Brands will pair first-party data gleaned directly from customers with creator audience micro-segments, content preferences, and engagements to craft bespoke experiences. Creator-curated bundles will be personalized via tutorials and targeted membership offers for micro-communities.
By Hadi Khatib
AI agents lie in wait to have a shot at replacing the current cohorts of innovative, tech-savvy, marketing-oriented influencers and content creators.
The way things are, the creator market is so robustly moving into an exciting 2026 that artificial agents might have to bide their time some more.
A recent report by Reuters said that in 2026, consumers will keep shifting toward creator-first discovery and community commerce, where brands build engaged online communities, garner authentic peer recommendations, and leverage entertaining content to drive sales.
And it’s not just the brands themselves doing that. In 2025, platforms, creators, and brands have collaborated to blur exposure and purchase, using short video and livestreams as primary product discovery channels for younger followers, where purchases mostly originate from creator content rather than display ads.
Reuters expects that behavior to deepen in 2026 as Gen Z and younger Gen Alpha increasingly rely on creators they follow, not just for product recommendations, tutorials, and micro-reviews, but also for entertainment and trusted advice on products.
Micro goes mainstream
Micro-communities, including private groups, paid memberships, and Discord/Telegram communities, will grow in importance, Reuters noted, because they deliver context and repeat purchases.
Creators able to convert their followings into membership or subscription revenue will monetize both attention and recurring commerce. Costly celebrity endorsements are fading in the background, slowly being replaced by niche micro-creators with high trust and high engagement, which are proving to be more valuable to brands per dollar spent.
“Consumers will gravitate toward authenticity, niche expertise, and value-driven content. They will prefer creators who offer real experiences, problem-solving advice, and transparent reviews. Trust-based micro-communities will replace mass audiences, and social commerce will become a default buying behavior,” Sonal Chiber, a UAE-based senior communications consultant, told Communicate.
Forbes said in a 2025 report titled Creator Economy Reshaping Marketing that advertiser budgets will shift toward creator channels, as branding platforms continue to add native shopping tools and commerce pipelines, boosted by design campaigns co-created or co-owned with creative content led by influencers.
“Consumers are increasingly rejecting polished celebrity pushes and reward transparent creators who disclose testing, returns, and real experiences,” said Forbes.
Top retailer trends
Retailers, in 2026, will accelerate integration of social commerce, livestream selling, and creator partnerships, according to BCG’s 2025 report, From Content to Commerce.
This year will see more retailers embedding creator funnels into product launches and flash sales by giving innovative affiliates early access to track inventories (SKUs), paying them commissions for driving sales and leads, and enabling on-platform checkout so measurement closes the loop from view to click to purchase, according to BCG.
“By matching media exposure to verified purchases, brands can see how each creative decision contributes to genuine incremental lift, not just surface-level engagement. When creative performance and commercial performance move in sync, you know the approach is working,” Sue Azari, Industry Lead – eCommerce, AppsFlyer, told Communicate.
BCG said it expects a sharp rise in creator retail programs where retailers run long-term ambassadorships and revenue-share storefronts rather than one-off influencer activations.
BCG Global’s 2025 Influencer Marketing Hub benchmark report said that increased data sharing between retailers and creators will allow price and promotion tests geared toward their audiences, essentially turning creators from marketing agents into distribution channels.
Strategic use of personalization
According to Forbes, personalization in 2026 will move beyond generic algorithmic product recommendations to creator-driven personalized journeys.
Brands will pair first-party data gleaned directly from customers with creator audience micro-segments, content preferences, and engagements to craft bespoke experiences. Creator-curated bundles will be personalized via tutorials and targeted membership offers for micro-communities.
More sophisticated on-platform commerce tools and APIs will let creators surface contextual promotions or limited-edition products to their audience.
Personalization will benefit from routing customers to creators whose tone and content match buyer intent, where offers are made using built-in frictionless checkouts.
Creators themselves will additionally monetize by offering personalized styling, consultations, and tailored product lines.
Creator retail sector growth
By 2026, the creator economy will excel in beauty and personal care, fashion, consumer electronics, and niche food and beverage and health supplements, according to BCG.
Beauty and fashion already rely on try-ons, where creators reduce return rates by demonstrating fit. Electronics benefit from hands-on reviews and comparative content, overcoming purchase anxiety for expensive items. Food and beverage wellness brands benefit from creator recipes, fitness challenges, and aspirational imagery that demonstrates efficacy.
“By 2026, the creator economy will be defined by authenticity, personalization, and niche expertise. Consumers will rely on creators more than traditional advertising for discovery and decision-making. Retail sectors like beauty, wellness, travel, home décor, and real estate will see the strongest growth as creator-led storytelling becomes the most trusted influence in the buying journey,” Chiber concluded.
