Ep. 139 - 2026 Retail Trends: Adapt or Fall Behind with Scott Benedict and Deanah Baker

Blink and the shopper has already moved on. We sat down with fellow DBB hosts Deanah Baker and Scott Benedict to map the retail shifts that will define 2026, where AI turns shopping into solution-finding, value stretches beyond price, and health becomes the default filter for every aisle.We start with the pace of change and why being late to a behavior shift is costly. Consumers are already using AI tools and shopping agents to assemble entire solutions: meals tailored to nutrition goals, outfits for specific events, or home projects within a budget. Scott breaks down how agentic commerce weighs price, speed, stock, reviews, and delivery windows with zero emotion, forcing brands and retailers to upgrade product detail pages, data quality, and last-mile execution. Deanah zooms in on the merchant’s craft, showing how AI can take on the heavy lifting, forecasting, enrichment, and routine analysis, so teams can focus on curation, brand DNA, and staying close to the customer.Then we tackle value in a tougher economy. Private brands aren’t filler; they’re strategic engines that signal quality and put pressure on national brands to justify gaps. We explore how value shows up as speed, reliability, and breadth of choice, not just low prices, and why shoppers now mix luxury and private label within the same trip. Finally, we dig into the rise of health and wellness, from “food as medicine” to smarter labels and educational product pages that help customers compare protein, sugar, and sodium at a glance. Wellness now touches pantry, apparel, and home, and it’s powered by trusted content plus fast, predictable fulfillment.If you lead merchandising, marketing, supply chain, or brand, this conversation offers a practical map: build agent-ready content, design true private brands, redefine value, and train teams to move with speed. Part two goes deeper by retailer: Amazon, Walmart, Target, Kroger, Aldi, and what these trends mean for each. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and tell us: which shift will you tackle first?