London calling: Inside the 8th Annual Shopper, Retailer & Category Insights Conference

As the FMCG and retail sectors navigate one of the most volatile commercial landscapes in more than a decade, organisations are reassessing the levers that will define growth in 2026.

It’s within this context that the 8th Annual Shopper, Retailer & Category Insights Conference returns to London on 12th February, offering a focused look at the trends, technologies and behaviours shaping the year ahead.

This year’s event gathers senior voices from Diageo, Deliveroo, The Coca-Cola Company, Sainsbury’s, Holland & Barrett, Kraft Heinz, AO, Barilla Group, Church & Dwight, Medik8, and others, offering a clear, practical lens on how brands can preserve value, build relevance and deliver growth in a price sensitive market.

Inflation, loyalty pressure and the value equation

The morning opens with sessions addressing the economic pressures driving 2026 strategy. With shoppers increasingly switching to private labels, cutting basket sizes and prioritising value over loyalty, Diageo’s Diego Infante will outline how brands can balance affordability with margin protection while sustaining trust.

His emphasis on “smart promotions, not more promotions” is likely to resonate. As promotional fatigue grows and activation budgets tighten, precision and timing are emerging as critical capability gaps.

Central Co-op’s Charlotte Castille builds on this by examining how brands can set price points that protect equity while limiting down-trading. The discussion includes which segments are most vulnerable and how pack formats, innovation and sustainability now influence retention.

Influence, hybrid journeys and non-linear behaviour

The Consumer Behaviours panel - featuring Deliveroo, Coca-Cola, Kraft Heinz and AO - explores how shoppers now navigate fragmented, non-linear journeys. Influence -led discovery continues to shape purchase decisions, creating a new competitive environment where credibility must be established instantly.

RTIH readers will recognise the relevance of this shift. With journeys spanning social platforms, marketplaces, brand sites and physical stores, the panel looks at how brands can maintain consistent value messaging and ensure personalisation stays helpful rather than intrusive.

AI moves from theory to operational reality

AI underpins much of this year’s programme. Holland & Barrett CFO Vineta Bajaj will highlight how AI can decode behaviour, forecast category shifts and unify data previously siloed across CRM, e-commerce, loyalty and in-store systems.

The focus is firmly on practical application — how to shift AI from insight generation to activation. With just under half of purchases expected to be influenced by AI agents by 2030*, organisational capability, governance and privacy safeguards are becoming increasingly central.

Retailer collaboration: from legacy KPIs to performance led ecosystems

Diageo’s Efrain Rosario leads the discussion on modern retailer-supplier partnerships, exploring how physical experiences, real-time orchestration and shared data are reshaping value creation. As the sector moves beyond impressions and traditional volume KPIs, outcome-led collaboration is becoming the new standard.

Private label dynamics and brand defence strategies

Private label penetration continues to accelerate. The conference offers two perspectives - from Church & Dwight and AO - on how national brands can defend their position through innovation, trust-building and clear communication.

Rather than treating private label purely as a threat, the discussion examines how national brands can complement retailer value strategies while maintaining distinctive equity.

Retail media, omnichannel performance and measurable ROI

The Retail Media panel - featuring TRIP and Barilla Group - tackles fragmentation across RMNs, TikTok Shop, YouTube and emerging formats. Measurement, duplication and incrementality remain friction points, and the session promises grounded guidance on what effective investment looks like in 2026.

Later sessions delve into omnichannel performance, sustainability and scalable personalisation, with contributions from Sainsbury’s, Medik8, Currys, Objkts Jewelry, The INKEY List and flaconi. Together, they highlight the operational realities of delivering consistency across channels, managing regulatory shifts and applying AI to unify shopper views.

A strategic snapshot of retail’s next chapter

Across inflation, consumer behaviour, AI, retail media, category innovation, convenience and sustainability, the conference provides a concise yet comprehensive view of how brands can build resilience in a fast-changing landscape. For senior commercial, digital and retail leaders, it serves as a timely checkpoint on where the sector is heading - and where competitive advantage will be won in 2026.

Full speaker and session details are available on the programme page. RTIH readers can also access a £225 discount using the code RTIH225 when booking here.