Our Brand Partnership and Retail Media Predictions for 2026

If the past few years have shown us anything, it’s that retailers are finally treating their customer data as a commercial asset rather than an operational necessity. 

That realization has led to an explosion in retail media and brand partnerships, both inside and outside of the performance marketing space.  

As we move into 2026, I don’t see that slowing down. If anything, the lines between brand partnerships, performance marketing and retail media are blurring so fast that it’s starting to feel like one big, mixed-up, ecosystem. 

But that’s not a bad thing. Thanks to the influence of performance, brand partnerships and retail media now moving toward a point of being more measurable, and more centered around actual customer value, which is what we should’ve been aiming for all along.  

2025: the year of data-driven partnerships 

Last year, we saw more and more brands realizing the value of their data, monetizing their audiences through brand partnerships, and crucially, moving beyond the usual endemic retail media formats. 

Currys, working with Awin and BrandSwap to offer rewards at checkout, generated retail media revenue worth almost £20 million in sales value alone. Such an achievement would have been virtually impossible only a few years ago, but it’s now commonplace. 

We also saw the emergence of brand partnerships for boosting customer loyalty. Finance and telecom brands led the charge, setting up new reward programs to strengthen their retention game. EE, working with Awin and Tyviso, cut predicted churn by nearly 35% by offering brand-partner rewards to its customers.  

And as for brand partners themselves - those providing the rewards - non-endemic collaborations opened the door for newcomers to pile in. Meal-kit service SimplyCook, for example, was able to engage plenty of high-intent audiences, with post-trial subscription rates hitting almost 60% via brand partnership referrals.  

That was last year. But where is this all going? 

Looking ahead, the trends that have already shaped 2025 will not only continue, they’ll accelerate. Here’s what I can see happening over the coming months. 

1. Incentives will move higher up the funnel 

One clear shift will be how retailers use incentives to drive purchase intent.  

Gift-with-purchase rewards, where a retailer offers an incentive from an advertiser in exchange for a desired action from their customers, have always helped positively influence conversion rates at the checkout.  

In 2026, I think we’ll see retailers pushing these incentives earlier in the purchase journey. Expect to see placements on product pages, category listings, and even offsite in acquisition channels.  

It makes sense. If a relevant gift can nudge someone to complete their purchase, then why hide it until the final step in the purchase journey?  

2. Fewer partnerships, more impact 

The “spray and pray” era of brand partnerships is dying. Relevance is, and will remain, the biggest driver of performance marketing. It was only a matter of time before brand hosts and advertisers applied it to their partnerships.  

Advertisers in particular are getting smarter with identifying audience overlaps, lifestyle alignment, and intent signals. I can see brand hosts being given fewer deals to push. But the ones that go live will work harder. 

Look at BrandSwap and Awin’s work alongside The AA as an example. We offered deals on breakdown cover to customers buying Bluetooth car stereos at electrical retailer Currys. We targeted customers buying van equipment at home improvement chain Screwfix. By aligning with those audiences, The AA was able to reach millions of customers at the point of purchase, right when buying intent was at its highest. Cameron Allen, who drives acquisition for The AA, was astounded at the results: 

“We’ve never been able to access so many relevant customers so quickly. Brand partnerships have been pivotal to a fantastic year for acquisition, retention, and diversification.”

Cameron Allen, Group Affiliate and Partnership Manager, The AA

Expect lots more of these stories in 2026.  

3. Off-site retail media will FINALLY get its moment 

Retailers already invest millions into on-site, supplier-funded campaigns. But there’s a growing opportunity to extend retail media campaigns beyond a retailers’ owned environment.  

Redirecting some of that budget to affiliate, content, and discovery channels will help retailers influence shoppers earlier in the discovery journey. With AI now shaping search behavior, high-quality content becomes even more important. 

If product discovery is increasingly happening inside AI-powered environments, then ensuring your content is accurate, persuasive and widely distributed is no longer optional. I think endemic budgets flowing into affiliate and publisher content will be one of the biggest shifts of 2026. 

4. Trust will rule above all

We can talk about new opportunities all we want, but the truth is, customers are still feeling the pressure of the cost of living. They’re buying less, thinking harder, and sticking closer to brands they trust. 

In 2026, trust becomes the deciding factor.  

Partnerships that feel forced or purely commercial will fall flat. People want recommendations from brands they already believe in. Ones that make sense together, ones that feel right. Those who prioritize short-term volume over genuine value will struggle. Those who double down on authenticity will win.

Closing thoughts 

Even with all the economic uncertainty, this space is still ripe for innovation. Brand partnerships and retail media used to feel like different worlds, but the reality is they’re becoming two halves of the same strategy.  

The marketers who win in 2026 will be the ones who get that. The ones who understand not just how to reach their customers, but how to make each interaction feel relevant, rewarding and trustworthy. 

The next year is full of opportunity. The real question is, are you ready to lean in and actually make the most of it? 

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