If you are reading this and you are still managing your e-commerce and physical points of sale with separate databases, we have some bad news: your enterprise architecture is outdated.
Let’s talk straight. The term “Phygital” has been floating around marketing departments for years, often used as an empty buzzword to sell touchscreens in stores. But heading into 2026, the concept has matured into something far more complex and powerful: ambient computing and cross-data persistence.
At Inprofit, we no longer talk about connecting channels; we talk about dissolving physical barriers through a robust technology infrastructure. The customer of 2026 doesn’t “go online,” they live connected to a persistent digital layer. Devices like mixed reality glasses (evolutions of the Apple Vision Pro or Meta Quest) and next-generation wearables are normalizing the layering of digital information on top of the real world.
For companies, this is a major technical challenge. It is no longer about creativity, it is about latency, interoperability and data processing at theedge (edge computing).
How do we prepare a company’s technological stack for this scenario? Let’s analyze the technical trends that will define Phygital Marketing in 2026.
1. From Omnichannel to “Unified Commerce” through advanced CDPs
The biggest enemy of Phygital is the data silo. The trend for 2026 calls for a Single Customer View in strict real time.
Traditional CRM strategies are falling short. The required architecture is based on next-generation Customer Data Platforms (CDP). These systems not only store data, but also ingest real-time event streams from:
- Web/app navigation.
- IoT sensors in physical stores.
- Interactions in social networks.
- Transactional history in ERP.
The challenge of identity resolution
The technical challenge we solve at Inprofit is the “stitching” of identity. How do you know that the mobile device ID that just entered your physical store in Madrid is the same user that abandoned a cart on your website last night from an IP in Valencia?
Using identity graphs and probabilistic and deterministic algorithms, the 2026 Phygital system unifies these profiles instantly. This means that when the customer approaches a shelf, the system does not treat him as a stranger, but triggers a personalization based on his LTV(Lifetime Value) and previous behavior.
2. Spatial Computing and WebAR: The visual layer of the world.
In 2026, augmented reality (AR) ceases to be an app curiosity and becomes a native web layer (WebAR). Thanks to the improvement in 5G and incipient 6G networks, and the power of mobile browsers, it is no longer necessary to force the user to download an app to interact with the environment.
We are talking about Spatial Anchors. Technically, this allows a brand to “leave” a digital object or persistent information in a specific physical location.
Imagine a car dealership. The user, with their smart glasses or cell phone, looks at a physical model. Immediately, the system overlays a technical layer: running engine, real-time color options and customized financing floating in the air next to the vehicle.
This requires optimized 3D asset management (formats such as USDZ or glTF) and content delivery through specialized volumetric CDNs. At Inprofit, we are preparing our clients to manage these digital assets as seamlessly as they manage JPEGs today.
3. Edge AI: Artificial Intelligence at the Point of Sale (without the cloud)
Latency is the enemy of the Phygital experience. If a customer picks up a product and the system takes 2 seconds to react, the magic is broken. That’s why the massive trend for 2026 is Edge AI(Artificial Intelligence at the edge).
Instead of sending data from cameras and sensors in the store to the cloud (AWS/Azure/Google Cloud) for processing, processing occurs on the device itself or on a local server in the store.
Technical use cases:
- Real-time computer vision: Cameras that analyze the customer’s facial feeling in front of a product or detect if a shelf is out of stock, triggering an automatic replenishment order to the warehouse.
- Smart Fitting Rooms (Smart fitting rooms): Interactive mirrors that, by means of RFID, detect the garment you are wearing and, by processing on-site, suggest sizes or accessories without lag, while respecting privacy by not sending images outside the premises.
This decentralized architecture is not only faster, but also more secure and cheaper in bandwidth costs.
4. Blockchain and Digital Twins
The Phygital Marketing of 2026 integrates digital with physical property. This is where Blockchain technology and utility NFTs come in.
The trend is the creation of“Digital Twins” of physical products. When buying limited edition sneakers in the physical store, the user automatically receives in his wallet a token (NFT) that represents those sneakers for use in metaverse or video game environments, or simply as a certificate of immutable authenticity.
For the luxury and fashion brands we work with at Inprofit, this is critical. It allows to trace the product life cycle, facilitates resale in secondary markets (guaranteeing royalties to the original brand) and creates an exclusive community of owners.
Technically, this involves integrating the POS (Point of Sale) with Smart Contracts that execute the “minting” of the digital asset at the exact moment of the fiat transaction.
5. Hyper-localization and Precision Geofencing
Traditional GPS is not enough for indoor Phygital. The 2026 technologies are based on UWB (Ultra-Wideband) and Bluetooth LE Audio (Low Energy).
The UWB allows for centimeter accuracy. This means that your app can know not only that the customer is in the store, but that he is standing exactly in front of the sunscreen shelf for more than 30 seconds.
This granularity of data activates triggers in the marketing automation strategy.
- Input: Customer (“Premium” segment) detected in “Offers” zone > Time: +45sec.
- Output: Push notification or message on nearby digital screen: “Hi Ana, for being a Gold member, you get an extra 10% on what you are looking at”.
Complex system integrators
Reading about these trends is exciting; implementing them is an engineering challenge. Many creative agencies can imagine the experience, but fail at technical execution. Legacy (legacy systems) companies are often the main obstacle.
At Inprofit, we take a Composable Architecture approach. We don’t try to destroy your current ERP; we build API (Application Programming Interface) layers that allow legacy systems to talk to new AI and sensor technologies.
We use Headless architectures (where the frontend is decoupled from the backend) to ensure that, if a new mixed reality device comes out tomorrow, your content can be deployed there without having to rebuild your entire e-commerce.
Are we facing the end of marketing as we know it?
Possibly yes. We are facing the end of interruption marketing and the beginning of context marketing.
The Phygital technology of 2026 is not about bombarding the user, but accompanying them. It is about using sensors, data and algorithms to make the consumer’s life easier, more fun and more efficient.
But to get to 2026 relevant, you must start laying the foundation today. A messy data strategy today will be an impassable wall tomorrow. Artificial intelligence cannot optimize what it cannot measure or access.
Is your infrastructure ready for the space computing era?
Don’t let technical debt slow down your business growth. At Inprofit we speak your language: APIs, Latency, Cloud, Edge and ROI.
