Future Consumer 2026

If you ask any brand leader what makes a strong company, they will tell you it’s putting the consumer at the centre of all actions, but how do you do this when consumer behaviours are changing faster than ever?

WGSN’s Future Consumer forecasts put decision-makers one step ahead by identifying the consumer profiles and sentiments that will drive business growth in the coming years, empowering brand leaders to create the precise products and services they will need.

In this year’s edition, humour and joy will be catalysts for consumers, opening up new engagement and loyalty opportunities for brands that can connect with them authentically.

Discover Future Consumer 2026

Inside Future Consumer 2026

Our executive summary presents the first of four consumer profiles outlined in our 2026 forecast. Let’s meet The Gleamers.

Key points

The power of ‘minorstones’ to build loyalty and generate new retail opportunities
Why humour and joy will be essential for consumer engagement
Opportunities will lie beyond only creating new products
A new way to look at the traditional retail calendar

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Previously in our Future Consumer forecasts

Nostalgia

From the Barbie movie to the Final Fantasy VII Remake, nostalgia has been dominating consumers’ shopping habits in the past few years. WGSN predicted its rise in 2016 and identified it as a driver for the Time Perception sentiment in our Future Consumer 2023 forecast.

Awe

A sense of wonder has begun to impact consumers and is predicted to be a key influence on consumer behaviour in 2024. This sentiment, which we called "Awe”, was forecasted by WGSN in 2022 as part of the Future Consumer 2024 forecast.

Nihilists

In the past year, nihilism has become the default mindset for some young people. We first analysed this in 2022 as part of our Future Consumer 2024 forecast, noting the growth of cope culture. The following year, nihilism became one of the main sentiments in our Future Consumer 2025 forecast.

Prepare for your 2026 consumer

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