AI tools are changing how customers discover small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and most SMBs know they need to respond. Over a third of SMB marketers report meaningful new traffic from AI tools in the past year, and three-quarters now consider appearing in AI-generated search results a top priority, according to a recent survey by EMARKETER and Semify. "The bigger risk for SMBs is waiting for a single AI visibility metric before getting started," said EMARKETER analyst Kelsey Voss. "There is no accepted standard yet, but the search and business outcomes they already track can show whether incremental changes improve leads, calls, and bookings."

For more than 60 years, Claire's has been synonymous with first ear piercings and mall trips with friends. But today's Gen Alpha shopper, armed with a $22 weekly allowance and strong opinions shaped by social media, requires more than nostalgia to win their loyalty.

Commerce media is entering a new phase, one defined less by rapid expansion and more by operational maturity, EMARKETER analysts and industry leaders say. Commerce media ad spending will reach $83.71 billion in the US this year, accounting for 20.5% of all digital ad spending, according to EMARKETER's June 2026 forecast. As the channel becomes a core part of marketers' media strategies, the conversation is shifting from whether to invest to how to make those investments deliver measurable business results. In a new EMARKETER guide titled "Commerce media outlook: What industry leaders see ahead," our analysts and industry leaders give their thoughts about the capabilities brands should prioritize today, the consumer behaviors that will shape tomorrow, and what it will take to succeed as commerce media becomes a permanent pillar of the media mix. Max Willens, a principal analyst at EMARKETER covering social media and the creator economy, told us about how creators are taking a bigger role in retail media and where off-site spending can be used in the marketing funnel.