Creators are diversifying their revenue streams beyond influencer marketing. That’s a net positive for the creator economy, but it also puts some creators in direct competition with brands for consumer spending.

Nearly a quarter (23%) of US adults say they research a product online and purchase it in-store, according to a November 2023 survey by ESW.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss why Amazon is pulling back from "Just Walk Out" technology, how the Atlantic magazine turned things around, what will ignite TV shopping, whether LinkedIn testing TikTok-like videos is a good move, what science says about how to be happy, and more. Tune into the discussion with vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian, analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf, and vice president of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti.

October’s and November’s share of US digital holiday consumer spend has not shown a consistent increase since 2018, despite retailers moving their holiday sales earlier, per an April 2024 report from Comscore.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the capabilities (good and bad) of OpenAI's new GPT-4o, what the disbanding of the companies "superalignment" team means, and whether we're witnessing the birth of the next super app. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Jacob Bourne and Gadjo Sevilla.

Nearly half of US adults who have made a purchase via shoppable commerce have done so on social media, according to our February 2024 survey conducted by Bizrate Insights. But budding partnerships between brands and streamers may shift more commerce toward connected TV (CTV) platforms, especially around live events. For example, Paramount piloted a shoppable experience during the CMT Music Awards, NBCUniversal launched a new shoppable ad format ahead of this Summer’s Olympics, and Amazon added shoppable ads to its Amazon Prime platform.

Short-form videos are difficult to monetize since they don’t offer pre-, mid-, or post-roll ads. Instead, ads are placed between videos, making them easy to skip. As a result, platforms embracing longer videos stand to rake in more ad dollars. Brands, meanwhile, have more opportunities to get in front of users via advertising on lengthier videos, though creating their own longer content presents challenges.

Amazon's publisher summit reveals new ad solutions: Measurement and compliance tools should help the retail giant maintain its competitive edge in advertising.

OpenAI and News Corp sign a $250 million deal, allowing AI access to top news content. Other news outlets are pushing back on AI.

The housing market continues to flounder: As long as it remains hard for consumers to buy a home, brands and retailers tied to housing will likely struggle.

SoftPOS is a form of mPOS that can turn any seller’s smartphone into a payment terminal.

Major brands launch bilingual campaigns: Corona and Hyundai are connecting with the growing Hispanic market through authentic cultural touchpoints.

TikTok parent ByteDance has until January 19, 2025, to sell the company or face a US ban. The company is suing to avoid the ban, but if the platform goes away, marketers need to know how to reach TikTok users on other platforms. From Gen Z to niche communities, here are five key stats showing the places marketers should be able to reach TikTok users.

A2A payments adoption is more mature in the UK than in the US, making it a better market to launch the product

It’s going all-in on AI to protect consumers from an expected $13.73 billion in card payment fraud this year

Many BNPL firms already offer the consumer rights the CFPB wants to enforce, but the rule will have broad implications for BNPL and other fintechs

TJX, Ross Stores are bullish as shoppers search for value: Both companies raised their profit outlooks in anticipation of growing demand and continued market share gains.

Higher borrowing costs cause auto sales growth to slow and electric vehicle adoption to remain limited.