Compiled from 20 studies · Current as of July 2026 · Sourced via The Agile Brand Guide Research
Market research in 2026 is being reshaped by AI — in how insights are produced, how consumers discover brands, and where budgets flow. Below are 81 market research statistics for 2026, drawn from 20 studies published in 2025 and 2026 and grouped by theme so you can find the number you need fast.
Every statistic links to its source in The Agile Brand Guide Research database, where you can see the full context, the original report, and an embeddable chart. Use them to benchmark your programs, pressure-test assumptions, or ground your next strategy deck.
Jump to a sectionAI in research & insights (8)The buyer journey & brand discovery (8)Consumer behavior, spending & trust (14)Advertising, channels & budgets (14)Media, streaming & video (13)Marketing effectiveness & planning (11)Talent, workplace & readiness (8)Culture, localization & brand (5)
Key statistics at a glance
- Generative-AI-referred traffic to US retail sites grew roughly 690% year over year across the 2025 holiday season. — McKinsey, 2026
- 58% of consumers have already replaced traditional search engines with generative-AI tools for product recommendations. — McKinsey, 2026
- Research teams using AI are 4 times less likely to lose organizational influence — Qualtrics, 2025
- 83% of Gen Z B2B buyers consult user reviews — TrustRadius, 2026
- 70% of consumers prefer personalized ads over generic ones — MX8 Labs, 2025
- 71.3% of job seekers reported being ghosted by employers in the last year — TopResume, 2025
AI in research & insights (8 stats)
AI and synthetic data are changing who produces insights — and how much influence research teams hold.
- 62% of organizations categorize their consumer insights as either fragmented (50%) or completely disconnected (12%) — Zappi, 2025
- 41% of companies identify data fragmentation as the primary barrier to effective insight utilization — Zappi, 2025
- Only one-third (33%) of companies manage their consumer insights projects systematically — Zappi, 2025
- 72% of teams using synthetic responses and agentic AI report increased organizational dependence on research — Qualtrics, 2025
- Research teams using AI are 4 times less likely to lose organizational influence — Qualtrics, 2025
- 37% of traditional teams saw flat or declining demand for their research compared to 20% of AI-using teams — Qualtrics, 2025
- 15% of researchers are actively using AI agents, with 78% believing they will handle over half of projects in three years — Qualtrics, 2025
- Researchers using synthetic data are 11% more likely to engage in early-stage innovation — Qualtrics, 2025
The buyer journey & brand discovery (8 stats)
AI-driven discovery is rewriting how buyers, especially Gen Z, find and evaluate brands.
- Generative-AI-referred traffic to US retail sites grew roughly 690% year over year across the 2025 holiday season. — McKinsey, 2026
- McKinsey estimates conversion from AI-generated product recommendations at about 4.4 times that of traditional search. — McKinsey, 2026
- 58% of consumers have already replaced traditional search engines with generative-AI tools for product recommendations. — McKinsey, 2026
- 50% of Gen Z B2B buyers hold individual contributor roles — TrustRadius, 2026
- 55% of Gen Z B2B buyers find AI helpful in simplifying information discovery — TrustRadius, 2026
- 83% of Gen Z B2B buyers consult user reviews — TrustRadius, 2026
- 69% of Gen Z B2B buyers focus on securing the best price — TrustRadius, 2026
- 54% of Gen Z B2B buyers desire greater transparency in pricing — TrustRadius, 2026
Consumer behavior, spending & trust (14 stats)
Economic pressure, generational shifts, and eroding trust are reshaping how people spend.
