Brain Driven Brands
Episode: “Our 2026 Predictions: Here’s What You Should Bet Money On”
Host: Sarah Levinger
Date: December 23, 2025
Episode Overview
In this festive “Ugly Sweater” Christmas episode, Sarah Levinger and her co-host dive deep into their boldest predictions for the e-commerce and direct-to-consumer (D2C) landscape in 2026. Drawing on psychological tactics and hard-won neuromarketing insights from 9-figure brands, they forecast shifts in community building, tech, pricing, creative strategies, and the evolving role of AI, all with actionable commentary for e-commerce operators looking to gain an edge.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. A Positive Outlook for 2026 E-commerce Brands
Timestamp: [02:12]
- Co-host Prediction: 2026 will be a “fantastic year” for D2C and e-commerce brands, especially those that have endured recent turbulence and adapted quickly to changes in tariffs, market uncertainty, and technology.
- Sarah’s Observation: Brands surviving 2025’s challenges are now “poised...waiting for that window to open," ready for explosive growth in a more stable environment.
- “We took our punches the last couple of years. This year, especially with tariffs and market uncertainty...it has forced everyone to get better.” [02:32]
2. Brands Bringing Social Media In-House
Timestamp: [03:38–05:18]
- Sarah’s Prediction: Brands will increasingly host their own social platforms directly on their websites to build engaged communities, boost retention, and gain ownership over their audience.
- Draws on the example of Redeem, where customers interact via forums, share photos, join sweepstakes, and even get creative with brand tattoos.
- “My prediction—2026, I think social media is going to move into some interesting spots.” [05:18]
3. Deep Community Building: “Hang Out with Your Customers”
Timestamp: [05:25–09:15]
- Co-host’s Rule: Brands excelling at hanging out—not just surveying or analyzing customers, but genuinely connecting—will see outsized returns.
- Actionable Advice: Instead of another day’s ad spend, host an in-person or virtual event.
- “Take one day’s worth of ad budget for next year and throw an event for your customers.” [08:11]
- Visibility Effect: Event-generated content leads to invaluable organic reach and virality.
- “So many brands have gone viral because they did like, come meet with us and do yoga in the park type of a thing...Now you got free publicity.” [08:46]
4. Brands That Succeed: Focus Over Frenzy
Timestamp: [09:28–11:20]
- Co-host’s Warning: Brands that fail in 2026 will do so not from lack of effort but from lack of focus—drowning in data, chasing too many tactics, and neglecting their core strengths.
- “They will get too distracted...and will not focus on the one or two or maybe three core tactics that they need to be executing excellently and consistently in order to grow next year.” [09:29]
- AI’s Role: Do not use AI to overwhelm staff with endless suggestions; instead, leverage AI for focus and admin to give humans clarity.
5. Dynamic Pricing Goes Mainstream
Timestamp: [11:41–13:10]
- Sarah’s Prediction: Dynamic pricing—adjusting prices in real-time using customer sentiment and other data—will become standard, not a one-off experiment.
- Co-host’s Take: Brands should let their wealthiest buyers spend more, whether by raising prices, bundling, or offering luxe editions.
- “Give rich customers a chance to give you more money.” [12:14]
- Psychological Angle: Top-tier buyers often want premium pricing for exclusivity.
- “Those top tier customers...kind of want to pay more prices because...that’s part of a specific group that can afford it.” [12:51]
6. Messaging and Copywriting as Unmatched Multipliers
Timestamp: [14:38–16:26]
- Co-host’s Prediction: Weak copy will mean leaving “millions of dollars on the table.” Brands must actively write and test copy, not just automate or set-and-forget.
- “I’ve changed headlines that have resulted in seven figures in additional revenue over the course of a year.” [14:52]
- Sarah’s Note: AI is fine for rough concepts, but human nuance in copy is a non-negotiable advantage.
7. Micro-Movies & The Rise of Video in E-commerce
Timestamp: [16:35–18:00]
- Sarah’s Forecast: E-commerce sites will start using short “micro-movie” trailers and viral video content directly on product pages, mirroring what customers saw in ads or TikToks for seamless storytelling and persuasion.
