DirecTV has launched on Vizio Smart TVs, broadening its reach and opening fresh advertising opportunities for brands, the companies announced Monday. DirecTV’s expansion into Vizio’s smart TVs dramatically widens its streaming footprint and gives advertisers a more measurable, performance-driven environment.
Toys R Us will open 10 new flagship stores and 20 seasonal holiday shops by year-end, doubling down on its return to physical retail. If the retailer can consistently find ways to make in-store shopping fun, its strong name recognition and nostalgic pull should help it recapture meaningful market share.
Spirit Airlines’ financial troubles exposed weaknesses in the ultra-low-cost airline model. The carrier has entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection twice in the past year, most recently in late August, and is aggressively cutting costs to rightsize operations. The ultra low-cost model isn’t dead—carriers such as Allegiant and Sun Country Airlines are still profitable—but it’s in trouble. Should costs increase and middle- and lower-income consumers continue to cut back, bargain-hunting travelers may face much higher fares as airlines replace economy seats with pricier ones.
Gen Z’s expected holiday spend in 2025 is $1,357, down 22.5% from 2024, according to July data from PwC.
Retail media has rapidly evolved from a nascent idea into a core pillar of digital advertising. “If retail media was a baby, it would be like crawling or maybe walking… you still need to get the fundamentals right,” said Arthur Sylvestre, vice president, digital commerce at Danone North America at EMARKETER’s Future of Digital Summit event.
For Gen Z and millennials, shopping is about belonging as much as buying. From pop-ups to print catalogs, physical experiences paired with digital touchpoints are reshaping how brands build loyalty and cultural connection.
Rival marketplaces are stepping up efforts to chip away at Amazon’s dominance by offering sellers lower fees, operational support, and omnichannel opportunities. AliExpress is cutting shipping costs in Europe and Latin America, Temu is aggressively promoting in the US, Shein is leveraging its manufacturing network through Xcelerator, and Walmart is blending in-store displays with AI-driven marketplace tools. Meanwhile, Amazon remains the giant, expanding logistics and seller services like Multi-Channel Fulfillment and Buy with Prime. While Amazon’s marketplace share still leads, projections show a gradual slip, signaling more power and leverage shifting toward sellers.
Molson Coors has named 24-year veteran Rahul Goyal as its next CEO, tapping a leader with deep experience across IT, finance, and strategy, as well as a track record of diversifying beyond beer through partnerships with Coca-Cola and acquisitions in the non-alcohol space. Goyal takes the helm at a turbulent time, with alcohol consumption in the U.S. at historic lows and health concerns driving more consumers away from drinking. Political and economic pressures further complicate the outlook, leaving Molson Coors with seasoned leadership but an uncertain path forward in a challenging market.
Connected TV (CTV) attention metrics (AUs) declined between 2024 and 2025, but remain strong overall, according to our industry KPI data provided by Adelaide. Even with slight declines in effectiveness, Adelaide’s findings prove that CTV is relatively unmatched in capturing audience interest, cementing its position as a key touchpoint for brands looking to connect with broad audiences.
Saks Global is in talks to sell a 49% stake in luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman for about $1 billion, per The Wall Street Journal. Selling nearly half of Bergdorf Goodman to an outside investor could ease Saks Global’s liquidity pressures, but it doesn’t address the bigger challenge: The retailer lacks a compelling strategy for growth. The company has not articulated how it will differentiate its department store banners so that they do not compete directly, which is the case in about a dozen markets.
Shoppers are using AI tools at a high rate but are split on brands’ use of AI-generated content and whether companies are delivering on customer experience promises. Half (52%) of consumers are excited by the idea of having an AI agent shop on their behalf, per VML. Nearly two-thirds (63%) say AI-powered personalization helps them discover new products, but 45% think brands are still failing to tailor recommendations effectively. Brands can keep shoppers engaged by demonstrating AI’s value in tangible ways—like smarter recommendations and smoother checkout—rather than relying on broad claims of AI integration.
While dynamic pricing has been around for decades, Delta Airlines has recently come under fire for announcing that it would increase its use of generative AI for flight pricing from 3% to 20% of domestic flights by year-end.
Early Warning Services, the company behind Zelle and Paze, submitted a five-point plan to US financial regulators to combat fraud. While a multi-sector approach could be a good idea in theory, it may also deflect from each financial player’s responsibility to secure every transaction. If FIs want customers to trust that their money is safe with them, they can’t blame their partners for fraudulent transactions that customers use their mobile banking apps to make. But clearly, the traditional siloed approach to combating fraud isn’t working against sophisticated criminal rings that operate across multiple platforms.
Despite economic uncertainty, 77% of consumers plan to spend the same or more this holiday season, but their shopping timelines and behaviors are shifting. Klaviyo’s 2025 BFCM Forecast shows why brands must rethink peak-season campaigns with omnichannel and AI-driven personalization.
10.7% of consumers with student loans were 90+ days delinquent in the last six months in April 2025, per a FICO report. Issuers should take note that 54% Gen Zers are already using credit products to navigate stress from student loan repayment, per FICO. If economic conditions worsen, credit card delinquencies could also begin to rise in tandem with student loan delinquencies.
Affirm partnered with ServiceTitan, bringing buy now, pay later (BNPL) financing to the trades, per a press release. Affirm is building out a strategy to capture mid-large tickets, where the need for flexible financing is most acute. Future partnerships with other essential goods or services providers—or even things like dental work—would also connect well with Affirm’s user bases.
Shein is giving fashion brands access to its apparel manufacturing network—in exchange for setting up shop on its marketplace, Bloomberg reported. Shein’s decision to monetize its manufacturing and fulfillment services is necessary as it looks for more sustainable models of growth. Its insistence on linking Xcelerator to selling on its marketplace could also be beneficial in the long run. More third-party sellers means more inventory as well as the potential for ad revenues, should Shein follow that path.
YouTube wants to be the home for both product discovery and ecommerce as it rolls out new shopping features across long-form videos and Shorts, per The Verge. Incoming additions include dynamic brand segments for swapping out sponsors, AI tagging of eligible products, and brand links in Shorts. YouTube is announcing new features—like shoppable masthead ads and text-to-video tools—at a breakneck pace, looking to capitalize on its growth across platforms. Brands should partner with both top creators and smaller influencers to boost discovery and purchases.