Consumer shopping habits have changed significantly in the past year. Having the right data to monitor these changes (and being flexible) will be key for most brands, according to Andrew Kandel, head of sales for North America at Waze.

eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Debra Aho Williamson discusses TikTok's future: Can it keep operating in the US? If so, what will user growth and engagement look like going forward? She then talks about marketers' attitudes toward influencer marketing, major social media trends of 2021, and the prospects of live shopping on social media in the US.

Will the industry flock to Google's FLoC? Google says its privacy-friendly tracker FLoC is almost as effective as third-party cookies. But lingering mistrust and a lack of data could hurt it in its battle against other ad tech players for implementation.

Contactless menus boosted smartphone scanning in 2020: Hygienic concerns during the pandemic sped up adoption of QR code menus, which in turn led to a rapid increase US smartphone barcode scanners last year. That number will decelerate but still grow this year.

TikTok ramps up its effort to pull in creators: The short-form video app launched a portal for creators, where TikTok creators can get advice on how to monetize content.

Memes can be an inexpensive and powerful tool for brands to connect and engage with their audiences on social media. They can help build brand equity and awareness through in-the-moment, lighthearted content.