In 2025, retail media found itself at a turning point as networks, advertisers, and platforms pushed into new territory and redefined what the channel could be. Here are five of our top stories from the year, from the challenges of tracking CTV campaigns to the evolving competitive landscape shaped by Amazon, Walmart, and a wave of innovative smaller networks.
The insurance industry has been an early mover on AI adoption, outpacing all industries but one among those studied in a BCG survey. But progress has stalled at the pilot stage: the majority of insurers (67%) are testing genAI programs, while only 7% have scaled them. Insurers should modernize their data architecture and tie their technology investments to business outcomes. Opportunities abound, from claims automation to embedded distribution.
Quarterly equity funding for insurtechs has settled at $1.0 billion in Q3, a 17% drop from Q3 2024 according to CB Insights. Investors have grown more selective, focusing on B2B insurtechs that offer a faster path to profitability than their consumer-facing counterparts. The quiet winners in insurtech are now B2B, focusing on supporting other players with underwriting, claims management, and operations infrastructure. These firms are reshaping the industry from the back end rather than trying to disrupt it head-on.
Eighty-three percent of US consumers would switch insurance carriers due to a poor claims experience, per Invoice Cloud’s 2025 Consumer Claims Experiences Survey. This suggests that claims interactions, while rare, are make-or-break. Relationships between insurers and insureds are traditionally very sticky—insurance is a “get it and forget it” product, with most customers only interacting with their carrier at purchase and at claim. That makes claims one of the few moments where customer loyalty is actually tested.
Consumers traded down or tapped out throughout 2025, making value deals essential for restaurant survival.
The White House issued an executive order reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance—a lower-risk category that puts it on the same plane as some controlled prescription medications. The US legal cannabis industry is worth $35 billion and served by at least 800 FIs. Even if Congress follows through as cannabis is reclassified as a lower-risk substance, banks will likely be slow to get involved. Enhanced due diligence and reporting requirements are in force until further notice, and being in the cannabis business has a stigma among banks regardless.
Human oversight, GEO, and distribution knowledge keep agencies relevant—even as AI becomes the decade’s defining disruptor.
Firms that train workers and rethink roles—not just slash jobs—are best positioned to maximize AI adoption.
Once a TikTok trend, vertical video is now a core format reshaping ads, news, and entertainment apps.
In 2025, OpenAI shifted from viral success to structured dominance. The launch of GPT-5 in May turned its genAI edge into a full-scale platform spanning ChatGPT, API integrations, and enterprise deployments.
2025 marked an inflection point for agentic AI—autonomous systems that don’t just assist, but act. The year saw AI shift from text generators to decision-making collaborators embedded across business and creative workflows.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss airline passengers’ receptiveness to ads, share best-in-class examples of contextual campaigns, and explore where in-flight ads are headed next. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Director of Content Jeremy Goldman, and Ragu Kamakshisundaram, Vice President of Media and Monetization at Viasat Ads. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
Here are four “Reimagining Retail” episodes to queue up for your holiday travel.
Retailers with a well-defined identity delivered strong growth in 2025.
Google Chrome controls 73.2% of worldwide internet traffic, more than five times the combined share of all non-Safari competitors, according to an October survey from StatCounter.
While we were right that retailers would offer richer in-store experiences to attract shoppers, we were wrong about how Amazon, discount retailers, and dollar stores would evolve their physical and digital strategies. From AI tools that stayed online to unfulfilled marketplace ambitions, here’s how we did with our 2025 predictions.
Truist has added a direct deposit switching tool to its consumer digital account opening flow using technology from Atomic. The feature lets customers move their payroll deposits from another financial institution (FI) to Truist during onboarding. Creating a direct-deposit relationship is a well-worn path to primary FI status. It positions FIs to retain customers and cross-sell higher-value, advice-driven products. FIs that transform direct-deposit switching from a paper-based process to a few clicks will find that customers are immediately stickier.
UK neobank Monzo has agreed to acquire online mortgage broker Habito as it expands its homeownership features—including tracking and brokering home loans—in its app. Neobank super apps create unique banking journeys that engage customers based on different needs as their financial lives progress. With an integrated mortgage broker, Monzo ties together its home insurance product and mortgage-tracking feature—and could debut a direct mortgage product in the future.
TikTok has agreed to a sweeping US restructuring that creates a majority-American–controlled joint venture, fulfilling bipartisan divestment demands and reducing the threat of an outright ban. Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX will hold 50% ownership, with US-appointed directors overseeing data protection, moderation, and the retraining of TikTok’s recommendation algorithm. ByteDance will retain a minority 19.9% stake and continue managing global operations outside the US. The shift brings long-missing stability for advertisers but also creates operational distance from ByteDance’s global systems, potentially slowing innovation and altering performance patterns. The next year will be a critical recalibration period for brands and creators.