The New KPI Era
As we move into 2026, one of the biggest tensions inside marketing teams is measurement.
Performance is expected. Impact is demanded. But many of the metrics teams still rely on feel increasingly disconnected from business reality.
This is not because data is lacking.
It is because the wrong things are being measured.
Engagement is losing its explanatory power
Likes, views, and impressions still matter. They signal reach and visibility.
What they no longer do reliably is explain outcomes.
I see content with high engagement that drives little commercial impact. I also see content with modest engagement that drives disproportionate revenue, search behaviour, or repeat purchase.
Engagement has become a surface signal. Useful, but incomplete.
Behaviour tells a clearer story
In a social commerce environment, behaviour matters more than reaction.
Signals that are becoming far more meaningful include:
Comment intent and question quality
Saves and replays
Search lift after exposure
Add-to-cart behaviour
Live retention
Repeat purchase patterns
Creator-level conversion contribution
These signals indicate belief, not just attention.
They show whether content is changing how people think or act.
KPIs must reflect how buying actually happens
Traditional KPIs assume linear journeys and clear attribution.
Social commerce rarely behaves that way.
Influence is cumulative. Decisions are social. Proof builds over time and across formats. Trying to assign all value to the final touchpoint misses how trust was formed.
The new KPI era accepts complexity rather than trying to simplify it away.
This does not mean abandoning accountability. It means choosing metrics that reflect reality.
What changes internally
When KPIs shift, behaviour follows.
Teams stop chasing volume for its own sake.
Creators are evaluated on outcomes, not aesthetics.
Content is optimised for clarity and usefulness.
Operations understand their role in performance.
Measurement stops being a reporting exercise and becomes a decision-making tool.
The risk of not evolving
Brands that cling to outdated KPIs will increasingly struggle to explain why activity is high but growth is flat.
They will optimise for visibility while missing impact. They will reward the wrong behaviours. They will misinterpret signals from both audiences and platforms.
In 2026, that gap will only widen.
Final thought
The new KPI era is not about more data.
It is about better questions.
In a world where commerce, content, and culture are converging, success cannot be measured by attention alone.
Behaviour is the signal that matters.
