## 2026 Personalization Trends: What 1,000+ Shoppers Expect From Brands

Discover the 2026 personalization trends driving engagement, loyalty, and sales, based on a survey of 1,050 shoppers across the US, UK, and Australia.

### Shoppers are overwhelmed by choice
Shoppers are overwhelmed by choice, and generic marketing gets ignored. But personalized experiences keep them engaged—and influence **93%** of shoppers to stay loyal. The brands that act on this reality will gain a competitive edge.

**70%** of shoppers say they feel overwhelmed, uncertain, or that it takes too long to find an option they like when shopping online.

When they feel this way:

- **62%** keep browsing for more options
- **61%** look for reviews or recommendations to help them decide
- **38%** postpone purchases for later
- **21%** give up on purchasing completely (and younger shoppers are even more likely to give up)

And research suggests as shopping journeys stretch out, fatigue sets in—leading consumers to [delay purchases](https://econpapers.repec.org/article/inmormksc/v_3a42_3ay_3a2023_3ai_3a1_3ap_3a110-136.htm) or [not complete them at all](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11747-022-00857-8).

Additionally, brands and shoppers alike are still feeling the impacts of an uncertain economy. In the April 2026 Attentive Consumer Pulse, [**90%** of shoppers said they’re concerned about the economy](/content/blog/april-2026-attentive-consumer-pulse/index.html) (the highest we’ve seen since we started tracking this in [August](/content/blog/august-attentive-consumer-pulse/index.html)), and **63%** are comparing prices more carefully before buying.

**This is where** [**personalization**](/content/tags/personalization/index.html) **helps.** Not as a buzzword, but as a way to reduce noise, build decision confidence, and help shoppers keep moving forward.

To understand what shoppers expect from personalization now, we asked **1,050 consumers across the US, UK, and Australia**. The results reveal what “personalized” means to shoppers, what drives action and loyalty, and where brands can focus to make personalization effective.

### Key takeaways

1. **Personalization is a loyalty lever:** **93%** of shoppers say they’re likely to continue shopping with a brand when it provides personalized experiences.
2. **Relevance drives action:** **73%** are more likely to purchase when they get product recommendations relevant to their needs and preferences.
3. **Generic messages get tuned out:** **64%** say brand messages are too generic—and **80%** are likely to ignore brands that send irrelevant messages.
4. **Triggered messages are high-impact:** Among the highest performing behavioral flows, **85%** are more likely to purchase after receiving sales/price drops on desired items, and **81%** after back-in-stock notifications.
5. **Cross-channel coordination works:** **57%** are more likely to purchase when they see the same promo across channels—and **73%** prefer follow-ups that add something new.
6. **Privacy-conscious consumers still want personalization:** **71%** are taking steps to protect their privacy, yet **69%** of them still want brands to learn from their shopping habits over time (compared to **66%** of consumers who aren’t privacy-conscious).
7. **Shoppers want the experiences RCS provides:** **92%** of shoppers say at least one RCS feature would improve their shopping experience.

## Personalization matters: 64% of shoppers want marketing to be more personalized
With so many choices, shoppers ignore generic messages. But they pay attention when marketing reflects what they care about.

### Shoppers tune out brands that send irrelevant messages
Personalization is how you earn attention now:

- **56%** of shoppers often or very often receive irrelevant messages.
- **64%** say messages are too generic and want them tailored to their needs, preferences, or style.
- **80%** are more likely to ignore brands that send irrelevant messages.

### Consumers reward brands that personalize their experience
Shoppers want brands to adapt to them over time:

- **68%** want brands to learn from their shopping habits over time.
- **73%** are more likely to purchase when given product suggestions that feel relevant to their needs and preferences.
- **65%** are open to receiving messages more frequently if they’re relevant.
- **53%** say remembering their preferences is a top factor that leads them to continue shopping with a brand.

### The opportunity: remove friction and help shoppers decide faster
When we asked what would improve shopping the most, the answers pointed to the same idea: **make it easier and reduce the noise.**

The top three improvements shoppers want:

1. Remember their preferences so it’s easier to shop
2. Give them product recommendations that match what they like
3. Help them pick up where they left off (e.g., saved products, recently viewed items, what’s in their cart)

## What personalization means to shoppers: 48% say it starts with the preferences they’ve shared
“Personalized” and “relevant” can start to sound empty unless you define what they mean.

### According to shoppers, personalization is based on their interactions with brands
Shoppers say marketing feels personalized when it:

- **48%:** Uses preferences they’ve shared (e.g., size, style, interests)
- **47%:** Keeps them updated on things they care about (e.g., back-in-stock alerts, sales on items they’re interested in)
- **41%:** Features products that complement what they’ve browsed or bought
- **38%:** Reflects what they’ve recently done with the brand (e.g., products viewed, added to cart, or purchased)
- **35%:** Anticipates their needs (e.g., refills, seasonal items)

### Personalization also has a loyalty effect
**93%** of shoppers say they’re likely to continue shopping with a brand when it provides personalized experiences like:

- **53%:** Remembering their preferences
- **53%:** Making relevant product suggestions
- **47%:** Remembering past interactions (purchases, browsing, etc.)
- **39%:** Anticipating needs (50% for Gen Z)
- **32%:** Sending messages at times that work well for them.