- “I think we’re going to start to see the rise of these micro movies...inject mini trailers of the product itself into...product pages.” [16:37]
8. AI is a Copilot, Not the Creative Engine
Timestamp: [18:05–19:46]
- Co-host’s Warning: Brands relying solely on AI to create campaign assets will fall behind. AI can draft, but only humans can deliver compelling, converting creative.
- “If any part of your strategy consists of copying and pasting something from ChatGPT...you are going to lose.” [18:18]
- Sarah’s Caution: The last 20% of creative magic must be human.
- “That last 20% is the difference between, like, an ad that spends a couple thousand and an ad that you can scale to, like, into the millions.” [19:18]
9. The Next Wave: ‘UGC Plus’—Creator Lore and Character Backstories
Timestamp: [19:46–20:35]
- Sarah’s Discovery: User-Generated Content (UGC) is evolving; brands are now giving creators “character sheets” or backstories to deepen authenticity, narrative, and resonance.
- “They're creating lore for their creators...I was shocked it took us this long for people to recognize that that's important.” [19:48]
- Distinctive Twist: This trend is creator-driven, not just brand-imposed.
10. A Hope for 2026: More Industry Transparency and Collaboration
Timestamp: [20:35–21:54]
- Co-host’s Hope: More brand-side marketers directly share their learnings, wins, and failures openly—making the e-commerce community “tighter and more trustworthy.”
- “Our conversations on Twitter are dominated by like seven of us...the most valuable conversations...are with people in the weeds at a brand sharing what’s working, what’s not.” [20:35]
- Call for Culture Shift: Less sales-centric chatter, more genuine, mutual support.
Notable Quotes & Moments
“We took our punches the last couple of years...It has forced everyone to get better.”
[Co-host, 02:32]
“Brands who hang out with their customers are going to do insanely well.”
[Co-host, 05:25]
“Take one day's worth of ad budget...and throw an event for your customers.”
[Co-host, 08:11]
"Give rich customers a chance to give you more money."
[Co-host, 12:14]
"Brands who do not take messaging and copywriting seriously next year are going to leave millions of dollars on the table."
[Co-host, 14:38]
"AI can be super helpful. I use it every day. But it's not the copywriter.”
[Co-host, 18:18]
"I think UGC is going to become...UGC plus."
[Sarah, 19:46]
"Our community is tighter and shares more information and is more trustworthy and is less fighty than we've ever been. That's my hope and hopefully prediction for next year.”
[Co-host, 20:35]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [02:12] – 2026 optimism for e-commerce brands
- [03:38] – Social media moves onto brand sites
- [05:25] – Community: Hanging out, not just selling
- [08:11] – Tactical tip: Skip a day’s ad budget for events
- [09:28] – The focus/frenzy divide
- [11:41] – Dynamic pricing and consumer psychology
- [14:38] – The irreplaceable power of copy
- [16:35] – “Micro-movie” trailers on e-commerce sites
- [18:05] – Why AI can’t be your sole creative
- [19:46] – UGC Plus: The rise of lore-driven creators
- [20:35] – Industry hope: Transparency & helping each other
Memorable Moments in the Original Tone
- Sarah and her co-host poking fun at AIs failing content tests, capturing the playful, self-deprecating spirit.
- Holiday banter about ugly sweaters (“...a shirt of a polar bear wearing a Christmas sweater...that’s the one?” [01:14])
- An off-topic detour about ribeye steak that reveals their relatable dynamic
- Genuine hope for more honest, transparent sharing in the e-com community (“Can we split test that for one year...Split test not being an arrogant brick on ecom Twitter...” [21:31])
Summary Takeaways
- 2026 will reward e-commerce brands that get close to customers, build real communities, and double down on true psychological understanding.
- Dynamic pricing, next-level UGC, and owned social ecosystems will separate the leaders from the laggards.
- AI will augment, but not replace, creative and strategy—brands betting everything on automation will lose ground.
- A hopeful call is made for a more collaborative, authentic industry culture.
For operators:
Stick to your focus, invest in your community, demand world-class creative, and don’t forget—the future belongs to those who build with both data and heart.
Summary by Brain Driven Brands Podcast Summarizer. For more insights, check out @sarahlevinger and the Brain Driven Brands feed.