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As we head into 2026, one thing is becoming increasingly clear.
First-party data is no longer a tactical add-on. It is the backbone of modern advertising.
Across Flow’s Audience Marketplace, we are seeing consistent patterns in how advertisers are using behavioural data, which audiences are gaining momentum, and how brands are planning campaigns earlier and more deliberately.
Here are Flow’s five first-party data predictions for 2026, and how advertisers can act on them now.
1. Travellers and Experience Seekers Will Become 2026’s Most Valuable Audiences
→ What we’re seeing
Travel, dining, events and lifestyle audiences are growing faster than any other category in Flow’s marketplace. These audiences often correlate with higher-income consumers and broader spend beyond travel alone.
Travel intent rarely exists in isolation. Planning a trip often triggers insurance, credit, retail, fashion and experience purchases, making it one of the earliest and richest intent signals.
→ Who should take note
Financial services, premium retail, automotive, travel and hospitality brands.
→ How advertisers should act
- Activate travel-intent audiences and plan your campaigns to reach them early in their journey
- Combine travel signals with lifestyle or dining behaviour to reach higher-value consumers
- Use travel-intent audiences in high-value product launches such as credit cards, insurance or premium retail
2. Beauty and Luxury Skincare Audiences Are Predictable, and That’s Their Advantage
→ What we’re seeing
Luxury beauty demand does not just grow evenly throughout the year. It spikes around specific, highly predictable moments like gifting periods, seasonal launches and key calendar events.
Brands that plan early tend to secure stronger results before competition intensifies and costs rise.
→ Who should take note
Luxury beauty and skincare brands, fragrance, fashion, specialty retail and ecommerce.
→ How advertisers should act
- Plan well ahead for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Spring, Black Friday and the Festive Season
- Use beauty browsing and exploration signals for conversion and remarketing campaigns
- Expand targeting to include gifting and experience browsers, not just habitual beauty buyers
3. Alcohol Brands Will Shift Toward Occasion-Based Targeting to Reach Gen Z
→ What we’re seeing
Younger consumers are consuming alcohol differently. They drink less frequently, more intentionally, and often in social or at-home settings rather than traditional out and about venues.
This makes age-based targeting less effective and increases the value of occasion-driven behaviour.
→ Who should take note
Alcohol brands, FMCG, quick-service restaurants and lifestyle brands.
→ How advertisers should act
- Prioritise social, dining and event-based audiences over age brackets
- Align campaigns with key moments such as sporting events, Heritage Day, Festive Season, New Year and long weekends
- Use home-entertainment and social lifestyle signals to support launches and bundles
4. Winning Campaigns Will Be Built Around Experiences, Not Funnels
→ What we’re seeing
Consumer behaviour is more predictable than many brands assume. Paydays, long weekends, seasonal shifts and life moments consistently generate intent, often long before a transaction happens.
→ Who should take note
Retail, beauty, alcohol, travel, fashion and ecommerce brands.
→ How advertisers should act
- Plan campaigns around predictable behaviour cycles, not only funnel stages
- Layer multiple intent signals to improve precision and relevance
- Combine purchase moments with behavioural context, such as luggage browsing alongside flight research, to improve ROAS
5. AI-Driven Ad Delivery Will Make First-Party Data Non-Negotiable
→ What we’re seeing
AI assistants like ChatGPT are increasingly influencing how people discover products, brands and information. ChatGPT already captures an estimated 10% of search query behaviour, and advertising within AI platforms is coming.
However, AI platforms do not have access to real-world behavioural signals such as travel planning, shopping patterns or consistent category intent. That gap increases the importance of first-party behavioural data.
→ Why this matters
AI will change where discovery happens.
First-party data will still determine who advertising should reach.
→ How advertisers should act
- Strengthen the behavioural signals you rely on most, including browsing, comparing, purchasing and planning
- Shift targeting strategies from demographics to intent-based audiences
- Refresh audiences frequently so optimisation models learn from current, real-world behaviour
The Takeaway
2026 will not belong to brands with the loudest messages or the biggest budgets.
It will belong to brands that understand behaviour, timing and intent, and plan accordingly.
That is the real advantage first-party data unlocks.
Ready to make 2026 your best performing year yet?
Speak to our team – we’ll help you build a first-party data strategy that actually converts
Explore Flow’s Audience Marketplace to book a demo
Frequently asked questions
What is first-party data in advertising?
First-party data is data collected directly from consumer interactions such as browsing behaviour, purchases, bookings and category exploration. It is consented, privacy-safe and highly predictive of intent.
How does first-party data improve performance?
Performance improves because ads match real-time intent. Instead of guessing who might be interested, first-party data identifies people already displaying signals of motivation and aligns creative and messaging to the moment. This reduces noise and increases conversion efficiency.
Why are travel and experience audiences so valuable?
They signal early intent, higher spending power and cross-category purchasing behaviour, making them useful far beyond travel brands alone.
How is Gen Z changing alcohol advertising strategies?
Gen Z drinks less frequently and more intentionally, making occasion-based and lifestyle-driven targeting more effective than age-based approaches.
Author: Caitlin Perry
Head of Marketing at Flow
