TikTok video views for wellness brands grew 646.9% YoY in Q1 2026, even as views across all industries fell 6%, according to a Q1 2026 report from Dash Social.

In today's podcast episode, we discuss how consumer intent changes throughout the year, what actually happens to shoppers in the seconds after they complete a transaction, and what marketing looks like when you're buying a moment rather than media. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Senior Vice President of Strategic Key Accounts at Rokt, Callum Donnelly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

Just over a year ago, Jason LaRose became the CEO of Bombas, inheriting a direct-to-consumer (D2C) sock company that had grown to over $300 million in revenue while maintaining its buy-one-give-one mission. For LaRose, however, the company's success only underscored how much room it still had to grow.

It's not just advertising that's shifting, younger consumers are actively seeking ways to disconnect from their devices and engage in physical experiences, prompting brands to rethink how they reach audiences. This surge reflects a broader cultural shift as Gen Z and Gen Alpha trade digital feeds for real-world connections.

Milestone marketing helps them win the few left and keep the ones they have.

Music playlists top digital audio time for every generation, from 55% of millennials to 65% of Gen X, according to a March survey from The Harris Poll and EMARKETER.

Ad avoidance has become a default consumer behavior, and a challenge for advertisers. Nearly all consumers skip, ignore, or pay their way around advertising, and repetitive campaigns actively damage brand favorability. This FAQ covers how widespread ad avoidance is, what drives ad fatigue, and the format and creative strategies marketers are using in response.

This FAQ covers what ad fraud is, where the waste concentrates, and the practical defenses advertisers are using in 2026.

Google adds a search trust cue: A new “strongest match” test could reward relevance, but advertisers are left looking for clearer rules.

At this week's CommerceNext Growth Show in New York City, executives from Ulta Beauty, Tapestry, Stitch Fix, and Novi shared how they're using AI to deepen customer relationships and why winning loyalty now means appealing to both consumers and the AI models guiding product discovery.

Live sports was supposed to be streaming's killer app. The content that would justify the subscriptions, lock in the loyal audiences, and finally settle the cord-cutting debate in favor of digital. And by raw adoption numbers, the bet has paid off. The trouble is that arriving somewhere doesn't mean you can find what you're looking for once you get there.

The back-to-school season is gaining momentum for retailers in 2026. It’s worth $85.42 billion in US retail sales, according to EMARKETER. And the season keeps starting earlier as price-conscious families spread purchases out across the summer. This FAQ covers the season's timeframe, top categories, and channel preferences, and how marketers should position campaigns in 2026.

In-store retail media, which includes digital screens, smart carts, audio, and product sampling inside physical stores, remains the least developed segment of retail media. Yet demand is rising as advertisers seek to reach shoppers in the aisle, where most retail purchases still occur. High infrastructure costs and organizational silos, however, continue to limit the channel's growth. This FAQ covers the market's size, the grocery opportunity, and how retailers and advertisers should invest.

This FAQ explores the scale of the ecommerce returns challenge, the policies that most influence shopper behavior, and the strategies retailers should prioritize in 2026 to reduce costs without sacrificing loyalty.

This FAQ covers private label's scale, where it is winning, and what the shift means for retailers and brand manufacturers.

This FAQ covers the recommerce market's size, the consumers driving it, and how brands should respond.

Retailers expect 15.8% of annual sales, or about $849.9 billion, to be returned this year, a slight drop from 16.9% in 2024, according to a new report from the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns. The shift suggests stricter return policies, such as charging fees, are discouraging some returns but also risking customer loyalty. With most shoppers prioritizing free and flexible return options, retailers are expanding in-store, QR-based, and “no box, no label” methods to boost convenience. Balancing return costs with shopper expectations remains key to maintaining satisfaction and long-term loyalty.

Amazon and Walmart widen their lead as shoppers raise their standards.