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How Seasonal Moments Reveal What Consumers Want Next | Behind the Numbers September 24

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss what seasonality means today as shopping behaviors and consumer needs become less tied to a single moment on the calendar. How can seasonal moments help brands identify where new growth opportunities may be emerging? And what audience, motivation, or shopping insights can you carry forward into future campaigns and longer-term strategy? Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Analyst Arielle Feger and James Gourde, Senior Director of the Partner Solutions Group at Roundel. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Analyst Minda Smiley and Principal Analyst Max Willens. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

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Merchants can manage rival marketplace orders, listings, and fulfillment from one dashboard.

Some 69% of US consumers plan to use AI while shopping this holiday season, according to Impact. Finding deals, comparing prices, and summarizing promotions tied as the top use cases. Shoppers also plan to use AI for product recommendations, review summaries, and local inventory checks.

"If you do not have a gaming strategy, it's clearly too big to ignore now," Charles Hambro, CEO and co-founder of GEEIQ, said at EMARKETER's Future of Digital summit last week. "But you should not get bamboozled by 'Oh my god, we're gonna build unbelievable worlds.' Be very, very self-disciplined with regards to what are my CPMs for this audience." Nearly 60% of US consumers will be digital gamers this year, according to EMARKETER's forecast, yet only 2.4% of total digital ad spend in 2026 will go to gaming. It's a delta that represents both a significant opportunity and a cautionary tale for marketers who rush in without proper measurement frameworks.

Groupwide units captured 26% of reviewed spend, promising tighter integration but fewer specialized partners.

Inflation-adjusted back-to-school spend has fallen to $557 per child in 2026, wiping out the entire pandemic-era run-up and landing just $38 above 2019 levels, according to a May survey from Deloitte.

TikTok Shop's rapid growth is attracting prestige retailers who are now making the leap onto the platform.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss where discovery in beauty is happening, how TikTok is changing the path to purchase, and why every retailer might now need a beauty strategy. Tune in for a conversation featuring Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, and Principal Analysts Sky Canaves and Carina Lamb.

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51% of US digital food and beverage buyers bought groceries from Amazon in the past 30 days, according to a May survey from Bizrate Insights and EMARKETER.