Performance marketing doesn’t change overnight, but when the same themes start showing up in conversations, data, and conference hallways, it’s usually a sign something bigger is coming.
After attending the first two industry conferences of the year, our team compared notes with what we’re seeing every day in performance:
- Buyers are asking different questions.
- Sellers are rethinking their models.
- And consumers are behaving in ways that don’t fit the old playbook.
We distilled those signals into a set of trends we believe will define performance marketing in 2026.
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Consumers Increasingly Begin their Journey Using AI Search
Consumers are increasingly starting their journeys with AI search instead of traditional search engines.
For performance marketers, this means AI agents will be the first touchpoint for many consumer journeys. AI agents will qualify intent, filter options, and decide which brands even enter consideration. This puts pressure on marketers to think beyond keywords and creatives and toward how their offers, data, and outcomes are differentiated and surfaced in AI-driven systems.
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Consumers Prefer Expert Recommendations Over DIY Research
As information overload grows, consumers are opting out of endless comparison and opting into trust. In 2026, we predict more consumers will prefer an expert recommendation (either human or AI-assisted) over doing their own research.
While this won’t eliminate research, it will shift who does it. AI agents, advisors, and live call agents will increasingly act as filters, translating complexity into confident decisions. Performance marketing will favor brands and partners positioned as trusted guides rather than just options in a list.
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Appointment Scheduling Is Added to the AI Call Flow in Some Verticals
In high-intent verticals like some home services, AI agents will move from information delivery to action. Appointment scheduling embedded directly into AI call flows will become table stakes.
This collapses the gap between inquiry and conversion and reinforces the role of expert handoffs at the moment of decision.
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Microtargeting Shifts From Who to Why
Demographic-based targeting is losing relevance. In 2026, microtargeting will center on consumer motivation: urgency, risk tolerance, life events, and readiness to act.
When consumers are seeking expert guidance and relying on AI at the start of their journey, understanding why they’re searching matters far more than who they are.
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Paid Media Evolves as Behavior Changes
As AI absorbs more of the discovery layer, paid media will shift away from pure acquisition and toward influence, validation, and trust-building. Ads will still matter, but their role may change.
Performance marketers will need to rethink measurement, creative strategy, and attribution models as fewer journeys follow a linear path from impression to click to conversion.
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Outcome-Based Buying Becomes the Default
In 2026, advertisers will increasingly demand outcome-based models tied to revenue, qualified calls, or booked appointments.
This aligns perfectly with expert-led journeys, where value is measured at the decision instead of the entry point, and it will reward partners who can control quality end-to-end while penalizing those still optimizing for volume alone.
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Inbound Calls Outpace Traditional Outreach ROI
As consumers grow more resistant to interruption-based marketing, inbound demand will continue to outperform outbound efforts on ROI. Calls driven by real intent – especially those initiated or qualified by AI – will deliver higher conversion rates and lifetime value.
The future of performance marketing is permission-based, intent-driven, and measurable at the point of outcome.
Performance marketing in 2026
The future is helping consumers make better decisions, not just giving them more choices. Performance marketing in 2026 will reward those who reduce friction, replace noise with expertise, and connect intent to outcomes.
