In today’s podcast episode, we explore what it means to be a truly intergenerational brand, what separates brands that are genuinely relevant to a new generation from those relying primarily on nostalgia, and what physical stores need to offer to give consumers a compelling reason to visit. Tune in for a conversation featuring Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Senior Analyst Arielle Feger, and Claire’s Chief Merchandising Officer, Jillian Cueff.
Amazon is on the verge of overtaking Costco as the second-largest US consumer packaged goods (CPG) retailer, with an 8.1% market share compared with Costco's 8.2%, according to Numerator. Walmart still leads with 20.8%, but Amazon's rapid growth in grocery has put second place within a tenth of a point.
Free cash deposits at 90,000+ retail locations could help attract and retain younger customers.
Holiday events, unique products, and tech give shoppers reasons to visit beyond convenience.
Brands can improve organic discovery by giving AI platforms the images and product details needed to build them.
AI-powered kiosks appeal to younger diners, but digital convenience shouldn’t replace human connection.
Sponsored messages on journal and society sites are most likely to prompt action.
As FAST audiences expand, brands can connect social and streaming campaigns to reach ad-receptive viewers.
A broad ad tech crackdown could obscure customer journeys, forcing advertisers to rethink spending with Apple.
Block, parent company of Square, Cash App, Afterpay, and Tidal, partnered with ecommerce relevance technology company Rokt to deliver personalized offers at checkout. The partnership has evolved from a single-product integration into a model for scaling partnerships across multiple business units while maintaining customer experience quality.
Lower items per order and weaker delivery sales show diners are becoming more selective.
Wraps and creator content are helping reconnect the brand with Gen Z, though a sustained recovery remains unproven.
Building internally can protect customer data and secure the customer relationship.
Its airport lounges could build brand recall, though limited physical exposure may blunt its impact.
AI companies and healthcare providers must ensure transparency about how health information is used and make it easy to revoke or delete access.
The expansion brings more campaign goals under AI, making independent performance checks imperative.
As media consumption fragments across connected TV (CTV) platforms, age brackets alone fail to capture consumer motivation. For years, CTV advertising has operated on a foundational assumption: demographic cohorts such as age, gender, and income are the best proxy for consumer intent. That assumption still shapes buying today: nearly 30% of US marketers prioritize demographic targeting for CTV ads, almost three times more than contextual approaches, per a July 2025 Gracenote survey.
EMARKETER's Unofficial Monthly Retailer Awards recognize brands that stood out in September across three categories: most impactful campaign, best in-real-life initiative, and greatest under-the-radar move.
Commerce media has spent years riding a wave of new advertising dollars. But soon, the industry will need to prepare for a future in which growth comes at someone else's expense. According to EMARKETER's forecast, annual incremental commerce media ad spending will peak at approximately $17 billion in 2027 before declining through 2030. The money isn't drying up. But the pool of new spending that has helped fuel commerce media's expansion is approaching its peak, while more new players are lining up for a piece of it. “The opportunity to simply compete for new spend is getting smaller, and meanwhile, the pressure to generate and create new demands is increasing,” said our analyst Sarah Marzano during a "The Next Era of Commerce Media" presentation held during Advertising Week New York. For commerce media networks, the next opportunity lies in budgets that already have a home. Social media, paid search, and connected TV (CTV) command substantial portions of advertisers' media plans, and winning a share of that spending will require more than offering another way to buy ads on those channels.
Walmart and Amazon move high-demand seller inventory closer to shoppers, improving speed and potentially margins.