- 62% of travelers made at least one non-travel purchase for their most recent major leisure trip — Expedia Group, 2026
- 75% of Gen Z travelers engage in non-travel spending related to their trips — Expedia Group, 2026
- Travelers spend an average of $500 USD per trip on non-travel items — Expedia Group, 2026
- 72% of travelers make at least one post-trip purchase, rising to 87% for Gen Z — Expedia Group, 2026
- 48% of travelers fund their trips using debit cards — Expedia Group, 2026
- 61% of the global public considers economic stability and growth very important for leading companies to positively influence — Harris Poll, 2026
- Only 31% express high confidence that companies will actually make such an impact — Harris Poll, 2026
- 71% of the public perceive minimal context regarding company actions, resulting in low confidence — Harris Poll, 2026
- 39% usage rate of Generative AI among the public, with 50% trust in its information — Harris Poll, 2026
- 60% of non-retired Gen X investors reported that retirement was a distant milestone until they reached age 50 or older. — Nationwide, 2025
- 32% cited insufficient retirement income as a major challenge. — Nationwide, 2025
- 50% of Gen X investors are more likely to invest in an annuity or guaranteed income solution due to recent economic events. — Nationwide, 2025
- 40% of Gen X investors cut back on discretionary spending when nearing retirement. — Nationwide, 2025
- 93% of advisors report having differing approaches for serving Gen X clients compared to Baby Boomers. — Nationwide, 2025
Advertising, channels & budgets (14 stats)
Spend is shifting toward streaming, newsletters, and AI-assisted, personalized advertising.
- 68.5% of marketers expect their budgets to remain unchanged or decrease compared to the previous year — iSpot, 2026
- Over 50.0% of marketers anticipate increases in social video and national streaming/CTV investments — iSpot, 2026
- 47.5% of marketers expect their Upfront commitments to remain consistent with previous years — iSpot, 2026
- 80.0% of marketers are currently using AI in some aspect of their video advertising strategy — iSpot, 2026
- 45.0% of marketers cite accuracy as the biggest concern regarding AI outputs — iSpot, 2026
- Global inbox placement rate reached 87.2%, a 3.7% uplift year over year. — Validity, 2026
- Gmail’s average inbox placement rate rose to 89.8% in 2025. — Validity, 2026
- Europe achieved a 91.1% inbox placement rate, the highest globally. — Validity, 2026
- 64% of marketers used newsletter ads in 2025, representing a 25% increase from 2024. — Paved, 2026
- The Paved Marketplace saw newsletter publishers earn 30% more revenue in 2025. — Paved, 2026
- Rebooking intent for newsletter advertising grew by 53% year-over-year in 2025. — Paved, 2026
- 70% of consumers prefer personalized ads over generic ones — MX8 Labs, 2025
- 60% of consumers express concerns about data privacy — MX8 Labs, 2025
- 80% of marketers believe personalization increases engagement — MX8 Labs, 2025
Media, streaming & video (13 stats)
Viewing habits keep fragmenting across streaming, ad-supported tiers, captions, and live sports.
- 27.3% of previous cord-cutters have resubscribed to Pay TV — TiVo, 2026
- 58.6% of sports viewers primarily use Pay TV for live events — TiVo, 2026
- 70% of consumers have adopted Advertising-based Video on Demand (AVOD) and Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) services — TiVo, 2026
- 40% of respondents consult two or three different apps before selecting content to watch — TiVo, 2026
- 46.2% of car owners watch video in their vehicles — TiVo, 2026
- 80% of viewers use captions at least sometimes — XR, 2026
- 42% report frequent or constant use of captions — XR, 2026
- 36% of viewers pay more attention to advertising when captions are active — XR, 2026
- 81% of respondents reported no hearing difficulties — XR, 2026
- 60% of French viewers cite multitasking as their top reason for using captions — XR, 2026
- 43% of fans are open to watching 2+ hours of sports on weekends, dropping to 26% on weeknights. — Harris Poll, 2026
- 90% of fans agree that the game must remain fair even with added spectacle. — Harris Poll, 2026
- 71% of fans cite ticket prices as a barrier to in-person attendance. — Harris Poll, 2026
Marketing effectiveness & planning (11 stats)
Most transformations underdeliver; disciplined planning and unified data separate leaders from laggards.
