Credit union membership has held relatively steady between 2023 and 2025 for Gen Zers but has declined significantly among millennials—to 22% in 2025 from 31% in 2023, per a Sogolytics study. Credit unions must reposition themselves for younger consumers by closing the knowledge gap with simple, clear messaging about what they are and why they matter while also countering the perception that they’re outdated. Marketing should highlight their digital strength and convenience, showcase member ownership and community impact to align with Gen Zers’ and millennials’ values, and promote youth-friendly products like starter accounts or fee-free checking.
Citigroup has accepted President Donald Trump's money, creating a new trust held by his son Eric Trump for some of the president's assets, per Bloomberg. Citi is calculating that the Trump family’s potential investments outweigh the reputational risks—and potential blowback from consumers. Businesses’ decisions have recently led to massive boycotts, for example Disney lost 1.7 million subscribers after Jimmy Kimmel’s highly politicized temporary suspension, per Tvinsider. And Target has faced declining profits after stepping back from DEI policies. We will likely see more movement in this direction, as banks fear being labeled as debanking under this administration.
Charlie Javice, who founded a fintech that JPMorgan Chase acquired in 2021 for $175 million, was sentenced to seven years in prison for pitching the deal based on fraudulent records that exaggerated the size of the fintech’s customer base by several million. Fintechs can be valuable partners and shrewd acquisitions, but for banks, they may also be a siren song. A hunger for growth and a thirst for the next best thing can impair otherwise clear management judgment. Due diligence should be thorough and strategic planning measured.
Consumers are approaching the holiday season with restraint: 27% of US adults expect to spend less from October to December, while 22% spend more, per a July survey from Experian and ad platform GroundTruth. Discounters and value-oriented retailers should be well-positioned to draw holiday sales from consumers. Still, retailers chasing growth during the make-or-break holiday season will need to drive and reward value-seeking behavior. That means their marketing must be aligned with shopping behaviors. Messaging should spotlight value and affordability. Marketing campaigns should be stretched across the extended shopping season, not just concentrated on big events like Black Friday. Promotions and loyalty perks should be used to reward value seekers.
Stripe updated a host of products during Stripe Tour New York. tripe’s use of AI for fraud detection and a frictionless redirected checkout will give merchants increased security and better margins. For ecommerce companies, the ability to seize more of the revenues from in-app sales could motivate directing more marketing promotions aimed at driving customers to download their apps for checkout for a discount.
Google’s Chrome browser hit a record 73.7% share of worldwide desktop browsing in September, according to StatCounter. That’s its strongest position yet and signals little room for competitors. Apple Safari sits at 5.7% on desktop, but its browser is stronger on mobile with 19.5%. Brands should treat Chrome as the default hub for ad spend, search, and AI-enabled commerce by building campaigns that align with Google’s integrated ecosystem. Safari merits a mobile-first strategy to reach iOS users, but the real growth lever is Chrome’s ability to unify discovery, personalization, and conversion for mobile and PCs in one place.
Fiserv will acquire StoneCastle Cash Management, giving its payment ecosystem a new source of liquidity. Broadening its merchant services through stablecoin issuance may take the burden off of Clover to drive revenues, which has struggled recently with weaker adoption amid a stacked POS space. But partnered merchants like DoorDash will have to make a case to workers and customers alike that stablecoin payments are as valuable as fiat. With only 1.8% of the US population using cryptocurrency, per our forecast, the general population will have to be persuaded that FIUSD—or retailers’ own stablecoins—really have the utility to pay bills and rent just as easily as a regular paycheck.
Almost a quarter (23%) of married couples don’t have joint bank accounts as of 2023, per just-released US Census Bureau data. That’s up from 15% in 1996. These findings echo the recent trend of friends opening joint accounts for shared experiences. Together they can still ultimately point to banking customers choosing new solutions to fit their financial realities. Banks can still offer products that meet these changing demands if they give individuals the security, independence, and convenience they want, such as accounts where each person maintains their individual account but can start a shared or joint fund or goal.
GenAI is becoming an indispensable tool for shoppers looking to navigate the endless aisle that is ecommerce. Two-thirds of consumers who make a weekly online purchase regularly use genAI assistants like ChatGPT to inform their shopping decisions, according to a survey from ecommerce retention platform Yotpo. GenAI is in the early stages of transforming the customer journey, but it is no doubt becoming a front door to ecommerce. Retailers need to be prepared for a future when AI, not shoppers, are the primary visitors to their sites. Those who invest in AI-ready content, authentic reviews, and clear product data will lure tomorrow’s customers. Those that don’t risk fading into the background of the AI-driven marketplace.
