The ecommerce giant will stop accepting the payment method, a huge setback in PayPal’s journey to monetize Venmo

Black Friday sales totaled $9.8 billion this year, according to Adobe Analytics, just below our June 2023 forecast of $10.4 billion.

Prime Video gets its first major advertising partner: IPG Mediabrands will get first-look access to new ad formats when Prime Video debuts ads in 2024.

Although inflation, a strong job market, and a positive economic outlook are at play, three dominant ad channels are contributing to upward US ad spend. October saw a 3.2% YoY growth for the US ad market, marking the fourth consecutive month of spending increases, according to the Standard Media Index ad market tracker.

TikTok launches 'Swipe Out Hate' to combat rising hate speech: Like many platforms, it faces skepticism over commitment to moderation improvements.

Amazon bets that Prime members will pay extra for free grocery delivery: The retailer is testing a grocery subscription add-on for $9.99 per month in its latest attempt to boost the appeal of its grocery business.

Caregivers are consumers, too: Family caregivers spend a lot of money shopping for their care recipients, and shop for themselves at the same time. They have some unique needs that retailers need to accommodate.

Healthcare organizations need to see more from genAI: We examine the one big reason that could prevent providers and payers from going all-in on genAI investments next year.

Hims & Hers rolls out weight loss program sans GLP-1s: We explore why the startup isn’t yet rolling the dice on obesity drugs.

Disney hasn’t bought Hulu yet, but a deal is close: Disney+ how has an in-app Hulu hub, but the company may have to pay more than it would like.

CTV competition is good news for advertisers: The rising number of ad-supported streaming options is causing CPMs to decrease significantly.

Spending on TV ads overall will resume growing in 2024. After a dip in 2023 caused by traditional TV’s long decline and a relatively weak period for CTV, combined spending on TV and CTV will grow every year through 2027 and close in on $100 billion. Except for 2020 and 2023, this combined market will have grown every year since we started tracking CTV in 2018.

Disney+ could add gaming and shopping, aiming to enhance user experience: A strategy to compete with Netflix and Amazon in streaming.

The robot is not ready to take your order: Over 70% of customer interactions at AI-powered drive-thrus require staff to step in, according to tech provider Presto.

WhatsApp enhances privacy with new features: Aims to bridge gap between user comfort and revenue potential for WhatsApp Business

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the travel rebound and how tech is helping it out, how Black Friday football (with a side of online shopping) performed this year, will X (formerly Twitter) go bankrupt next year, a new way to stream NBA games post-cable, what to expect from ChatGPT next year, why your passport is the color it is, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our forecasting writer Ethan Cramer-Flood, forecasting analyst Zach Goldner, and director of forecasting Oscar Orozco.

Apple is targeting 50 million to 60 million iPhone units made in India while also expanding into Vietnam. Its success could attract tech companies moving away from China.

Funding scarcity is leading to layoffs, bankruptcies, and a focus on profitability, affecting future startup innovation and growth.

Is Google’s Gemini a real leap in AI or just clever marketing? The launch boosts Alphabet shares by 5.3%, but skepticism arises amid staged demos and performance issues.