The Trends That’ll Matter Most for Brands in 2026

The best trends reflect deeper, lasting shifts in how we shop, eat, and behave. If you want to understand which trends are gaining real traction, and what they mean for your brand and business, this sneak preview of the year ahead is especially for you.
Megan Lindbergh is Senior Vice President of Client Strategy at Datassential, the world’s leading intelligence platform tracking the most relevant trends. Her work predicts what will impact consumer categories from restaurants and CPG to personal care and beauty.
Megan shares how Datassential helps the best restaurant, retail, and CPG companies translate consumer insights into ideas, evaluate new concepts, and find white space earlier. And she explains how you can plan, prioritize, and innovate with confidence.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
✨ How Datassential uses AI (and has before it was cool) to forecast top trends with 98% accuracy to inform and inspire ideas across industries
✨ Why more approachable or incremental, brand-inspired innovation often outperforms chasing short-lived trends
✨ The biggest macro shifts shaping 2026 and how brands distinguish meaningful, lasting trends from fleeting fads
✨ How brand leaders vet new ideas and validate concepts before investing time, money or operational upgrades
✨ Why collaboration between operators, manufacturers, marketers and insights teams is the new superpower for innovation

A must-listen (or watch) for brand leaders who want to transform data into clearer brand direction to get ahead in the New Year.

Megan’s creative inspiration:
Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear
Brand: Buc-ee's
Beverage: Boulevard Beer
Songs: “Glorious” by Macklemore and “Rosalita” by Bruce Springsteen