- 44% of marketers with a centralized SSOT reported significant revenue increases in the last year — GrowthLoop, 2026
- Only 23% of marketers report reliably linking specific actions to outcomes — GrowthLoop, 2026
- 61% view their marketing strategy as very effective at accelerating growth — GrowthLoop, 2026
- 64% of companies report little to no improvement from their sales and marketing transformation initiatives — EY, 2026
- Only 11% of executives report their sales and marketing teams operate as a unified growth engine — EY, 2026
- 42% of barriers to transformation are due to decision rights, governance, and approvals slowing execution — EY, 2026
- 30% of projects across surveyed organizations fail to deliver meaningful ROI or strategic value. — Tempo Software, 2026
- Organizations using scenario planning software experience a 17-percentage-point advantage in ROI delivery. — Tempo Software, 2026
- Only 37% of organizations with siloed processes report good or complete visibility across projects, compared to 82% of those with fully integrated processes. — Tempo Software, 2026
- Less than half of siloed organizations can reallocate resources within two weeks of pivoting plans, versus 62% of integrated companies. — Tempo Software, 2026
- 81% of Planners’ projects deliver measurable ROI, compared to only 45% of Plodders’ projects. — Tempo Software, 2026
Talent, workplace & readiness (8 stats)
A tough job market and organizational readiness gaps are shaping the workforce behind the work.
- 30% of organizations are categorized as Vulnerable, facing high risk and low maturity in organizational communication capabilities. — Gallagher, 2026
- 92% of respondents identify line manager effectiveness as a critical risk to organizational communication. — Gallagher, 2026
- 61% of organizations lack a formal change communications approach. — Gallagher, 2026
- 36.2% of workers searched for new roles in the past year — TopResume, 2025
- 67.2% of job seekers are motivated by higher salary — TopResume, 2025
- 68.4% reported a negative impact on their mental health due to job searching — TopResume, 2025
- 26% of successful job seekers spent over 16 weeks searching for a new role — TopResume, 2025
- 71.3% of job seekers reported being ghosted by employers in the last year — TopResume, 2025
Culture, localization & brand (5 stats)
Local relevance and cultural authenticity increasingly drive global brand engagement.
- 88% of Mexicans expressed intent to watch the 2026 World Cup — Zappi, 2026
- 64% of first-choice votes for Zayu the Jaguar came from Mexico — Zappi, 2026
- 75% of Americans felt “Clutch” the Bald Eagle captured the spirit of the US — Zappi, 2026
- 80% of Canadians believed Maple accurately represented Canada’s identity — Zappi, 2026
- 42% of first-choice votes for Clutch the Bald Eagle were from the US — Zappi, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is AI replacing traditional market research?
It’s reshaping it fast. 15% of researchers are already using AI agents and 78% believe AI will handle the majority of research tasks in future, while teams using synthetic responses and agentic AI report greater organizational influence — research teams using AI are four times less likely to lose influence. Traditional teams are feeling it: 37% saw flat or declining demand for their work versus 20% of AI-enabled teams.
How is AI changing the way consumers discover brands?
Dramatically. Generative-AI-referred traffic to US retail sites grew roughly 690% year over year, 58% of consumers have already replaced traditional search engines with generative-AI tools, and McKinsey estimates conversion from AI-generated product recommendations at about 4.4 times higher than traditional channels.
What do Gen Z B2B buyers want?
Independence and transparency. 83% of Gen Z B2B buyers consult user reviews, 69% focus on securing the best price, and 54% want greater pricing transparency — and 55% find AI helpful for simplifying information discovery. Half already hold individual-contributor buying roles.
How are marketing budgets shifting in 2026?
Cautiously, toward digital video. 68.5% of marketers expect budgets to stay flat or decrease, yet over 50% anticipate increases in social video and national streaming/CTV, and 80% are already using AI somewhere in their video advertising. Newsletter advertising is a bright spot: usage rose 25% year over year.
Do consumers want personalized advertising?
Mostly yes, with privacy caveats. 70% of consumers prefer personalized ads over generic ones and 80% of marketers believe personalization increases engagement — but 60% of consumers still express concerns about data privacy, so the value exchange has to be clear.
Go deeper with the research
Every statistic here comes from The Agile Brand Guide Research database — a curated library of corporate-funded research on AI, marketing, customer experience, and consumer behavior, each study summarized with quotable statistics, key takeaways, and embeddable charts.Explore the Market Research research →
About this data: These 81 statistics were compiled from 20 research reports published in 2025–2026 and indexed in The Agile Brand Guide Research database. Each figure links to its source summary and original report. Counts are current as of July 2026 and are refreshed as new research is added.
