In today’s podcast episode, we discuss what YouTube has evolved into, how it’s transforming TV ad buying, and how YouTube TV is shaping digital pay TV. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Analyst Ross Benes and Principal Forecasting Writer Ethan Cramer Flood. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.
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Become a ClientCommerce 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. Matt Barresi, president of digital commerce and capabilities at Kimberly-Clark told us why he values governance before scale and the implications of strong measurement.
The most common response to an out-of-stock is buying a similar product from a different brand in-store (36%), just ahead of staying with the same brand (33%), according to an April survey from Profitero.
Younger buyers weigh car tech heavily, meaning distinctive experiences and clear positioning can set brands apart.
Economic headwinds are reshaping Asia-Pacific ad spend as AI-powered platforms, retail media, and video continue to attract performance-focused budgets. Digital remains resilient as growth diverges across China, Australia, Japan, and Thailand.
One former ecommerce CEO achieved a 100% win rate on website optimization tests, seven successful experiments out of seven attempts, by building an AI agent system that generates, executes, and analyzes tests autonomously. The achievement signals a shift in how brands approach website personalization. "Cody is probably one of the most advanced experimenters, personalizers we've seen, and I think is like the all-time leader in win rate on tests," Drew Marconi, CEO and cofounder of Intelligems, said during the ecommerce event Grow NY this month. The typical win rate for ecommerce optimization tests hovers around 30%, making the perfect success rate particularly notable.
SMS marketing is permission-based brand communication sent by text message, spanning promotional alerts, restock and shipping notifications, loyalty updates, and conversational two-way messaging. It sits alongside email as a core owned channel.
Its new media network gives brands access to shopping center audiences, but success depends on execution.
Gen Z and millennials’ self-care and wellness spending intentions are strong, but their budgets could change, meaning brands must demonstrate tangible value.
Burlington, Walmart, Target, and Amazon are using tariff money to fund lower prices.