#740: Retail Predictions for 2026 and How to Make It Your Best Year Yet

·35 min·3 clips

Ashley explains how Meta's new AI algorithm, Andromeda, is completely reshaping social media feeds and ad targeting for retailers.

Ashley Alderson, founder of The Boutique Hub, hosts Sarah Burks, the retail professor, for a discussion on 2026 retail predictions. They start with a lighthearted anecdote about matching denim outfits. Sarah predicts AI will be a major trend, using a farming analogy to stress its necessity for competitiveness. Ashley adds that Meta's new AI algorithm, Andromeda, is changing social media feeds and ad targeting, requiring retailers to produce more content. They discuss the importance of niching down to build authority and justify higher prices, citing an example of a $168 blazer. Live video is highlighted as a key tool for humanizing brands and creating urgency. The hosts share insights from coaching calls, noting that retailers with a clear game plan at the start of the year perform better. They promote the Best Year Yet Challenge, a free three-day event in January for planning, covering topics like data analysis, pricing strategies, and content mapping. The episode concludes with a call to action for listeners to join the challenge and engage with the Boutique Hub community.

As heard by us

A relaxed retail-planning episode that turns niche customers, audience growth, and 2026 systems into a practical business map.

Boutique Chat frames 2026 planning as a retail operating challenge, tying audience growth to the everyday choices that can shape a boutique's year.

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Why you'd press play

You want a 2026 retail reset that stretches your shop past the old easy-driving-distance customer base.

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