The Ali Dee Show

EP 108: My Retail Industry Predictions for 2026

• Ali Dee • Season 1 • Episode 108

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The tides are turning for product-based brands, and the next wave favors those who understand these 3 trends I see happening in real time. We dig into three bold predictions shaping 2026 in this episode.

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SPEAKER_00:

Hey hey, today we are going to talk about some of the trends that I'm seeing going into 2026 for anybody that owns a product-based business. So if you're in my world, if you're listening to this already, you are a product-based business owner, which is one of the most incredible industries, niches in the entire universe. I love our industry so much. And literally, my entire goal with this whole thing that I freaking started a few years ago is just to make sure that as many people in our industry as possible know how the current best practices are in business, the best things they could be do they could be doing to build their incredible business. But then also passing on any, you know, trends, information, stuff that I see on the forefront happening because I am so entrenched in this industry. Like wholesale, retail, brick and mortar, showroom, I mean you name it, trade shows. I we do it over here. So I am very, very, very um infused into this industry. And it's what I love, and I'm so so passionate about it. And I just want I just want to be able to give you guys as much information as humanly possible, just so you can be on the up and up. So that's what today's episode is about. It's about what I'm seeing business-wise for trends in 2026. Again, to make sure that you're prepared, right? Because I mean it's gonna be here before we know it. We're gonna blink our eyes and it's gonna be another new year. So the first thing that I want to talk about today is what I believe gonna be what I believe is going to be one of the biggest shifts happening in 2026, and it's it's gonna be a massive one. And I don't want you to get left behind, and I want you to know that this is the swing that I'm seeing because when something swings one way, what happens? It swings back the other way. So, what we've been seeing for years now is the surge of online shopping and how everything's gone online and so much has changed, and while yes, online is still gonna be a huge part of 2026, I believe there's going to be a major return to in-person retail shopping. But I'm gonna I'm gonna change the word shopping to experiences because shopping as we know it has been very um, you know, you go you maybe you walk around the mall for a few hours. I mean, those days are kind of over, which I, for one, am so sad about because I love mall shopping. I love just like going in and out of different stores and like having all the different shopping bags in your hands. Like, I don't know about you, but was there anything better than having like three or four shopping bags in your hands when you're just walking around the mall and you're like, I'm just doing it, like just carrying around all my new happy purchases, right? Like now it's so, I just hate to say it, it's so boring. Like something just shows up at your doorstep and you're like, Okay, it's here. It just miss, it's it's misses that magical moment of the transaction of the purchase. You know, when like you take your purchases up to the counter, you put them down, you're like, oh, I'm so excited. They're bagging them up, you're having a little conversation with the person behind the desk, like that whole thing actually was and still is a really important part of the human experience and a part of shopping. And I'm it doesn't matter what what you're selling, this has always been a very, very important experience as humans, just that excitement and that emotional connection to the shopping process. Again, no matter what you're selling, whether it's clothes or candles or artwork or jewelry, whatever it is. And those days, the past few years have really, really diminished. But now what I see happening is we're getting ready to swing to the other way, where people, quite frankly, are tired of scrolling on their phones, they're missing that excitement, that energy of being around people, being around um not just like people in general, but but like people that get you like off of offline, right? Like going to a retail experience. So again, I don't believe that we're going back to like shopping around malls for hours, which I'm so sad about. You know, maybe one day that'll happen. But right now, it's certainly not the case. Most malls are closing down. But connecting with a brand or a boutique or a store that you like and going to their specific event, so it's gonna be a little bit more event-based or getting people out of their homes and into stores. So if you have a brick and mortar, like perk up your ears, if you do pop-up shops, if you've been thinking about doing shows, if you've been thinking about having an event, something where you can bring your customers out. I literally just had a private client do this, and her experience was incredible. An entire pop-up shop dedicated to her brand, very, very cute, very cheeky, very on-brand. And like it was an incredible experience, and a lot of product was sold because people want to feel this again. They want to look at something in person and have that little like, you know, that little like um endorphin hit where it's like, oh, this is so beautiful. Or you take a smell of