41.2% of US digital buyers ages 35-54 bought pet products online in the past month, well ahead of 18-34s (29.2%) and 55-65s (28.0%), according to a June survey from Bizrate Insights and EMARKETER.
On today’s podcast, we discuss how to make the most of the back-to-school season, including where post–first-day spending is happening, how less obvious back-to-school brands can capitalize on the season, and whether to double down, scale back, or simply adjust classic back-to-school tactics. Tune in for a discussion featuring Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, along with Analysts Arielle Feger and Rachel Wolff.
Cloudflare turns AI agents into paying customers: Wallet lets brands monetize agent queries instead of filtering them as bot traffic.
Advertisers can now extend campaigns into AI conversations, signaling a faster push to monetize AI shopping.
Restaurants are finding that promotions matter less as consumers grow more price-sensitive and selective.
Perplexity’s win makes it harder to keep AI shopping agents off retail sites.
Consumers' appetite for convenience is creating new opportunities in grocery, retail, and advertising.
As Marqeta taps BNPL for growth, over-reliance on big partners should serve as a warning to other payment providers.
Consumers can compare mortgage rate factors in its ChatGPT app, but marketing may determine the app's reach.
Novo's Wegovy pill gains failed to offset declines in injectable sales. Investors continue to favor companies like Lilly with broader drug pipelines despite a positive outlook for GLP-1 pills.
Disney turns streaming into an ad engine: FYQ3 results show SVOD, sports, and parks combining to keep advertisers invested despite broader subscription churn.
AI adds to search behavior, doesn’t replace it: Dual SEO and GEO strategies for visibility across fragmented channels is critical for brands.
TikTok expands AI video creation tools: Dreamina Seedance 2.5 keeps advertisers in the app as longer, production-ready videos reduce the need for outside tools.
AppLovin is struggling to differentiate itself: Its ambitious reorg has hit a snag as the market floods with AI competition.
Magnite leans on CTV gains: Streaming powered another strong quarter as AI played a supporting role in the company’s broader CTV efforts.
Adults ages 18 to 24 make up just 12.7% of US unique visitors to Instagram, barely ahead of the 65+ crowd at 12.2%, according to a July report from Comscore.
The placement contradicts past promises and raises questions about ad-supported features.
Every retailer heading into the back half of 2026 knows consumers are stretched, and most plan to win them through price. That assumption is only partly right. Some shoppers still have room to spend and just need a reason to feel good about it. Others are counting every dollar and have learned to distrust the retailers asking for it. Treating both groups the same, or treating the whole market as simply "trading down," is how a promotion or a pricing strategy that should work ends up falling flat.
A new president will oversee efforts to revive traffic as value deals lose their potency.
Brand breadth, loyalty, and physical stores are helping it take share in a soft market.