How your customer really searches, chooses and buys in 2026

This article is loosely based on 2026 Retail Industry Global Outlook (Deloitte).

Your customer’s behaviour is changing, and not on the surface. The way people search for, weigh up and ultimately buy something is shifting slowly but unmistakably. That affects not only web shops, but just as much the physiotherapist, the butcher, the consultancy and the sports club.

Value is the new keyword

For its 2026 outlook, Deloitte surveyed over three hundred retail executives, and the picture is clear: there is a structural shift toward value-seeking behaviour. About four in ten Americans now display cost-conscious buying, and nearly seven in ten executives see this as a lasting change, not a temporary response to inflation. People do not necessarily spend less, but they spend differently: more critically, more consciously, and with the question of whether each expense is worth it.

McKinsey found a neat contrast that illustrates this: many consumers switch to cheaper brands and postpone non-essential purchases, while a clear majority is at the same time happy to pay for fast delivery. So it is not about the lowest price, but about fair value. Does it feel worth the money?

AI slides in between you and your customer

At the same time, something more fundamental is changing in searching itself. According to Deloitte, shopping is shifting toward AI intermediaries: at some retailers, chat-style tools already drive 15 to 20 percent of referrals, and the expectation is that AI agents could influence up to a quarter of global online sales by 2030. An agent that searches, compares and sometimes even orders on the customer’s behalf changes who you actually have to convince. No longer only the human being, but also the assistant that chooses on that person’s behalf.

What this means for the small business owner

The tempting thing is to think this only applies to large chains. But the movement runs deeper. Whoever used to be found in the phone book or by word of mouth is now found through a search box, and soon through an AI that names a few providers. The question shifts from “am I the prettiest” to “am I findable and traceable for the system my customer now uses”. That is an uncomfortable question, because the answer lies partly out of your sight. And perhaps that is exactly the reason to have someone take a good look at it.

What PVwebsites does with this

We map how your digital presence is read by the systems your customer uses, from the search engine to the AI. Not to talk you into a new kind of marketing, but to show you what a customer, Google and AI see and understand of your site, so that you can decide for yourself whether to change something or not.

The PVwebsites tool is an accessible and affordable way to look at the current state of your website from several angles. The Vision Document that comes out of it can bring you new insights and ideas, for just €9.95. A subscription will follow soon, letting you track over time how changes to your website keep producing different results. More insight, at an affordable price.