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January 1, 2026 | Liz Oeltjen
January marks the official start of a fundamental shift: how your brand appears in AI-generated answers now matters as much as how it ranks in search results. Gartner predicts that by the end of 2026, up to 25% of traditional search volume will shift to AI chatbots and virtual agents. The brands winning this month aren't optimizing for keywords—they're optimizing for citations.
This isn't about panic. It's about repositioning. The companies moving early are treating AI visibility as a new performance metric alongside traditional SEO, tracking brand mentions and citations across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google's AI Overviews.
Everyone's talking about AI agents that shop, negotiate, and transact on behalf of customers. OpenAI and Stripe launched the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), enabling AI agents to complete purchases without human intervention. ChatGPT's Instant Checkout lets users go from discovery to purchase inside the chat interface.
But here's the reality check: we're not there yet. LLMs still can't reason well enough for full autonomy, and scaling compute is no longer the magic fix. What is happening is upstream influence—agents are already reshaping how demand forms, how shortlists get created, and how retail media is evaluated, even before they start completing transactions.
The smart play in January? Make your product information structured, accurate, and machine-readable. If an AI agent can't easily parse your offerings, you're invisible to a growing segment of the buying journey.
Third-party cookies continue their slow extinction. By mid-2026, Chrome's phase-out will be complete. But the brands thriving in January aren't mourning—they're building.
First-party data has moved from "nice-to-have" to core infrastructure. Organizations leveraging first-party data strategies are achieving 2.9x better customer retention and 1.5x higher marketing ROI. Server-side tracking is now used by 67% of B2B companies, delivering an average 41% improvement in data quality.
The shift is philosophical: privacy isn't a compliance checkbox anymore, it's a trust signal. Consent flows have become brand experiences. Transparent data use builds loyalty. Companies treating this as a strategic advantage—not a burden—are pulling ahead.
SEO isn't dying. It's splitting in two. Traditional search optimization still matters, but a parallel discipline is emerging: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), aimed at earning visibility inside AI-generated answers.
What works for GEO: structured data, semantic HTML, context-rich content, and FAQ sections that answer questions machines actually receive. E-E-A-T isn't just a Google thing anymore—AI engines want trustworthy brands with verifiable authority signals across the web.
January's winners are building content ecosystems, not just pages. The goal isn't ranking—it's becoming the source AI chooses to cite.
The contracted creator wave hasn't disappeared, but companies are discovering something cheaper and more authentic: their own employees. Brands like Clay and Ahrefs have internal teams actively posting on social, spreading top-of-funnel content that's both credible and cost-effective.
This isn't asking employees to become full-time content creators. It's recognizing that people who actually use your product can explain it better than anyone on contract. The messaging is stronger, the cost is lower, and the expertise is real.
Meanwhile, UGC continues to carry weight—especially long-form reviews, testimonials, and experience-sharing. January's consumer trusts people, not brands. The smartest companies are amplifying customer voices rather than trying to outshout them.
There's a growing tension between the sophisticated systems marketers have built and the AI-mediated touchpoints that increasingly bypass them. If customers rely on agents for research and comparison, those carefully crafted nurturing sequences and conversion funnels may become less effective.
2026 is forcing a fundamental question: Is the center of the marketing tech stack shifting from enterprise-controlled platforms to AI environments where brands have significantly less control?
The answer isn't to abandon existing systems—it's to build bridges. Structured data. API-first architecture. Real-time inventory feeds that agents can trust. January is the month to audit what you have and ask whether it's visible to the machines that are increasingly guiding discovery.
After the holiday chaos, January reveals which companies built systems that actually hold up. The brands entering Q1 strong aren't the ones who spent the most in December—they're the ones whose customer experience felt intentional throughout.
It's the same lesson, repeating: retention beats acquisition in cost-per-outcome. Clean journeys beat chaotic improvisation. Aligned messaging beats channel-by-channel scrambling.
January is audit season. The question isn't "what worked?"—it's "what held?"
January 2026 isn't about a single trend. It's about convergence.
AI is simultaneously reshaping discovery, transactions, and measurement. Privacy is transforming from regulation to competitive advantage. Employee voices are overtaking polished campaigns in credibility. And experience design—the unsexy work of making every touchpoint intentional—continues to compound.
Three truths emerge this month, right in Seafoam's wheelhouse:
1. Visibility is being redefined. Ranking on a search page matters less than being cited in an AI-generated answer. The brands that adapt their content strategy now—building for machines as well as humans—will own the next era of discovery.
2. Trust is the new targeting. As third-party data disappears, the brands with clean first-party systems and transparent consent flows have a measurable advantage. Privacy isn't limiting your reach; it's qualifying your audience.
3. Experience alignment pays dividends in January. The companies that built intentionally in 2025 are starting 2026 with retained customers, predictable revenue, and systems that can handle complexity. Everyone else is scrambling to catch up.
January rewards preparation. It punishes improvisation. And it sets the trajectory for everything that follows.
Jan 6–9 | Las Vegas, NV
The world's most powerful consumer technology event returns with a focus on AI integration across smart homes, mobility, health tech, and digital experiences. Press conferences from Samsung, AMD, Lenovo, and others will showcase new chips, robotics breakthroughs, and next-generation displays. Expect over 140,000 attendees and 4,500+ exhibitors.
Jan 11–13 | New York, NY
The retail industry's largest event, bringing together 38,000+ attendees and 1,000+ exhibitors at the Javits Center. Sessions cover AI in retail, omnichannel strategy, customer experience, and emerging tech. This year features Ryan Reynolds on the keynote stage and a new AI Stage with dedicated sessions on robotics and agentic AI. Free Expo passes available for retailers.
Jan 12–14 | Las Vegas, NV
The world's largest affiliate marketing event at Caesars Forum, bringing together 7,000+ affiliates, advertisers, ecommerce sellers, networks, and tech partners. Eight content tracks cover ecommerce, lead gen, tracking, attribution, ads, and media buying. Known for closing deals on-site—one company reported a six-figure deal signed during the 2025 event.
https://www.affiliatesummit.com/west
Jan 16–17 | Berlin, Germany
An academic and practitioner conference focused on sustainable marketing practices. IMTC brings together scholars and industry professionals to address relevant marketing challenges through research-driven approaches. Strong European focus with global participation.
https://www.marketing-trends-congress.com/
Jan 21–22 | Walt Disney World, FL
The 14th annual gathering for higher education marketing, enrollment, and student success leaders at Disney's Yacht + Beach Club Resort. For the first time, student success professionals are intentionally invited into the conversation. Interactive sessions on branding, recruitment, and the full student journey from enrollment through graduation.
https://www.carnegiehighered.com/2026-carnegie-conference
Jan 28, 2026 | Washington, D.C.
A one-day summit from Customer Success Collective featuring deep-dive sessions on AI-enabled customer success, CS operations maturity, and product-led retention strategies. Speakers from Docusign, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Eventbrite share practical frameworks on adoption, expansion, and health scoring. Strong networking with CS leaders from top SaaS companies.
https://events.customersuccesscollective.com/location/washington
Jan 29–30 | Bengaluru, India
The 20th edition of IAMAI's flagship conference, gathering India's leading policymakers, regulators, founders, investors, and executives. Keynotes and panels focus on AI, digital transformation, fintech, and the gig economy. The largest digital economy platform in India with strong networking and an expansive exhibition.
2732 Sutton Blvd.
