It's a new year, which means there are new trends our teams are keeping an eye on to ensure we are keeping up across all areas of marketing. And we promise not everything is related to AI.
AI + Content in 2026
In a short time, AI has woven into our daily routines, with more people turning to AI not just for quick answers, but as a trusted information source they rely on. The barrier to entry has never been lower. Anyone can spin up content, images, and videos for their website in seconds. But just because you can create something instantly doesn't mean you should. Speed of creation says nothing about value to your audience.
As we navigate 2026, the real opportunity lies in using AI strategically: enhancing content that genuinely serves users, making information more accessible and digestible, and optimizing for visibility in AI-powered search results. The winners won't be those who generate the most content, but those who create the most useful content.
Merch Trends 2026
In 2026, promotional products are all about being intentional. Brands are moving away from throwaway swag and focusing on items people actually want to use. Quality over quantity. Premium everyday items ... drinkware, apparel, and bags ... stick around longer and keep brands visible. Personalization is also playing a bigger role, whether that’s custom designs, smaller targeted runs, or products that connect to digital experiences through QR codes or NFC tags. The most successful merch in 2026 feels useful, thoughtful, and aligned with a brand’s value, not just branded for the sake of it.
Enhancing the Customer Experience
There are a few things that can set your brand apart under the umbrella of customer experience. Whether that's creating trust, transparency, ease of use or entertainment - you can set yourself apart from the competition by creating an experience your customers will remember. This can be online, in person or a combination of the two. We'll be keeping an eye on how brands stand out in 2026.
Individual Creators vs Brands
We've been saying it for years, brand messages reach further when shared by employees instead of just the company. This will be the year we see individuals outshine the company brand on social. Do you want to buy from AB Company or Bob? Bob shares his knowledge, is trusted and engages with your posts. You'll likely remember Bob compared to AB Company when looking for a provider. Read this post about social media tips for professionals to learn more.
Website and Platform Reliability
The trend continues to increase automation for software deployment and service management. We use automation for web hosting services; quickly and reliably deploying changes to hosted sites. One area of concern is the use of AI in malware and network attacks. As a counter to this concern, JH has partnered with firms who use AI to detect and thwart attacks.
Another trend is the increased need to provision private AI models. Private AI may preserve data privacy, reduce costs, and improve security.
Motion and Animation
Aside from the obvious, AI and using it responsibly, within the world of UI/web design we're continuing to see motion and animation be a focus. If you click something, it should react. Scrolling on a page should reveal and tell a story. You worked hard to get someone to your site, so keeping the user engaged and staying on the page/site is a focus for 2026.
Language & Framework Trends
We're watching language and framework trends. PHP has been in decline for a few years for new software, but it's very much alive for older projects and well-established web work. PHP is adding more support for strict-typing, will that change things? Golang and Kotlin are on our radar as we look to increase reliability and stability of our projects - some of which we've been using since 2018 as our in-house process scheduler.
