We are at that time of year when everyone starts making predictions about what the industry is going to look like in 2026. And, with it, is prediction of a lot of change. (Most people make money from change, so this makes sense!)

But when all that talk about change starts to get tossed around as the big trend to watch for the upcoming year, I end up reminded of the Jeff Bezo’s quote that inverts the question around change. It goes like this:

“I very frequently get the question: ‘What’s going to change in the next 10 years?’ And that is a very interesting question; it’s a very common one. I almost never get the question: ‘What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?’ And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two—because you can build a business strategy around the things that are stable in time.”

And, so, this is where my predictions, if you will, come into play.

There is a ton of change in ecommerce. It feels like bigger shifts are happening than anyone within the space can even wrap their heads around. Of that, we can all agree. But it is unlikely that a prediction in the AI space—be it for internal operations or as a consumer channel—is actually actionable right now (to Bezos’ point).

What is actionable, though, is what is unlikely to change. And one of the things that feels unlikely to change is the importance of listening to what your customer has to say.

This is, of course, a bit self-serving and biased. But, then again, the reason I am here as the CEO of Stamped, KNO and Repeat is that I fundamentally believe in the permanence of listening to your customer.

You may read predictions about AI models cutting photoshoot costs or AI models replacing UGC/traditional ad creative. You may read about ChatGPT becoming the channel to figure out. All of this—and more—could be true.

But what would your models look like and what should your ads say and how will ChatGPT know whether to recommend you? What your customer says about your brand and your product is the input to all of that.

At the very least, you need to know what they’re saying; at the most, you need to take action on it.

And that prediction is certain to come to fruition.