a candle in real life and you go, oh my gosh, this smells so delicious. Like, I want my home to smell like this. Or you see a cute, I don't know, cooking set in person and you imagine yourself cooking for for your family. I mean, this is what selling is about invoking emotion, not only for you, the seller, but listen, the buyer wants to feel it too. It's a win-win for both of you. So I really want to encourage you now, and you'll see this, like you'll you're probably starting to see major retailers, major brands starting to have more curated events where it's not just like come shop with us anytime we're open. It's like we're having an event on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. The first 20 people get a free gift. We're gonna have margaritas, we're gonna have a salsa dancing contest, we're gonna have, you know, um, whatever your products are, right? That's like that goes with that theme, right? These are the type of events that people are longing for. And I really believe in 2026 there's gonna be this huge surgence, resurgence of in-person retail experiences. And I posted about this a little bit on TikTok and it blew up. And I listen, if you're questioning this, I get it, okay? I get it. It's it's totally different than what we've been seeing. But look at the comments on my TikTok post. You will see stores after stores, brands after brands saying, yep, this is what we're seeing. Yes, we've been busier than ever. Yes, we have great events and people love them. Yes, we're doing pop-ups and they're working. Just had, you know, my biggest weekend ever by doing an event, right? Not just having your stores open regular hours, not just doing something blah, but really putting effort into it. And by the way, just a side note, this is the year that I believe that effort is gonna matter more than ever. You can't just do the bare minimum. You gotta be putting in real work, real effort to make a real impact. You can't just like the days of just squeaking by and doing the bare minimum again, like being very status quo, those days are over, sister. So that's why you're here in this community, so you can learn what it takes to actually, you know, where you should be putting your effort, what it's gonna take for you to stand out. Super duper duper important. So that's really the first thing that I wanted to mention was, you know, it's kind of like a one and a one a, right? The retail experiences, and then one a is putting in more effort than you have in the past, but in a good way. Not in like I'm working harder, I gotta hustle more, but in a way that feels like, wow, I'm actually gonna be creative this year. Like I'm gonna tap into my own creativity. Like, what makes me unique and special? Like, how am I making my mark on the world? We need to put some more effort into this, okay? It's not just about flipping clothes or flipping products, it's showing up and making your mark on the world. Should we make that an official number two? Is effort? Yes, we will, because it is that important. So, number two, 2026, we need to raise the effort. And again, very specifically, the effort that comes out of you for your unique thing. I'm not talking about posting more, I'm not talking about being consistent. I'm talking about your own creativity, tapping into that more and and just not being okay with checking boxes. Because literally, checking boxes is gonna make you exhausted because it's not gonna have the impact that you want, you're not gonna see the results. So instead of just checking boxes, I want you to focus on f uh effort. Okay, really giving it your all. The third thing I want to mention, and this one is uh gonna be kind of a bit of an eye-opener for you. Maybe you're gonna go, oh no. But what I believe is content is dead. Okay, I know, I know. Um what I mean is content as we know it is dead. Traditional style content is dead. Now, more than ever, content is not gonna be about just gaining visibility. Is that gonna be a piece of it? Yes. Getting eyeballs, getting people to know about you. But more than that, more than just posting to get people to find you and become visible, we're gonna be going all in. We as an industry, this means you, we need to be going all in on content for connection. And you know, in my world, whether you're in Trendsetter University or in the Trendsetter Mastermind, which by the way, I have a couple spots open. If you're interested, just shoot me a DM on Instagram. In my spaces, I really focus on connection. And I just actually posted an entire training inside Trendsetter University that's so good about um website makeovers and how to actually implement this connection piece to make sure you are making conversions as easy and seamless as possible for your customers because I know a lot of people are struggling getting conversions on their website now. This piece is missing, it's the it's the connection piece. But what I want to talk about specifically is content and how you have to make a shift, a mental shift, and also a real life shift in how you approach content. Content is not something that you just want to get out the quantity. I mean, there's a time and a place for that when you're trying to learn content. Yes, I want you doing the reps, yes, I want you just getting out as much content as possible because you're it for you, so you learn the process. But a lot of you are kind of beyond that now. You've been posting content consistently, you've been showing up, and maybe you still feel like things feel a little wonky. It's