A friend's word still carries the most weight with holiday shoppers. But a close second is something brands rarely offer on their own: an honest account of a product's flaws. Some 41.9% of consumers said a trusted friend's or family member's recommendation made them feel confident in their last holiday purchase, according to a new survey of 1,001 US adults by EMARKETER and Reddit. Right behind that, 26.0% pointed to an honest discussion of a product's downsides alongside its strengths, ahead of expert reviews (18.7%) and influencer endorsements (12.6%). Shoppers are less interested in being sold to than in watching someone work through the tradeoffs.
Flat volumes suggest innovation alone may no longer overcome rising costs and growing demand for value.
Walmart’s early lead keeps widening as shoppers make speed a habit.
Creative revivals are drawing shoppers back, while investment pieces outperform fashion-driven categories.
Consumers showed resilience, with spending driven by the FIFA World Cup and higher tax returns.
More frequent visits and larger tickets show consumers are still willing to splurge on affordable indulgences.
Doctronic's Summer Health deal extends AI care to families seeking urgent virtual care, but clear guardrails on when clinician escalation is required will matter as much as convenience.
AI slop fools ad metrics by scoring as premium: Viewability and invalid traffic rates may no longer be trusted quality signals for programmatic buying.
Omnicom reports strong Q2 from integrated media: Agencies now need bundled, AI-ready services to win larger client accounts.
AI quality shapes brand perception: Consumers like AI experiences that work, but weak creative and poor content placement can quickly damage brand trust.
Classrooms turn into AI pipelines: Free teacher and student access aims to lock in future generations of paid users.
US credibility in AI slips: Pew finds most adults see China ahead in development; brands can react by proving value of models beyond origins.
Microsoft reports strong Q4 FY2026 results: AI expansion points to more AI-driven search, cloud, and ad inventory.
Meta misses on EPS and cash flow: Marketers should expect more AI ad tools as the company tries to justify heavier spending.
Opening its creator program to workers could build trust with shoppers while expanding brands' social reach.
Today, Marketbridge and Meltwater announced a partnership to sell B2B go-to-market strategies and intelligence for generative engine optimization (GEO). Some 32% of B2B buyers worldwide use generative AI chatbots to discover new vendors, nearly matching web search and peer recommendations at 33% each, according to a July 2025 Responsive survey reported in EMARKETER. Among US B2B buyers who use AI, 35% use it for discovery, 43% for consideration, and 31% for purchase decisions, per Google and National Research Group’s June-July 2025 survey.
Amazon drew 243.8 million US unique visitors across desktop and mobile in April 2026, close to the 342.5 million that Walmart, Temu, and eBay pulled in put together, according to Comscore Media Metrix Multi-Platform data.
When bridal boutiques start asking customers to sign weight-loss waivers and bra companies redesign products for changing body elasticity, it's clear that GLP-1 medications have moved far beyond a healthcare story. As adoption of GLP-1 medications reaches 12% to 15% of the US population, per KFF survey data, retailers across every category are discovering that changing consumer behavior requires more than just smaller portion sizes.
An FTC investigation adds to mounting trade challenges, creating more uncertainty ahead of the company's IPO.