As brands navigate AI-driven marketing, digital overload, and shrinking attention spans, one thing is clear in 2026:
Tactile experiences matter more than ever.
Print and embellishments are no longer traditional tactics. They are strategic tools rooted in neuroscience and consumer psychology.
Why Touch Influences Buying Behavior
Touch is the first sense to develop and remains fundamental to how we think, feel, and form attachments.
Research confirms that:
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- Touch increases psychological ownership.
- Psychological ownership increases perceived value
- Print improves comprehension and memory retention compared to screens.
When customers physically interact with a brand — through packaging, direct mail, or printed collateral — they process it more deeply.
That deeper processing leads to stronger recall and greater trust.
How Embellishments Increase Perceived Quality
Embellishments such as:
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- Soft-touch coatings
- Embossing and debossing
- Foil stamping
- Specialty substrates
- Dimensional or textured finishes
…do more than elevate aesthetics.
Weight, texture, and material choice influence how consumers judge quality. Tactile enhancements signal care, craftsmanship, and premium positioning.
In competitive categories — luxury goods, financial services, healthcare, higher education — these signals matter.
Embellishment is not excess. It is differentiation.
Multi-Sensory Marketing Drives Engagement
Print engages multiple senses at once — sight, touch, and sometimes even sound and scent. According to research in Reach Out and Touch, print excites the senses in ways digital media cannot replicate.
Multi-sensory engagement increases:
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- Dwell time
- Brand recall
- Emotional impact
- Purchase intent
In an era of digital fatigue, tactile marketing cuts through.
Print and Digital Work Best Together
This is not a print-versus-digital debate.
The most effective 2026 marketing strategies integrate both:
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- Direct mail that drives to personalized landing pages
- Embellished packaging that links to digital experiences
- Premium catalogs that support “flick-to-click” purchasing
Print creates emotional connections.
Digital sustains and measures engagement.
Together, they deliver stronger ROI.
The Strategic Advantage of Being Physical
Consumers are rediscovering the value of physical experiences — from vinyl records to premium packaging — because they provide something digital cannot: tangibility.
We are wired for touch.
We assign meaning to what we hold.
We trust what feels substantial.
Brands that embrace tactile print and strategic embellishment are not looking backward.
They are aligning with how the human brain works.
In 2026 and beyond, the tangible advantage belongs to those who design for it.
In a marketplace defined by automation and digital noise, the brands that stand out will be those that design for the human senses. Tactile print and thoughtful embellishment are not legacy tactics — they are competitive advantages. In 2026, the question isn’t whether print still works. It’s how strategically you’re using it.
Sources:
Graphic Village. “Tactile Experiences, Stronger Brands.” Graphic Village, n.d., https://www.graphicvillage.com/tactile-experiences-stronger-brands/.
Graphic Village. “The Print Factor.” Graphic Village, n.d., https://www.graphicvillage.com/the-print-factor/.
Graphic Village. “The Power of Touch and Print.” Graphic Village, n.d., https://www.graphicvillage.com/power-of-touch-and-print/.
Graphic Village. “GV Pulse: Rediscovering the Value of Print—Engaging the Tangible in a Digital World.” Graphic Village, n.d., https://www.graphicvillage.com/gv-pulse-rediscovering-the-value-of-print-engaging-the-tangible-in-a-digital-world/.
Sappi Europe and John Brown. Reach Out and Touch: The Joy of the Physical in the Digital Age. Sappi Europe and John Brown, 2020.
