"Department stores are getting a bad rap," said our analyst Suzy Davidkhanian on a recent episode of "Behind the Numbers." "The way that department stores were structured as this one-hit wonder shop where you could find every single thing under one roof is a fallacy." Department stores are in a tough spot, as Hudson BAy’s recent bankruptcy shows. But ones that embrace new kinds of experiences, like the newly opened Printemps luxury department store in New York City's Financial District, might have the right idea for the future of department stores.
Google has backtracked on its cookie plans once again, this time scrapping its decision to offer users a prompt to opt out of third-party cookies.
Linktree, a popular tool that allows users to share multiple links on one customizable home page, is introducing new ways for creators to monetize their content.
Retailers aren’t likely to get certainty any time soon: The Trump administration is considering slashing China tariffs down to a still-astronomical 50% or 65%, leaving merchants to stay cautious on merchandising.
Could OpenAI turn ChatGPT into a shopping hub? The company is reportedly partnering with Shopify in an effort similar to other genAI shopping efforts by Perplexity and Microsoft.
CTV ads reach less than 20% of households: The findings indicate that advertisers need a more strategic approach to capitalize on CTV’s massive potential.
Planning for the holidays may be harder this year as tariffs cast a shadow over both consumers and retailers. “As of right now, we’re seeing a lot of unusual consumer behavior that’s likely to persist as long as tariff uncertainty persists,” said our analyst Sky Canaves, author of our “US Holiday 2024 Recap and 2025 Preview” report. Still, there are steps retailers can take to prepare. Here are three key strategies to help navigate a challenging holiday season.
Several weeks ago, Amazon announced Nova Act, an AI model that can search for products, add to cart, and make purchases on someone’s behalf without intervention. As AI agents like Nova Act become more popular, marketers will need to target not only people, but the machines operating on their behalf, using a strategy called machine-to-machine—or M2M—marketing.
Tariffs will hurt US economic growth this year: The IMF expects growth of just 1.8%, as the trade war and rampant uncertainty chill consumer and business spending.
YouTube shows virtual influencers are gaining traction: While the technology promises innovation, not all consumers are buying in.
Kimberly-Clark forecasts $300 million hit from tariffs: But the company will not pass the cost onto consumers as it looks to maintain volume growth in a difficult environment.
US adults spend over 32.3 hours monthly on the Spotify app, compared with 3.5 hours on Amazon Music and less than an hour on Apple Music, according to a January 2025 Comscore study.
Only 30% of ad industry professionals have fully-scaled AI across their media campaign cycles, according to January data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).
Social media plays a major role in product discovery, with 51% of global consumers discovering a new brand or product on social media in the last six months, per November 2024 data from Capgemini. But convincing consumers to purchase on a social platform is more complicated. Here are three key ways brands can convert social media discovery into sales.
With Amazon accounting for 76.7% of the US retail media industry’s $60.81 billion in ad spend, smaller retail media networks (RMNs) have to innovate to differentiate themselves in the longtail of the marketplace.
Inflation causes Gen Z shoppers to rethink when and where they shop: Growing financial strain is forcing shoppers to adjust their spending habits.
B2B brands are underutilizing creator marketing on LinkedIn, according to Rob Mayhew, a creator who left his agency leadership job to make funny B2B social media videos full time. "LinkedIn is the channel that everyone's sleeping on [for creator marketing], and it's got huge opportunity, especially for B2B," Mayhew said.
Podcast ad revenues surpassed $2 billion in 2024: As revenues maintain consistent growth, advertisers must tap in to meet audiences where they’re at.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss why the Trump administration extended TikTok’s sell-by date again, what deals are on the table, and how creators feel about the potential ban at this point. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Vice President and Principal Analyst Jasmine Enberg, and Analyst Marisa Jones. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.