Key Takeaway:
Learn 5 tips to improve your 2026 Retail Marketing Plan.
The new year gives retailers a clean slate—and a chance to approach your marketing with sharper focus, better data, and a strategy that supports where your customers are today, not where they were five years ago.
Whether you run a home goods store, a fashion boutique, a jewelry shop, or a luxury pet brand, now is the perfect time to refine what’s working, refresh what isn’t, and build a plan designed for the way shoppers behave in 2026.
Below are five retailer-focused steps to help you create a strategic marketing plan that’s practical, data-driven, and tailored to your business.
“Start with your data from last year and ask yourself: what actually drove purchases, appointments, or foot traffic? Look at email performance, ad spend, best-selling categories, under-performing products, and seasonal trends. This is where your most reliable insights live.”
– Technology Therapy®️ Group
1. Look Back Before You Look Ahead
Start with your data from last year and ask yourself: What actually drove purchases, appointments, or foot traffic? Look at email performance, ad spend, best-selling categories, under-performing products, and seasonal trends. This is where your most reliable insights live.
Even broader trends support this approach. Retailers using AI-enabled forecasting tools are seeing clearer patterns than ever. Per research from Deloitte, 6 in 10 retail buyers say AI tools improved their demand forecasting and inventory management. That means reviewing your data is essential to smarter decisions.
Get Inspired
A home-goods boutique owner sees that last January’s “Refresh Your Space” email tripled her average click-through rate. Instead of guessing what to promote this year, she uses that insight to plan a new version of the same theme—updated products, fresh visuals, same proven timing.
2. Plan This Year’s Content with Intention
Once you know what worked, map out your content for the next 12 months. Start with seasonal anchors like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, summer travel, fall events, and holiday shopping. Then fill in weekly or monthly content themes.
If you don’t have a content calendar yet, we strongly encourage you to make one. It’s a roadmap that will reduce the “What should we post?” scramble for you and your team.
Get Inspired
A jeweler knows proposal season spikes January–March. So insteadof posting reactively, she plans a series of educational engagement-ring reels, proposal stories, gemstone explainers, and appointment CTAs—all timed to when customers are actively searching.
3. Build a Content Calendar You’ll Actually Use
A strategic content calendar shouldn’t feel overwhelming. It should help you visualize your year, balance promotions with storytelling, and ensure you’re showing up consistently across email, social, and your website.
This is also where templates can help, such as editorial calendars, planning worksheets, and social batching guides. They’re the “recipes” that keep you organized without reinventing the wheel every month.
4. Don’t Forget Gen Z
Gen Z isn’t just a future customer base anymore—they’re one of the dominant consumer groups reshaping retail behavior. According to a Spend Z report commissioned by GfK, NielsenIQ, and World Data Lab, Gen Z spending is on pace to eclipse Baby Boomers globally by 2029.
And they shop differently. They:
- Expect personalization
- Value inclusivity and transparency
- Prefer video content
- Research deeply before buying
- Respond to brands with values and personality
If your 2026 marketing plan doesn’t include a Gen Z strategy—especially for discovery, storytelling, and social commerce—you’re competing with one hand tied behind your back. So, as you make your new year marketing plan, think about how your brand can meet them where they already are: TikTok, YouTube, influencer reviews, and UGC-style content.
“50% of retail executives report improved decision-making with AI insights.”
– Adobe, 2025 AI and Digital Trends Retail Report
5. Make AI Part of Your New Year Marketing Plan
The retail industry has entered an AI-accelerated era, and the numbers tell the story. According to Salesforce, 89% of retailers using AI for marketing report higher online sales volumes. And 50% of retail executives report improved decision-making with AI insights, as Adobe research confirms. AI also enables real-time personalization, product recommendations, and smarter customer journeys to further boost your retail results.
You don’t need to automate everything. Here are five ways to get started:
- Use AI to suppress ads for customers who just purchased
- Use AI tools to recommend cross-sell or upsell products
- Use AI to segment customers more precisely
- Use AI to test messaging and personalize offers
- Use AI to analyze which customers are likely to buy next
Get Inspired
A high-end pet retailer uses AI to tailor promos in real time. If a customer buys gourmet dog treats, AI suppresses ads for those treats (because they just purchased) and instead recommends a matching toy or seasonal accessory for that pet’s size and breed.
Plan Your Way to 2026 Retail Success
A strong 2026 marketing plan doesn’t require reinventing your entire strategy. It’s about grounding your decisions in data, planning ahead with purpose, tapping into emerging shopper behaviors (especially Gen Z), and embracing AI as a tool that expands your capabilities.
Start simple. Stay consistent. And start polishing your 2026 marketing plan to help optimize your outcomes in the new year.
Let the TTG Pros Help Shape Your 2026 Marketing Plan
Learn more about our strategy service and book your session today!
