B elieve it or not, but at the printing of this issue, we’re already almost a full month into 2026. And while this issue is all about the hot prod- ucts coming out at The NAMM Show and beyond, retailers are no doubt wondering what trends 2026 will bring after a very uncertain 2025 plagued with tariffs, price increases and an unsteady economy. Over the past few months, we’ve been speaking with MI industry executives on what they think this next year will hold, including Yamaha Corp. of America President Tom Sumner. PERSPECTIVE I BY KATIE KAILUS AI: A RETAILER’S BEST FRIEND IN 2026?
“We’re optimistic about 2026,” Sumner said in a November 2025 conversation with Music Inc. “From an instrument perspective, we’re definitely seeing guitars make a real resurgence after the pandemic. There was a huge surge during the pandemic itself, much of it driven by people who didn’t play at all before. When we looked at the data about a year later, a significant portion of those players were still playing at least somewhat, which was really encouraging. I think we’re starting to see the longer-term effects of that now, with an overall increase in players.” Sumner said that, from that standpoint, the guitar category is doing well. “Acoustic guitars especially [have] been one of the standout trends,” Sumner continued.
“At the same time, in 2025, a lot of us focused on other priorities, largely just coping with changing costs and day-to-day challenges. In 2026, we’ll hopefully be able to shift our focus back to the customer. We now have so many strong tools to reach customers and get them more engaged with music [like] AI that can help us connect more directly and meaningfully.” Taylor Harnois, general manager of Music Shop 360, recently shared his predicted 2026 MI retail trends with us, which echoed Sumner’s ideas on AI. “AI will continue to expand its footprint and be utilized more for personal- ized shopping experiences and helping retailers automate their merchandising systems,” Harnois said. “For example, imagine an AI assistant that builds a begin- ner’s learning plan when someone buys a guitar or dynamically adjusts in-store displays based on sales and season. Online music retailers currently outperform brick-and-mortar stores in sales per employee by more than three times, making AI-assisted efficiency an invaluable tool for smaller shops in the coming year.” Outside of MI, Forbes positioned agentic AI, or advanced AI systems that can take autonomous actions without human input, as its No. 1 retail trend for 2026. “2026 will be the year agentic AI moves from curiosity to practical utility for mainstream shoppers, with the first real shift toward automating everyday es- sentials like groceries, bills and household basics,” Jenny Hadlow, chief operating officer at Checkout.com, said in a Dec. 24, 2025, article by Forbes. Ready or not, here comes AI. And 2026 seems to be the year to jump on the bandwagon if you haven’t already. With so much changing, be sure to keep a finger on the pulse, and don’t forget to turn to Music Inc. for the latest. MI
10 I MUSIC INC. I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2026
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