Amazon is keeping Prime Big Deal Days to two days—October 7 and 8—a shift from July's four-day Prime Day sale. The retailer said the two-day window aligns with its broader holiday strategy. With just 28 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the season will be a sprint. Amazon is pacing itself—and other retailers should, too. That approach lets Amazon and its third-party sellers conserve budget and promotions for Cyber Five, when competition peaks.
China’s economy slowed broadly in August, raising the stakes for the current round of trade negotiations with the US. Consumption, investment, and industrial output all slipped last month, a troubling sign for both China’s economy and global growth. These factors increase pressure on Beijing to roll out more stimulus support. Whether the government will do so is another question: It has so far resisted introducing broad-based initiatives to shore up the struggling property market and reduce unemployment, both of which continue to be a major drag on sentiment.
Robotaxi deployments are moving from pilots to broader rollouts as companies try to cash in on advancements in autonomous driving. Lyft recently began robotaxi tests in Atlanta, and Amazon's Zoox launched in Las Vegas. For companies investing in robotaxis, the opportunity extends beyond passenger rides. These fleets could eventually serve as a backbone for cost-saving delivery services, expanding the commercial applications of the technology. With Uber and DoorDash testing delivery robots, robotaxis could be the next move in on-demand logistics, moving beyond transporting passengers to carrying packages, meals, and groceries.
Retailers are expanding their footprint on college campuses. PacSun and Bath & Body Works are among the brands looking to boost recognition and build long-term loyalty. With Gen Z's spending power projected to reach $12 trillion by 2030, brands are smart to meet these consumers where they are. By making their products convenient to college students, retailers increase the odds that those shoppers will give them a try—and potentially form lifelong brand connections.
Aldi plans to invest £1.6 billion ($2 billion) in the UK over the next two years as it looks to take advantage of shoppers’ “demand for discount” and cement its position as one of the country’s largest grocers. Aldi and other discount grocers are shaking up the supermarket landscape, both in the UK and US, through their rapid expansion and array of affordable—and more exciting—products. Their success gives competitors a blueprint to keep shoppers from trading down. That includes investing in a tiered selection of private-label products, lowering prices where possible, and satisfying consumers’ desire for at-home indulgences.
China’s antitrust regulator accused Nvidia of violating commitments from its 2020 Mellanox acquisition, intensifying US-China tech tensions. The probe sent Nvidia’s stock down more than 2% in trading before it recouped most of the losses Monday, per The New York Times. If Nvidia’s access to China narrows, ad tech platforms—built on AI engines for media buying, personalization, and measurement—would see higher costs, delayed feature rollouts, and bottlenecks in innovation. Advertisers and CMOs should diversify providers, press vendors on supply chain resilience, and stay nimble in deploying AI tools.
Last week’s Amazon-Netflix partnership represents a convergence between commerce media and streaming TV that promises to blur the lines between brand-building and performance marketing while raising fundamental questions about which budgets, which teams, and which strategies will control advertising's future.
The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards underscored streaming’s dominance in television, with HBO Max, Apple TV+, and Netflix sweeping major categories. Traditional TV was largely absent from the spotlight, with The Late Show among the few exceptions. The ceremony’s cross-platform broadcast—CBS, Paramount+, Showtime, Hulu—reflected shifting consumption habits, as Emmys remain culturally relevant even as streaming platforms cement their awards clout.
New studies from leading AI labs OpenAI and Anthropic reveal how generative AI (genAI) is being used, painting a picture of rapid adoption. OpenAI’s analysis found that 73% of ChatGPT interactions were personal rather than professional. In stark contrast, Anthropic’s report on its Claude AI software found an overwhelming business focus on automation. For CMOs, the opportunity is to design campaigns and brand experiences that are approachable enough for personal use and scalable enough for enterprise integration. Marketers who frame AI as both empowering and efficient will be best positioned to earn trust across the adoption divide.