because you're missing this connection piece. Once you have this in place, literally everything else becomes so easy because you're you are like connecting with the exact right person who wants to buy. There's no questions, there's no like, mmm, I don't know if this is for me. It's like an every single thing you do is an oh my gosh, I love this, I have to have it. This is the goal. This is what we work for in our businesses. And the reason why so many people aren't seeing this and are getting frustrated and annoyed and even throwing in the towel is because they're missing the connection piece. They just don't understand what it takes to create content that connects with your people. So, what does it take? It means you posting with more intention about who you're speaking to. It's not just I'm gonna post this viral trend because I want to go viral. Listen, I have people in my DMs that go viral all the time that still can't get sales. Because that's not that's not the way anymore. That's dead. Dead skis. That's why I said content as we know it is dead. It's not about going viral. I would rather you have a hundred views of the right people than a million views of the wrong people because that's not gonna account for anything. And at the end of the day, we measure based on sales. That we're in the bill, we're in the the the business of selling. Excuse me, I got a little allergy things going on. We're in the business of selling. So it's important that we're doing everything we can in our businesses to make sure we are putting that priority at the top of the list. And it that it's not about going viral, it's about connection. So when you go to make your content, and you start doing this now, right? When you go to make your content, I want you to really think is this piece of content speaking to the right person? And I don't mean like literally like you speaking, it could be that, but what's going on in the visuals? What's going on in the audio? It's a whole thing, a whole experience the person has to feel, right? It's not just like, oh, I know this trending audio, that's cute, let me like this post, right? It's oh, this person gets me from the setting to the aesthetic to the mood to what they're saying or not saying to the text on screen. The whole way the content is delivered feels like me. And that's where the magic happens. That's where I believe things are going to drastically shift in 2026. And the people that don't make this change, you guys are gonna get left behind. I'm telling you, I don't mean to be a negative Nancy, and I'm not being a negative Nancy, I'm just being honest. You guys will get left behind if you don't make these shifts going into 2026. At least I want to challenge you to at least have one event you're thinking about doing on the horizon. Like, I'm literally opening an entire retail store, like where this is gonna be the point. I like I'm not just saying this, like I'm walking the walk. I'm in the process of building out my first flagship retail store for my brand because I see this shift. I'm watching other major, major billion-dollar brands make this shift, right? But these are people that understand the connection piece of the customer and how to really, really go all in on that. It's not for everybody. They're not opening the traditional, we got something for everybody's, okay? They're getting very, very specific on exactly who their customer is and creating experiences based around what they love and what they want. So I want to challenge you to think of an event or something that could go on in 2026 that you could start just having fun, being creative about, right? Putting some effort into it. The number two thing, right? Effort. So creating an event, bringing more effort and creativity to everything in your business, and then also making sure that you know content is about connection, and content as we have known it is dead skis. So these are my predictions for 2026, you guys. Oh my god, I think it's gonna be such an amazing year for our industry. I am so excited to again bring you guys all the information that I see happening in real time, all the information that I see happening when I'm at Dallas Markets, when I'm working with wholesale buyers, when I'm, you know, working in the retail side, building out my brick and mortar. I mean, literally like, I'm just this is my my pure joy. And I love, love, love, love, love working with you guys closer. If any of you are like, oh my god, Allie, I want to work with you directly on growing my business. How do I do that? Just shoot me a DM. Again, I have a couple of spots open in the mastermind, and this is a place where you get to work directly with me on your business. So it is so fun. I have the best women in there, it is the best group, and um, I just am excited to continue to to um invite a couple more women inside this space. Again, it's a very, very small space, so it's not like you know, I can work with everybody, but if you send me a message, we can talk about and see if it's a good fit for you. Okay. Just DM me the word mastermind. That way I'll know you heard it here on the podcast and um we can start talking about it. DM me on Instagram. It's ally.d dot CEO. Okay, that's my Instagram handle, Ally.d.ceo. Shoot me a message right now if you're interested. Put the word mastermind in the message, and we can have a little chitty chitty chatsies to see if it would be a good fit for you. Um, I love y'all. Have a great day, and I can't wait to rock twenty twenty six with you.