In H1 2026, most ad spending in the auto and truck parts and accessories sector went to digital channels, while overall investment remained relatively steady month to month. Outlays remained concentrated among a handful of cities and a few advertisers.
On today’s podcast episode, we present our “Unofficial Monthly Retailer Awards” (UMRAs) for July, including awards for “Most Impactful Campaign,” “Best IRL Initiative,” and “Greatest Under-the-Radar Move.” Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Senior Analyst Blake Droesch, Senior Editor Karen Jacobs, Senior Director of Content Becky Schilling.
53.3% of US digital buyers purchased clothing online in the past 30 days, more than 20 percentage points ahead of the next-closest category, pet products (32.5%), according to a February survey from Bizrate Insights and EMARKETER.
US grocery volume is shrinking, and the drop-off has gotten steep enough that price increases can no longer cover for it. Unit sales fell nearly 2% YoY in each month from February through June 2026, according to a NielsenIQ analysis from Bain & Company. Prices are still climbing 2% to 3% annually, roughly in line with food-at-home inflation. But that pricing growth is no longer masking the volume story the way it did through most of 2025.
A friend's word still carries the most weight with holiday shoppers. But a close second is something brands rarely offer on their own: an honest account of a product's flaws. Some 41.9% of consumers said a trusted friend's or family member's recommendation made them feel confident in their last holiday purchase, according to a new survey of 1,001 US adults by EMARKETER and Reddit. Right behind that, 26.0% pointed to an honest discussion of a product's downsides alongside its strengths, ahead of expert reviews (18.7%) and influencer endorsements (12.6%). Shoppers are less interested in being sold to than in watching someone work through the tradeoffs.
Chase leads new accounts, but fintechs still convert prospects at far higher rates once shoppers engage.
Flat volumes suggest innovation alone may no longer overcome rising costs and growing demand for value.
Walmart’s early lead keeps widening as shoppers make speed a habit.
Creative revivals are drawing shoppers back, while investment pieces outperform fashion-driven categories.
Consumers showed resilience, with spending driven by the FIFA World Cup and higher tax returns.
More frequent visits and larger tickets show consumers are still willing to splurge on affordable indulgences.
Doctronic's Summer Health deal extends AI care to families seeking urgent virtual care, but clear guardrails on when clinician escalation is required will matter as much as convenience.
AI slop fools ad metrics by scoring as premium: Viewability and invalid traffic rates may no longer be trusted quality signals for programmatic buying.
Omnicom reports strong Q2 from integrated media: Agencies now need bundled, AI-ready services to win larger client accounts.
AI quality shapes brand perception: Consumers like AI experiences that work, but weak creative and poor content placement can quickly damage brand trust.
Classrooms turn into AI pipelines: Free teacher and student access aims to lock in future generations of paid users.
US credibility in AI slips: Pew finds most adults see China ahead in development; brands can react by proving value of models beyond origins.
Microsoft reports strong Q4 FY2026 results: AI expansion points to more AI-driven search, cloud, and ad inventory.
Meta misses on EPS and cash flow: Marketers should expect more AI ad tools as the company tries to justify heavier spending.