As budgets consolidate and scrutiny intensifies, retail media networks are being asked to prove their value in the same way that the rest of digital media does. That shift was on full display at CES, where platform updates from Albertsons, DoorDash, Instacart, and Walmart Connect signaled a deeper evolution underway. Rather than chasing more inventory or novel formats, retail media players are investing in the foundational capabilities that underpin long-term credibility: measurement, data access, and intelligence.
Google’s latest AI tools let users buy via chat as the company tries to turn its search dominance into agentic commerce gains.
As genAI assistants play a more prominent role in shopping, retailers and brands will have to rethink how their loyalty programs support direct consumer relationships, and how loyalty benefits can be surfaced in AI conversations.
Cost, not brand, fuels genAI growth in emerging markets—marketers must rethink influence channels.
Gmail is getting its own agentic AI, signaling that email marketing could undergo a major shift if users bite on the feature.
Apple taps Google to power its next-gen voice assistant as it outsources AI to stay competitive, boosting Gemini’s user reach.
As GEO competes with SEO and paid search, teams lack tools and clarity to deliver content at scale.
Gemini creates targeted offers mid-chat, pushing brands to meet users where intent is forming
Our analysts (or “bakers”) compete in a Great British Bake Off–style episode, discussing why Google may overtake OpenAI in 2026 and how the AI boom could get a reality check this year. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Principal Analyst Nate Elliot and Analyst Jacob Bourne. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
AI search advertising is growing, but lingering problems mean overindexing risks wasted spend before ad formats mature.
They have a litany of troubles and aggressive cost targets.
Equal credit access rules weren’t designed for modern underwriting technology.
Its new ChatGPT for Healthcare aims to win over physicians and health systems with HIPAA-safe, evidence-based tools.
As AI agents gain traction, reliability will determine if consumers stick around.
As product catalogs grow, content multiplies, and shopping journeys splinter across platforms, AI recommendation engines are becoming the connective tissue between desire and decision. In 2026, retail leaders expect the technology to move from responding to queries to proactively anticipating what consumers want and guiding them through increasingly complex choice environments.
Agentic AI is becoming agencies' operating layer. CES 2026 showed holding companies reframing AI as the system that unifies workflows, accelerates execution, and boosts accountability.
Pharma branding agencies are using AI platforms to craft standout drug names while avoiding risk and streamlining time to market.
A new Rx refill program cuts out physicians, raising fears over safety—tougher regulatory oversight is likely to come.