Amazon’s grip on ecommerce stays firm—for now—as Prime-led growth holds steady, yet AI agents could eventually challenge its ecommerce and retail media supremacy.
RMNs face a tougher sell in 2026, as smaller players must lean on category expertise, customer data, and their store footprints to counter Amazon's and Walmart's dominance.
TikTok Shop will surpass Target in US ecommerce in 2026, thanks to the platform’s growing influence over product discovery and shopping trends.
New data shows traditional SEO success no longer guarantees visibility inside generative AI answers. Ahrefs found that fewer than 9% of ChatGPT and Gemini citations come from URLs ranked in Google’s top 10 results—meaning more than 90% of high-ranking organic pages never appear in AI responses. Instead, LLMs lean heavily on community-driven sources like Reddit, YouTube, Wikipedia, Yelp, and TripAdvisor, dramatically reshaping early-stage discovery. With LLM usage exceeding one billion monthly users, brands that do not participate in open forums risk disappearing from AI-mediated journeys. Marketers must treat GEO as a distinct discipline, not an extension of SEO.
The most impactful ads of 2025 stirred debate and dollars: From Sydney Sweeney to Katseye to Coca-Cola.
Capital One is reportedly exploring alternatives to its AWS cloud contract because of rising AI costs.
The 10 most-read briefing articles of 2025 included analyzing Gen Z behavior, AI agents, and more.
An institutional crypto desk would legitimize crypto in a way that no other FI could.
As more Americans take weight loss drugs, eating, shopping, and healthcare expectations are all evolving
Health systems and health insurers are at risk of losing business due to the new law, but have an opportunity to proactively support patients through upcoming changes to Medicaid coverage.
Pharma’s intangible value drops as others climb: While other sectors gained ground, pharma lost value, driven by individual company setbacks and policy pressures.
While online pharmacy is booming, access to an in-person pharmacist remains important. Expect chains to focus on smaller, health-focused stores and expand their digital services in 2026.
Gen Z worries, AI search shake-ups, and social media trust issues are driving major marketing shifts across all fronts.
Gaming ads offer high engagement in a market that is underutilized relative to its potential.
In 2025, Meta shifted its weight behind AI, launching an audacious hiring spree that saw it poach top researchers from OpenAI, Google, and Apple. Even as the AI push intensified, Meta’s Reality Labs experiment continued to produce eye-watering losses. Meta enters 2026 with its fortunes wrapped tightly around advertising’s adaptability, the pace of AI innovation and whether users, marketers, and regulators will tolerate the new rules of engagement it’s writing atop the world’s largest social platforms.
Smart glasses surged as carryables flopped, but product announcements outpaced actual releases.
In 2025, Apple doubled down on AI while refocusing on device, ecosystem, and design differentiation, seeking to stay ahead in a maturing smartphone market and a global regulatory maze.
54% of digital shoppers would choose store credit over a cash refund if they got a bonus, like $105 in credit for a $100 return, according to an August survey from Narvar.
Patients want medication clarity and cost help earlier—pharma brands can step up with timely info, not just ads.
On today's podcast episode, we give out our '2025 Retail Awards' for the 'Must-Visit Store of the Year', 'Glow-Up of the Year', 'AI Power Move', 'Collab of the Year', and 'Campaign of the Year'. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Senior Analyst Blake Droesch, and Analysts Arielle Feger and Rachel Wolff.