Retail & Ecommerce

Mobile dethroned TV in 2019 as the channel where US adults spent the most time. While it may be a symbolic threshold for now, it’s still notable that the average US adult spent 3 hours, 43 minutes (3:43) on their mobile devices in 2019, compared with the average 3:35 spent watching TV. As recently as 2016, US adults watched nearly an hour more of TV than they spent on their smartphones and tablets (4:05 vs. 3:08).

Though social commerce conversions will remain a challenge, the mid-funnel opportunity is growing. Instagram’s continued rollout of shoppable content features is helping brands and influencers spotlight product content and forge a better path to purchase. Pinterest has also introduced features to make it easier for retailers to upload and promote product content. And video-first platforms Snapchat and TikTok are both testing shoppable content features.

eMarketer principal analyst Andrew Lipsman discusses one thing that summed up 2019 for him and some of his predictions for 2020, focusing on the delivery wars.

Marketers have embraced location data for several reasons. It can help personalize experiences for customers, better isolate customer paths to purchase, create better customer segments, and identify opportune moments to target potential clients. But new restrictions on collecting location data will make it more costly for advertisers in 2020.

While our 2019 prediction of digital’s influence on the reinvention of brick-and-mortar has materialized, it may have also undersold Amazon’s omnipresence in the space. The 800-pound gorilla of retail will continue to cast a wide shadow.

For brands and retailers in some categories, Amazon is a significant channel for ecommerce sales. And that often means paying for prime placement on Amazon properties, including in search results. We estimate Amazon will have earned 72% of its $9.85 billion in net US digital ad revenues from search ads in 2019.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver, junior analyst Blake Droesch and vice president of content studio Paul Verna talk about YouTube's harassment policy change, Uber's new security report, TV shows with the most longevity, what people are watching on Disney+, where the bar code came from, and more.

Social networks like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok have ramped up their social commerce efforts in the past year, shifting toward an ecosystem where users can discover, shop and purchase products one place. Initially, these social commerce features were only offered to brands, but now social networks are experimenting by bringing the same tools to influencers.

eMarketer senior forecasting analyst Cindy Liu discusses our US sales numbers for Wayfair and the reasons we’ve pegged it the fastest-growing ecommerce retailer for 2019.

eMarketer global director of public relations Douglas Clark compares our in-store sales and retail ecommerce forecasts and talks Macy’s, Walmart and The Home Depot.

eMarketer principal analyst Andrew Lipsman discusses the Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend. He also talks about whether Americans are cutting back on spending to prepare for a recession, what beauty brand shoppers value most and why D2Cs are looking more like traditional brands.

In response to changing consumer behavior, mobile payment platforms around the world are innovating quicker than their traditional bank counterparts. Latin America is no exception; it is home to Argentina-based Mercado Pago, a major player in the global adoption of cashless transactions.

Andy Prochazka, co-founder and CMO of Canadian online furniture retailer Article, joins us to discuss the ins and outs of selling high-end sofas, chairs and dining room sets directly to consumers.

Amazon’s ad business is booming, and more advertisers are spending—and spending more—on the platform. That means both prices and competition for ad slots are high.

The term "Cyber Monday" was first introduced to the retail world in 2005 via a press release from Shop.org. What is now the moniker of one of the biggest shopping holidays of the year was coined by members of the organization and its then-executive director Scott Silverman.