Consumers expect free shipping: Nearly three in four shoppers will opt for slower shipping if it means they don’t have to pay.

For the past few years, some of the biggest names in ad tech—The Trade Desk, PubMatic, Magnite—have held onto CTV as a shiny growth narrative. Although investors’ enthusiasm seems to have started subsiding, CTV does represent a massive long-term opportunity for ad tech stakeholders. In the near term, a good deal of programmatic CTV ad dollars will transact directly with platforms that are still committed to keeping their content and data behind garden walls.

What are 2023’s top retail media networks for CPG brands? From Amazon to Kroger, we share a selection from our in-depth report evaluating ad buyers’ perceptions of leading platforms.

Consumers aren’t sold on plant-based protein: Taste and high prices are the biggest barriers to purchase, despite growing interest in sustainability

Less than 19% of US digital grocery buyers used Amazon Fresh within the past year. Nearly all of them have also shopped on other digital grocery platforms.

As retail media grows, it is changing. At the moment, search remains retail media’s bread and butter and sales ads are the best awareness drivers. In the future, in-store media and shoppable video ads may take on a bigger role. But no matter how ad formats change, one thing is for certain: Measurement will be key for retail media’s continued growth.

Amazon will invest up to $4 billion in Anthropic for AI development. Big Tech seeks AI expertise through partnerships and investments as AI takes center stage.

Meta to unveil Gen AI Personas this week: It’s part of a strategy to appeal to younger demographics and gain ground in the AI race. There are pitfalls ahead.

Meta and Salesforce face rehiring quandary: The tech giants want their laid-off employees back but will have to overcome trust issues for the plan to work.

Goldman finds a possible buyer for GreenSky: At a price tag less than one-third of what it paid a year and a half ago, it says goodbye to most of its consumer-facing business.

You can’t just blame it on AI: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reminded financial institutions that consumers need specific, detailed reasons when they’re denied credit—even if the decision maker is an algorithm.

The revenues help BNPL fintechs like Klarna overcome the low-margin business model and chart an elusive path to profitability

Given the industry’s historic reliance on cash, Square is hoping to become an early mover and grab share of this massive industry

Snapchat+ growth is defying expectations: Messaging apps are historically difficult to monetize, but Snapchat+ has hit 5 million in one year.

Brands embrace Hispanic Heritage Month's business potential: Cultivating trust and aligning with cultural trends yield economic and reputational benefits.

Businesses on Meta platforms get a trust boost: New subscription offers verification badges, protection against impersonation, and prime search placements.

Influencer marketing once referred to an Instagram power user featuring products in posts resulting in native promotional content. It was a cheaper and more authentic-feeling alternative to celebrity endorsements and paid social ads.

UK consumers are feeling OK, while Canadian shoppers pull back: That’s reflected in August retail sales rising 0.8% in the UK and falling 0.3% in Canada.

Apple is hiking retail employees’ pay about 4% this year: That’s a deceleration from the atypically large increases it provided throughout the pandemic.