As we begin the New Year, we spoke to industry leaders to reflect on the shifts that shaped 2025 and the forces expected to define 2026. For Rajeev Jain, Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing, DS Group, 2025 marked a decisive acceleration of FMCG’s digital and commerce transformation, driven by technology, data and changing consumer expectations.
Reflecting on the year gone by, Jain identifies one clear trend that reshaped the FMCG landscape: “Digital acceleration, fuelled by tech, data and AI, is the defining FMCG trend of 2025. The rise of quick commerce and e-commerce has shifted consumer behaviour toward convenience and ultra-fast delivery, forcing brands to prioritize online channels engines and reshaping the industry’s channel mix.”
Looking ahead, Jain believes this momentum will not just continue but deepen, with commerce, premiumisation and AI redefining how FMCG brands compete and grow in 2026. Sharing his outlook for the year ahead, he outlines the top three trends set to shape the industry: “Ecommerce and quick commerce are set to continue its rapid growth, evolving from an emerging channel into a primary strategic pillar for 2026. As consumer penetration deepens and more shoppers migrate to high-speed platforms, FMCG companies must align their offerings by reorganizing assortment planning, pricing, packaging and hyper-local fulfillment to capture this expanding wave of convenience-oriented buyers. Premiumization continues to drive growth across market segments. Even as rural markets grow and focus on value, consumers in urban as well as tier 2 & tier 3 will continue to move toward premium offerings. The rise in growing numbers of HNIs is driving consumption and evolving lifestyles. By 2026, AI will be an indispensable cornerstone driving competitive advantage from search, real-time sentiment analysis, influencer marketing, predictive analysis, etc. As the industry moves toward hyper-personalization, these AI-driven tools will empower brands to anticipate market shifts and automate complex decision-making.”
(As told to Antora Chakraborty)