## Identity resolution: Accurate subscriber recognition is the foundation of personalization
To deliver the personalized experiences shoppers want, brands need to **recognize who’s browsing and connect that activity back to a subscriber profile**. But when shoppers switch devices or return over multiple sessions, the same customer can look like multiple visitors if the signal gets interrupted.

### Brands can lose signal as shoppers switch devices or take their time
In the past three months:

- The average consumer has shopped in **4 different ways** across various platforms, devices, and in-store.
- **53%** are aware that they’ve switched devices or taken multiple online sessions before making a purchase.

### Customer expectations are high—and brands benefit by meeting them
Shoppers say:

- **67%** are more likely to unsubscribe if they keep receiving reminders about a product after they’ve purchased it.
- **71%** expect brands to remember what they viewed or added to their cart if they switch devices or return later.
- **74%** are more likely to purchase when a brand helps them pick up where they left off (saved items, recently viewed, what’s in their cart).

### Phone numbers are the most stable form of identification
Shoppers use multiple identifiers while they shop, which can fragment profiles:

- **75%** of consumers have **at least two** active personal email addresses.
- **75%** of shoppers have **just one** active cell phone number.

### Take action
To recognize more subscribers and enable a high-performing messaging program, adopt a modern identity infrastructure that links all of a customer's identifiers into an identity graph with the phone number as the primary anchor.

## Triggered messages: Behavioral flows drive action
Triggered messages drive a large share of email and SMS revenue, and they’re one of the simplest ways to make marketing feel personal.
Shoppers say they’re more likely to purchase when they receive:

| % of shoppers | Triggered message type |
| --- | --- |
| **85%** | Sales or price drops on desired items |
| **81%** | Back-in-stock notifications |
| **77%** | Loyalty point reminders |
| **68%** | Product recommendations based on what a brand knows about them |
| **64%** | Refill reminders for items they purchase regularly |
| **62%** | Welcome messages that help them get to know the brand |
| **62%** | Reminders about items they meant to buy |

### Take action
- Add journeys for high-intent moments: price drops, back-in-stock, loyalty points, and refill reminders.
- Update your welcome journey to go beyond the discount code—build affinity by sharing about your values, what makes your brand unique, and what to shop first.

## Cross-channel coordination: 57% are more likely to purchase from multi-channel campaigns
Shoppers don’t engage with brands in just one place.

### Take action
- Adapt your messages to suit each channel’s strengths: SMS for immediate action; push notifications for in-app behavior; email for detailed storytelling.
- Segment by channel affinity so you can deliver the main message where they’ll read it.

## Message timing: Timing is part of relevance—but right-timing varies by customer
Most shoppers don’t think about message timing, but it’s growing in importance—and **it’s a quiet driver of engagement and conversions**.

### Ideal timing varies widely
Shoppers say they’re most likely to click a link or shop after receiving a marketing message:

| % of shoppers | When they're most likely to engage with a marketing message |
| --- | --- |
| **14%** | When they first wake up |
| **24%** | While eating meals |
| **30%** | While taking a break at work/school |
| **50%** | While relaxing at home in the evening |

## Privacy paradox: 71% of shoppers protect their privacy—but they still want personalized experiences
Privacy behavior is on the rise. **71%** of shoppers are taking action to protect their [privacy](/content/tags/privacy/index.html).

### Yet shoppers expect brands to tailor their experience
**Privacy-conscious behavior doesn’t mean shoppers want brands to stop personalizing.** In fact, **69%** of privacy-conscious consumers still want brands to learn from their shopping habits over time.

## Helpful vs. creepy: Personalization can cross a line—but most of it is fair game
Shoppers are clear that they want more personalized experiences. But there’s a difference between what feels helpful and what feels uncomfortable or invasive.

### Shoppers say it feels acceptable or neutral when brands:

| % of shoppers | Personalization scenario |
| --- | --- |
| **94%** | Send back-in-stock alerts for items they viewed on the brand’s website |
| **94%** | Recommend products based on past purchases |
| **92%** | Tailor marketing messages based on preferences they explicitly saved |

## AI personalization: 87% find AI-powered brand experiences valuable
Customers want brands to make shopping easier—and AI can help scale relevance that’s hard to do manually.

### Take action
- Set trust as a baseline with strong security policies and an easy path to requesting data deletion.
- Prioritize AI uses that improve customer experience (faster support, easier product discovery, more relevant recommendations).

## RCS: 92% say RCS improves the shopping experience
[RCS (Rich Communication Services) Business Messaging](/content/blog/rcs-explained-faq/index.html) is the next generation of mobile messaging, bringing more interactive experiences directly into text conversations between brands and consumers.

### Take action
- Map out how RCS capabilities can enhance your customer experience and start incorporating it into your long-term messaging strategy.

## The takeaway: Relevance wins when shoppers are more selective
With ongoing price pressure, shoppers are being more deliberate in 2026. Shoppers have made it clear what keeps them engaged and gets them to pull out their wallets: Personalized experiences.