finance, innovation and R&D, data and analytics and engineering. Eligibility required a senior management role (minimum one year in position) at organizations with revenues of $1B+ and workforces of 1,000+. All participants had direct responsibility for, or influence over, selecting external consultants and service providers for digital transformation. Fieldwork was conducted via secure, self-completed online surveys in local languages, adhering to market research guidelines, confidentiality and data protection standards. Results were analyzed at industry and total levels, with significance testing at the 95 percent confidence interval to identify meaningful differences.

Who contributed to the research?

Special thanks to: Abhishek Kumar (Senior Director, Data Science), Alok Lakhchaura (GVP, Technology), Amin Rafinejad (Senior Client Partner), Andre Pierre-Engberts (VP, Technology), Andy McMillan (Senior Product Manager), Anne Phelan (VP Product Management, International Product Lead Retail & Consumer Products, EMEA Product Management Lead), Arjun Dutta (Senior Client Partner, Travel & Hospitality), Ashish Bhadauria (Senior Principal, Strategy & Management Consulting), Audrey Zong (Senior Principal), Alyssa Altman (Consumer Products, Retail, Transportation & Mobility Industry Lead, NA), Boris Leshchinskiy (Associate Managing Director), Bragadish Natarajan (Senior Director, Product Management), Brian Clarey (VP, Managing Partner), Courtney Trudeau (Managing Director, Delivery & Strategy), Dan Pitchenik (Financial Services Industry Lead, NA), Dave Murphy (Financial Services Industry Lead, EMEA & APAC), Emanuel Krantz (CX & Innovation Lead, Consumer Products, EMEA & APAC), Erin Doyle (Director, CX & Innovation Consulting), Gene Bornac (SVP, Management Consulting, Retail), Grace Ge (Senior Principal, Strategy & Management Consulting), Guy Elliott (Consumer Products, Retail, Telco, Media & Tech Industry Lead, EMEA & APAC), Helen Merriott (Consumer Products Industry Lead, EMEA & APAC), Houda Kamoun (Associate Managing Director, Strategy), J. F. Grossen (Global VP of Customer Experience), Jackie Walker (Retail Experience Strategy Lead, NA), Jagdish Ganshani (SVP & Managing Partner, Travel & Hospitality), Jean-Pascal Mathieu (Senior Director, Customer Experience Innovation Consulting), Jennifer Kilian (Chief Experience Officer), Jochen Funk (Automotive and Strategy Lead, DACH), Julian Skelly (Retail Industry Lead, EMEA & APAC), Kristina DeClark (Principal, Strategy & Management Consulting), Lucy Ziegler (Senior Director, Customer Experience Innovation Consulting), Mani Thomas (Associate Director, Digital Product Management), Masud Haq (Senior Vice President), Melissa Trepinski (Managing Director), Milena Šošić (Senior Data Scientist), Mukundhan Sundaram (Senior Director, Technology), Nick Shay (Head of Travel & Hospitality, International), Peter Szczerba (VP Data Strategy, NA Retail Data Lead), Raj Shah (Telco, Media & Tech Industry Lead, NA), Rajeev Singh (Transportation & Mobility Industry Leader, EMEA & APAC), Raymond Velez (EVP & Chief Technology Officer for Customer Data Solutions), Rizwan Devji (Senior Account Director), R. J. Jain (Senior Product Manager), Ronnie Mitra (Senior Director, Technology), Russell Van Gorp (Managing Director of Health Strategy), Saba Arab (Managing Director), Sarita Ghosh (Manager, Data Science), Satyendra Pal (GVP, Omni-Fulfillment Practice Lead), Selina Park (Manager, Data Science), Shiladitya Ghosh (Senior Director, Client Executive, Travel & Hospitality), Sidd Venkatesan (Senior Client Partner), Simon James (International Lead, GVP, Data Science & AI), Soulaf Khalifeh (Manager, Customer Experience & Innovation Consulting), Sudip Mazumder (Retail & B2B Industry Lead, NA), Teaque Lenahan (Managing Partner & Group VP, Travel & Hospitality), Tim Lawless (Health Industry Lead, NA), Toby Boudreaux (Global VP, Data Engineering), Vaibhav Sanjiv Patil (Senior Associate, Data Science), Vinci Rufus (VP, Technology, XE Craft Lead), Vlad Panov (VP, Engineering), Xavier Cimino (Senior Managing Director, Strategy), Zachary Paradis (Global GVP, CX & Innovation Consulting, North America).

Download the Report
Take it home with you. Get your PDF copy of this year’s Guide to Next and dive in anytime, anywhere.
Open the report

Guide to Next Report Archives
Learn from the past, plan for the future. Check out our Guide to Next archives for a snapshot of how far we’ve come.
Guide to Next 2026
Guide to Next 2025
Guide to Next 2024

Forces reshaping business as we know it

In this section

The Next Tech Debt Crisis is Agentic
Video: Agentic AI—Overhyped or Underhyped?
The Boldest Move in AI? Data Governance That Actually Works
Video: AI Integrations—Build or Buy?
AI Ate the Entry Level. Now What?
Illustration: The Digital Hangover

Yesterday’s tech debt was code. Today’s is decision-making.

Haven’t we seen this before?

Let’s say your team ships a refund assistant agent with one goal: “maximize customer satisfaction.