--- "title": "Fresh CPG research reveals what’s filling carts in 2026" "date": "2026-09-15T14:28:23-04:00" "url": "https://www.criteo.com/blog/cpg-research-2026/" "description": "Get the latest insights into where CPG shoppers browse and buy, what shapes their brand choices, how they use AI, and what brings them back." "image": "https://www.criteo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AdobeStock_525032215-scaled.jpeg" "author": "Elizabeth Kim" "category": "Trends & Insights" --- What moves CPG shoppers from an everyday need to a repeat purchase, and where can marketers make an impact? The answer spans regional trends, connected shopping journeys, fluid brand choices, and the growing role of AI.  To better understand the behaviors shaping the category, Criteo’s **CPG Pulse 2026** brings together commerce data from hundreds of brands and retailers with survey insights from more than 6,300 consumers globally.  Here are five CPG shopper trends defining the category and what they mean for marketers.  ## **1. Peak season is following a different recipe in every region** In the Americas, Health & Beauty sales rose 26% above the October baseline in November and remained 23% higher in December. Food & Beverages built more gradually, increasing 5% in November before reaching 14% above baseline in December. While both categories gained momentum, Health & Beauty experienced an earlier and more sustained seasonal lift.  ![](https://www.criteo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/1-amer-1024x953.png)Source: Criteo Commerce Data. Q4 2025 Food & Beverages and Health & Beauty sales in the Americas, indexed to average October sales. EMEA followed a different pattern. Health & Beauty sales surged 37% above the October baseline in November, the largest increase across the regional data, before returning close to baseline in December. Food & Beverages rose more steadily, increasing 8% in November and 10% in December. The contrast points to a concentrated November opportunity for Health & Beauty, while Food & Beverages maintained more consistent momentum through the end of the year.  ![](https://www.criteo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/1-emea-1024x962.png)Source: Criteo Commerce Data. Q4 2025 Food & Beverages and Health & Beauty sales in EMEA, indexed to average October sales. APAC’s regional sales curve was considerably flatter. Food & Beverages increased 4% in November and 3% in December, while Health & Beauty rose 1% and 4%, respectively. The limited variation suggests that broad Q4 seasonality had less influence at the regional level than it did in the Americas and EMEA.  ![](https://www.criteo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/1-apac-1024x976.png)Source: Criteo Commerce Data. Q4 2025 Food & Beverages and Health & Beauty sales in APAC, indexed to average October sales. **Add this to your strategy:** Build flexibility into peak-season planning. Sustain Health & Beauty visibility later into the season in the Americas, prepare for a concentrated November opportunity in EMEA, and align APAC campaigns with current demand signals and locally relevant shopping moments. ## **2. Clicks and aisles are sharing the CPG shopping list** The CPG journey is increasingly connected, but the balance between online and in-store shopping changes by category.  Physical stores remain central to staple purchases. Globally, 60% of recent grocery buyers purchased exclusively in-store, as did 64% of household-product buyers. Health & Beauty follows a more digital path, with online involved in 57% of cosmetics and perfume purchases, including 36% made exclusively online.   ![](https://www.criteo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2.png)Source: Criteo Shopper Survey, June 2026 (N=6,042). Base: Category buyers in the past 30 days. Many shoppers are also dividing their budgets between environments. Nearly 3 in 10 globally split their spending on groceries, personal hygiene items, and pet food evenly between online and physical stores. Meanwhile, 37% report spending more online on these categories than they did a year ago, compared with 18% who are spending less.  ![](https://www.criteo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2b-1024x440.png)Source: Criteo Shopper Survey, June 2026 (N=3,496). Base: Category buyers in the past 30 days. **Add this to your strategy:** Tailor the channel mix to each category. Connect retail media and performance media to stay visible as shoppers move between online and physical stores, especially as digital plays a larger role in Health & Beauty. ## **3. Brand loyalty is staying fluid across the CPG journey** CPG purchases may be routine, but brand choices are not always fixed. Globally, 60% of shoppers purchased at least one new brand in the past 30 days. That share reached 67% among Millennials and 68% among Gen Z, compared with 51% of Gen X.  Ads also motivated at least some purchases for 56% of Millennials and 60% of Gen Z, versus 44% of Gen X.  Browsing across retailers widens the field even further. In every market analyzed, shoppers browsing multiple retailers encountered more CPG brands than those visiting a single retailer. The largest difference appeared in South Korea, where multi-retailer shoppers viewed approximately 5.7 brands on average, compared with 2.1 brands at one retailer.  ![](https://www.criteo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/3-1024x846.png)Source: Criteo Commerce Data. CPG purchases from July 25–August 7, 2026, and prior-month browsing across hundreds of brands and retailers in six global markets. **Add this to your strategy:** Keep acquisition active beyond a shopper’s first category purchase. Maintain visibility across retailers and use relevant creative to give shoppers a reason to consider and reconsider your brand.  ## **4. AI is opening new paths from discovery to replenishment** AI is expanding its role in the CPG journey. From January through July 2026, ChatGPT’s share of CPG product-page landings was 1.6x that of search engines, on average. In July, 86% of Criteo CPG clients recorded at least one ChatGPT-referred transaction.  ![](https://www.criteo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/4-1024x747.png)Source: Criteo Data, Global CPG clients with consistent ad spend in each month between January and July 2026. Some shoppers are ready to bring AI into their replenishment routines, too. Globally, 40% feel comfortable allowing an AI assistant to reorder personal care products, followed by household cleaning products at 34% and groceries and staple foods at 32%.   AI use also overlaps with advertising receptivity. Across every market studied, shoppers who said ads influenced their recent purchases also reported higher AI usage, with differences of 34 percentage points in the UK and 31 points in the US.   ![](https://www.criteo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/4b-1024x360.png)Source: Criteo Shopper Survey. June 2026 (N=3,496). Base: Online CPG shoppers in the past 30 days. **Add this to your strategy:** Treat AI as an emerging discovery and commerce touchpoint within the broader media mix. Strong product information, connected activation, and experiences that preserve shopper choice can help brands stay ready as AI-supported journeys evolve.  ## **5. Everyday essentials are compounding into long-term value** CPG products may carry smaller price tags, but higher volume and purchase frequency can make everyday shoppers especially valuable over time.  Among new US buyers at major retailers during Black Friday weekend, shoppers purchased 3.9x as many CPG units as non-CPG units and made CPG purchases 18% more frequently, contributing to 29% greater total spend per buyer.  Repeat purchases multiply that value. New CPG buyers acquired during Black Friday weekend who returned within six months spent roughly 6x as much as one-time buyers. Their average order value was only about 6% higher, but they made four more purchases. Nearly 6 in 10 returned within four weeks.  ![](https://www.criteo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/5.png)Source: Criteo Commerce Data. First-time CPG buyers globally during Black Friday weekend 2025 and their same-retailer purchases over the next six months. **Add this to your strategy:** Plan beyond the first conversion. Use commerce signals to anticipate replenishment windows and reconnect with shoppers while their next purchase is still within reach.  ## **Get the goods on today’s CPG shopper**  Visit Criteo’s [Resources center](https://www.criteo.com/resources/)** **to find and download the **CPG Pulse 2026** for more global trends, country-level findings, and campaign opportunities. Then, [talk to a Criteo expert](https://www.criteo.com/talk-to-an-expert/) about turning these shopper insights into strategies across performance media and retail media.