A recent survey of marketing leaders conducted by Iridio found that economic volatility is their top concern, leading to strategic budget shifts and an increased focus on high-value activities like personalization. Iridio’s 2026 Marketing Predictions report also found that while marketers are prioritizing investments in AI to enhance customer experience, they remain highly aware of the technology's potential to erode consumer trust. Key takeaways of the report include: Volatility forces AI investment: Economic volatility is the primary cause of uncertainty (56%), followed by AI disruption (32%). This concern, coupled with expected consumer attitudes like economic distress (42%) and demand for lower prices (32%), influences strategic planning and makes AI/machine learning the top technology investment priority (55% in their top three) for driving efficiency. AI uses: AI investment is overwhelmingly prioritized for high-value functions, including Personalization/Customer Experience (78%) and Data Analysis/Predictive Analytics (76%). Trust paradox: While relying on AI, marketers view replacing human interaction with AI (28%) and AI-generated deception (25%) as the biggest threats to consumer trust. Budget shifts to digital: Budgets are shifting toward high-impact digital tactics, including Online Video (59%), Websites (57%), and Paid Social Media (56%).

High prices are pushing consumers away from dining out in an effort to cut costs. That’s according to new data released by SmartSense by Digi, an Internet of Things (IoT) Sensing as a Service solutions provider, which noted that 66% of consumers are cutting back on dining overall as 59% of consumers report worsening economic conditions over the past six months. The most common type of restaurant consumers plan to curb spending at is full-service restaurants, with 78% reporting that they plan to do so. Nearly seven-in-10 (69%) say they will decrease spending at fast-casual restaurants, primarily fast counter service locations with customizable order options.

A new Gartner, Inc. survey1 found that 87% of business leaders expect to increase organization investment in sustainability over the next two years. As packaging professionals, we can help customers reach their sustainability goals while continuing to meet day-to-day business needs. As companies prioritize sustainability, its importance grows across organization departments – all of which have different day-to-day business needs to consider. Understanding customers’ unique motivations and needs will help guide impactful conversations. What are their goals? How do they measure success? What keeps them up at night?