Elevate28 is showing early results, but data gaps and profitability concerns could hinder the recovery.
Commerce media is entering a new phase, one defined less by rapid expansion and more by operational maturity, EMARKETER analysts and industry leaders say. Commerce media ad spending will reach $83.71 billion in the US this year, accounting for 20.5% of all digital ad spending, according to EMARKETER's June 2026 forecast. As the channel becomes a core part of marketers' media strategies, the conversation is shifting from whether to invest to how to make those investments deliver measurable business results. In a new EMARKETER guide titled "Commerce media outlook: What industry leaders see ahead," our analysts and industry leaders give their thoughts about the capabilities brands should prioritize today, the consumer behaviors that will shape tomorrow, and what it will take to succeed as commerce media becomes a permanent pillar of the media mix. Matt Barresi, president of digital commerce and capabilities at Kimberly-Clark told us why he values governance before scale and the implications of strong measurement.
The most common response to an out-of-stock is buying a similar product from a different brand in-store (36%), just ahead of staying with the same brand (33%), according to an April survey from Profitero.
Digital experiences are becoming more than a way to engage customers. Retailers are finding that loyalty programs and mobile apps can also improve store productivity and help physical businesses scale more efficiently.
Chains that balance affordability, novelty, and convenience are gaining with Gen Z.
A FTC suit could force Amazon to reveal more about how its search auctions work.
Resale is attracting shoppers across ages and incomes, giving brands new ways to capture demand beyond full-price sales.
Offensive materials cleared internal checks, showing brands need diverse perspectives empowered to halt risky work.
Issuers need to have strong middle-tier cards to keep early career consumers tied to their brand.
Being the official bank of the LA Lakers helps it woo a major target audience.
The most-favored-nation framework extends to nine midsize drugmakers, tying more US pricing decisions to what other countries pay.
Alphabet's stock took a hit after the company announced plans to increase capital spending by $15 billion in 2024, bringing total CapEx to the $195 billion to $205 billion range. Investors expressed frustration over a lack of clarity on how AI spending would translate to revenue.
New ad tools and markets are paying off, but unproven returns could limit ad spending.
High awareness hasn’t translated to user trial, making paid adoption a steep next step for Meta.
Archive’s AI can speed campaign planning and research, but marketers still need to check brand safety and audience fit.
Younger buyers weigh car tech heavily, meaning distinctive experiences and clear positioning can set brands apart.
Economic headwinds are reshaping Asia-Pacific ad spend as AI-powered platforms, retail media, and video continue to attract performance-focused budgets. Digital remains resilient as growth diverges across China, Australia, Japan, and Thailand.
One former ecommerce CEO achieved a 100% win rate on website optimization tests, seven successful experiments out of seven attempts, by building an AI agent system that generates, executes, and analyzes tests autonomously. The achievement signals a shift in how brands approach website personalization. "Cody is probably one of the most advanced experimenters, personalizers we've seen, and I think is like the all-time leader in win rate on tests," Drew Marconi, CEO and cofounder of Intelligems, said during the ecommerce event Grow NY this month. The typical win rate for ecommerce optimization tests hovers around 30%, making the perfect success rate particularly notable.
SMS marketing is permission-based brand communication sent by text message, spanning promotional alerts, restock and shipping notifications, loyalty updates, and conversational two-way messaging. It sits alongside email as a core owned channel.