CES 2026: How Digitas is Using Technology to Better Understand Customers

Kroger arrived on the CES stage with a message: brands need to rethink how they keep up with today’s consumers.

Trends change at the speed of social media. Brand loyalty is being disrupted by a changing culture. And new media habits make it difficult for brands to be heard.

Time to think like detectives.

Understanding your audience requires the curiosity of a detective – and retail data is where clues live.

Purchase behaviors are the ultimate signal of intention - and retailers witness millions of those actions daily. Over time, this feedback loop creates a powerful source of truth that informs strategic decision-making based on how shoppers actually behave, not how brands assume they should. This mindset helps us answer critical and nuanced questions like:

• How do I launch a new item without cannibalizing current sales?
• How do I keep the new customers I won during my peak season?
• Where is my market share going, and why?

Christine Foster’s conversation with leaders from Digitas explores an ideological shift that’s reshaping how agencies approach consumer insights. By treating data as part of an operating system, not a report card, they’re transforming how brands show up with shoppers.

How Digitas North America keeps pace with consumer behavior

Christa Klausner, EVP Commerce at Digitas North America, explained that brands can tap many signals between social media, search, and purchase data. However, she noted the importance of having a partner that can help interpret trend data—is what we’re seeing in the signals backed up by real-world actions?

Once a trend is spotted, the next step is deciding whether it’s worth acting on. As Corey Kahn, SVP National Head of Search at Digitas North America mentions, chasing a trend means investing time and resources. It’s essential to separate sustained trends from the “quick spikes” that will soon disappear.

Synthetic Audiences informed by real-life data

Predicting consumer behaviors has never been more difficult. But Digitas has engineered a solution that’s empowering brands to stay ahead of the curve: Synthetic Audiences.

Synthetic Audiences are built on contextual real-world data. They act like members of a specific consumer segment, with insights, personalities, and opinions that mimic human behavior. Hear more about these AI-powered audiences here:

Meet the Hater Agent

Synthetic audiences aren’t the only way to stay ahead of consumer behaviors. To prepare for unforeseen online criticism, Digitas did something unexpected: they built agentic Internet trolls to give negative feedback while campaigns are being developed.

The “Hater Agent” is the ultimate stress-test for creative concepts and strategy frameworks. It's engineered to spot blind spots and challenge assumptions, and it doesn’t hold back.

Growing brands in a complex environment

Brands need to move beyond legacy frameworks towards decisions grounded in verified shopper behavior. By treating data as a strategic lens rather than just a reporting tool, agencies and retailers are empowering sustained brand growth in a world of rapidly evolving (and yes, sometimes irrational) consumer behavior.

Thank you to the Digitas North America team for the thoughtful discussion, and to the attendees who engaged throughout the week. We look forward to continuing our mission to be the brand partner CPGs need in 2026.