Pulse 2026: What retail is really saying about growth right now

One of the most influential dates in the eCommerce calendar is just around the corner. This year, IDHL is sponsoring Vervaunt’s Pulse eCommerce event, a conference consistently attracting senior decision-makers from some of the most progressive retail brands in the market.

Pulse has earned its reputation by putting retailers first, creating a truly brand-led space where teams openly share what's working and what’s next. It’s retailers sharing real strategy with peers, making Pulse a valuable barometer for where commerce really stands.

Looking at this year’s agenda, the themes feel both familiar and insightful. They reflect exactly what we see daily across our clients.

Loyalty as a lever, not just a program

If there’s one theme repeatedly surfacing at the conference, it’s loyalty.

Most retailers would gladly gain more customers. But amid budget pressures and closer performance scrutiny, the conversation is shifting. Brands increasingly focus on maximizing value from existing customers.

This idea isn't new. What is new is the context. Finding meaningful ways to foster loyalty in a harder-growth climate requires more discipline, not more activity. Many Pulse discussions revolve around the tension: chasing immediate returns versus protecting long-term investments like SEO, platform upgrades, and brand-led content.

The key takeaway is consistency. The most resilient businesses don't just buy more demand at higher costs; they build better customer journeys and boost lifetime value.

Interest in agentic commerce

AI naturally takes a lot of spotlight; however, agentic commerce is an area where reality tempers enthusiasm.

Panels on this topic focus on how the industry currently approaches agentic technology, discussing key considerations from AI adoption limits to new developments like Shopify’s collaboration with ChatGPT.

The takeaway aligns with our expectations: innovation is moving fast, but real-world adoption remains limited.

From my view, this reflects the market's current stage: in experimentation and learning, not large-scale execution.

A creative counterbalance to AI

Possibly the most encouraging Pulse theme is the renewed focus on people-driven creativity.

As AI-generated content becomes more accessible, brands rediscover the value of personality and authentic storytelling. For sectors built on brand identity, this is more relevant than ever. Several sessions reinforce a simple yet important message: differentiation in an AI-dominated market comes from originality, not quantity.

Creative specialists aren’t being sidelined; they are becoming more vital. Roles shift toward setting direction and ensuring brands remain human in tone and feel. This closely matches our market view. AI powers scale and efficiency, but brand meaning is crafted by people.

The US: opportunity with complexity

The session on entering and scaling in the US adds realism to the agenda. The opportunity is clear: demand and swift decision-making favor brands. But challenges remain.

Tariffs and political uncertainty complicate trading, even as growth pockets persist. Recent client data shows the US as one of the few consistently growing markets, which is why IDHL keeps investing there.

We remain optimistic—not because it’s easy, but because it’s a decisive market that advances amid economic uncertainty.

The connecting theme: growth through depth

Step back from individual sessions, and a clear overarching theme appears: driving growth in a tough market by going deeper, not broader.

Retailers widely recognize growth is tougher now. Demand isn’t disappearing, but costs rise and margins tighten. The easy wins that drove rapid scale before are less reliable. In this context, brands making progress aren’t chasing more channels or audiences—they extract more value from what they have. This means:

• Prioritizing retention over constant acquisition
• Investing in brand-led content and creative distinction
• Using AI purposefully rather than reactively
• Making clearer choices about markets, channels, and platforms

Continue the conversation with IDHL

The themes from Pulse reflect challenges many brands face today. If you want to explore what this means for your eCommerce strategy, contact us to get grounded, experience-led insights from our experts.