Mumbai: Omnicom Media Asia Pacific (OM APAC) has released its 2026 Trends Report, using the global stage of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to decode how technology, media and consumer behaviour are being rewired across the Asia-Pacific region — and what that means for brands over the next year.
The report draws on regional and local data from sources including GWI, combined with insights from OM APAC’s market teams, to identify how global tech shifts are playing out in distinctly Asian consumer contexts. From agentic AI to social commerce and the rise of community-led brand building, the findings suggest that 2026 will be less about chasing new platforms and more about mastering how consumers, creators and machines now interact.
AI moves from tool to decision-maker
One of the clearest signals from CES 2026, according to the report, is that AI is no longer just assisting people — it is beginning to act on their behalf. From health monitoring to smart homes and vehicles, the show was dominated by technologies designed to anticipate user needs rather than wait for instructions.
OM APAC notes that across key Asia-Pacific markets, 64% of consumers already use AI for productivity, while seven in 10 organisations are deploying or piloting AI agents to manage workflows. Search itself is being reshaped, with AI-generated answers now closing more browsing journeys without users ever clicking through to a website — a shift that forces brands to rethink how they structure content for discovery.
This evolution is also being reinforced by the convergence of digital and physical identity. National digital ID systems, such as Singapore’s SingPass and ASEAN’s cross-border identity initiatives, combined with stricter social platform verification rules, are creating a web where who you are and how you appear online are increasingly the same thing.
For brands, OM APAC argues, this means investing in clean-room-based data architectures and optimising content for large language models, not just search engines. For consumers, it signals a future in which more decisions — from shopping to healthcare — will be quietly delegated to machines.
Influence becomes participatory
If AI is reshaping how consumers discover brands, social and commerce platforms are redefining how they influence them. CES underscored the rise of live, interactive commerce, where brands, creators and audiences operate in the same digital space.
Livestreaming has now overtaken traditional big-event broadcasting as the dominant way people associate with live content, with four in five viewers linking livestreams to everyday conversation. Meanwhile, second-screening has become the norm across Asia-Pacific, with most livestream viewers simultaneously using their smartphones to scan QR codes, click product links or join live chats while watching on TV or other devices.
At the same time, the explosive growth of e-commerce marketplaces has levelled the playing field between global giants and smaller niche brands. That shift has moved the balance of power toward consumers, who now value trust over convenience, particularly in a region where 61% believe large corporations often take advantage of shoppers.
The result is a marketplace in which co-creation drives advocacy. OM APAC found that one in four Asia-Pacific consumers is more likely to promote brands they feel involved with, turning interactive formats like livestreams, polls and connected TV into both media channels and research tools.
Experience, not just product, becomes the value
The third major theme from the report is that rising consumer expectations are forcing brands to sell something beyond functional benefits. Whether it is luxury travel, wellness, sports or even collectible toys, consumers increasingly see purchases as expressions of identity, aspiration and community.
In Asia-Pacific, this has led to the growth of regional luxury brands that combine high quality with deep local relevance. It has also created opportunities for “little joy” products — from blind-box collectibles to gamified retail — that provide emotional escape during uncertain economic times.
Creators and role models are central to this shift. The report highlights how female athletes, for example, are not only cultural figures but highly effective brand ambassadors: they are seen as 14% more trustworthy, and their fans are 2.8 times more likely to buy products they endorse.
What it means for India
Commenting on the report, Kartik Sharma, CEO of Omnicom Media India, said 2026 marks a strategic inflection point for the network.
“We are moving from integration to acceleration,” Sharma said. “With our connected capabilities, the focus is on helping brands unlock growth by understanding Indian consumers, category dynamics, and the powerful role technology will play. AI will be a strategic force — powering intelligent decision-making, accelerating innovation and redefining how brands connect with consumers.”
For Indian marketers, the OM APAC report signals a future where data, creators, commerce and AI converge into a single operating system for brand growth. Winning in 2026 will not be about being everywhere, but about being embedded in the moments, communities and technologies that consumers already trust.
As CES 2026 made clear, the next phase of marketing will be built less on broadcasting messages — and more on building intelligent, participatory and deeply human brand ecosystems.