Video production company Lemonlight’s new generative AI advertising tools reflect the technology’s growing popularity with marketers. Brands should embrace the tool for its unique blend of AI and human insight, but approach some features cautiously and maintain a test-and-learn approach.
Walmart will remove artificial dyes and 30 other food additives from its private-label products by the beginning of 2027. Its changes follow similar pledges by other manufacturers including Kraft and General Mills. Walmart shoppers prioritize price above all’ top priority is price, but that doesn’t mean they’re not concerned about health and wellness—they just may not be able to afford premium-priced health foods.. Walmart’s decision to remove certain food additives from its private-label changes is an opportunity to bridge that gap and deliver healthier food at budget-friendly prices.
Beauty brands are expanding their fragrance offerings to serve younger consumers who are flocking to premium and mass-market scents even as they cut back on other purchases. The fragrance market is also expanding into new product categories and looking to drive eco-friendly innovation. Companies that win on this crowded battlefield will be those willing to innovate boldly for Gen Z consumers, who crave novelty and personalization. Beauty retailers can respond to this opportunity by hosting in-store or virtual workshops on scent layering—or offering AI tools to help build their fragrance collections.
The Trump administration is putting off plans to impose a 100% tariff on drug imports as it continues negotiations with pharma companies to lower prices on their brand-name products. Earlier this week, Pfizer became the first to strike a deal with the administration that will cut many of its drug prices by 40% or more, and in return, receive a three-year delay on tariffs. Other drugmakers can win from a PR perspective and gain political favor by striking similar agreements that avoid the worst-case scenario of heavy tariffs, drawn-out legal battles, or regulatory cost controls on all of their pharma products.
AI chatbots most often use health media sources like Mayo Clinic and Healthline in answering consumer health-related questions, according to an Outcomes Rocket study. There’s an opportunity for marketers to grow chatbot attention with quality content. Create credible and user-friendly content and avoid overly complex or jargony material to appeal to the way chatbots are constructing answers. Cater to the preference for recent data and summarized content by updating content frequently and offering condensed takes at the top of posts.
The number of patient appointments for weight loss drugs jumps whenever a celebrity reveals they use a GLP-1, according to Zocdoc data shared with EMARKETER. Brands that advertise access to weight loss drugs will want to develop messaging for when appointments surge. They should highlight that GLP-1s were developed to treat medical conditions (not for quick weight loss), and that companies are committed to making products available for all communities. Pharma and telehealth weight loss drug players should also provide transparent data on how many people experience which side effects when taking a GLP-1, while working with social media platforms to flag misleading content about medication efficacy and safety.
YouTube TV is in a dicey position after it lost access to Univision networks and reached a temporary extension with NBCUniversal as a total blackout looms. Brands should prepare for fragmentation and adapt accordingly. Looking to CTV and OTT platforms with more stable sports offerings—like Prime Video and its 11-year deal with the NBA and WNBA—will provide a cushion amid uncertainty.
Apple is scrapping plans for a next-gen Vision Pro in favor of developing its own smart glasses to compete with Ray-Ban Meta and others. The glasses will “rely heavily” on voice interaction and AI, per Bloomberg—two areas where Apple has been slow to innovate. With Meta already pushing smart glasses, brands that delay adapting risk falling behind in this emerging medium. As input shifts from screen tapping or gestures to voice, marketers need to ensure their brands sound natural in conversational AI environments and that website data is optimized for voice SEO and consistent brand tone.
To promote its new NextGen Acela fleet, Amtrak invited students from New York School of Design to compete in a competition to produce “Trak Suits” in two categories: one couture look and one ready-to-wear for consumer purchase.
Retailers are rethinking old tech choices as the channel matures. Mirakl Ads’ Anne Hallock joins EMARKETER’s Sarah Marzano to discuss how AI and a commerce-first approach can reduce friction, capture new ad dollars, and drive growth.
Citi mandated AI prompt training for most of its employees, per the American Banker. Citi’s head of technology noted that so far this year, Citi employees have input more than 6.5 million prompts and reduced time spent on some tasks by orders of magnitude. Fourteen percent of financial services companies worldwide have already benefited from their investments in generative AI, per Broadridge, and another 54% expect payback in no more than 1-2 years. The banking industry’s pivot over the past three years from fear of the unknown to seeking benefits will pay dividends in the long run.