Volvo and Mastercard are trialing the US’s first in-car toll payment pilot program, per a press release from the North Carolina Turnpike Authority. Google will supply payments-enabled in-car infotainment systems for the limited 100 Volvo participants. If E-ZPass payment technology gets shifted onto Google’s platform, E-ZPass Group no longer has to worry about the cost of their transponders and can receive payments automatically for those who don’t have a transponder, instead of waiting for a billing period. If Google becomes a permanent partner for toll payments, the tech mammoth stands to reap the windfall of multi-state toll volumes from certain commuters likely loyal to toll routes.
Chime debuted the Chime Card, a secured credit card with no fees or interest. Cardholders can receive 1.5% cash back in rotating categories for groceries, gas, restaurants, and utility bills after placing a qualifying deposit of $200 or more into a Chime checking account. With zero fees or interest, Chime’s ability to make a profit on this card is fairly limited. However, drawing more consumers from underbanked or underprivileged backgrounds into its ecosystem with enticing features could help build loyalty to eventually graduate cardholders to more traditional and profitable financial products as their credit histories improve and mature.
Citi and US Bank cardholders will get first access to Mastercard’s agentic payments technology, per Finextra. Consumers are skittish about the rise of genAI, but their hunger for hyperpersonalized offerings fueled by AI technology may slowly sway more people to the pro-genAI camp. A recent study of 1,000 college-educated US adults showed that 70% participants believed the benefits of AI outweighed the risks, per a KPMG study. Citi and US Bank can increase adoption of the tech—and make sure their cards are the payment methods attached to the new shopping medium—by linking increased rewards for consumer use to kick off new payment behavior.
Black Friday kicks off the holiday season, and standing out takes more than sharp promotions. Marketers are turning to AI-driven personalization and performance tools to deliver faster, smarter experiences that convert.
Two years after its US debut, TikTok Shop has become a dominant force in social commerce by turning discovery into conversion, with nearly half of its American user base expected to make purchases in 2025. While livestream shopping initially gained traction, its appeal quickly faded as US consumers resisted scheduled shopping events, unlike in China. Instead, TikTok Shop’s growth has been fueled by short, authentic creator content, which now drives two-thirds of its revenues and has attracted more than 184,000 sellers. It seems increasingly clear that TikTok Shop’s strength lies in its creator-driven, recommendation-based model rather than putting a fresh spin on QVC-style livestreams.
Elevated interest rates, high prices, and weak consumer confidence are straining the housing market and, by extension, furniture sales. RH CEO Gary Friedman called the current climate the third worst he’s seen in nearly four decades, with industrywide discounting becoming a survival tactic. Tariff uncertainty is adding pressure after Donald Trump threatened new levies on imported furniture, a move Friedman warned could be devastating. RH is mitigating risks by diversifying sourcing and boosting US output, but tariffs are still set to cut $30 million from forecasts and delay Sourcebook shipments, shifting revenues into future quarters.
Amazon’s push into fresh grocery delivery is more of an opportunity than a threat for Instacart, according to CEO Chris Roger. But while Instacart is right to see enterprise opportunities from chains worried about Amazon’s grocery expansion, it is also vulnerable to the retailer’s encroachment on its turf and similar efforts from Uber, DoorDash, and Walmart.
Cracker Barrel and Jaguar faced fierce backlash over recent rebrands, including criticism from Donald Trump, but their responses diverged sharply. Cracker Barrel scrapped its new logo, ended DEI initiatives, and restored traditional elements after customers accused it of abandoning its heritage. Jaguar, however, doubled down, unveiling a bold redesign and luxury EV despite Trump’s attacks, signaling a pivot toward younger, wealthier buyers. The contrast underscores how brand reinventions can either alienate loyalists or attract new audiences, with success hinging on timing, cultural awareness, and a clear long-term strategy.
“If there’s one thing I want my team to get right, it’s the cohesion of messages,” said Minyi Su, head of marketing at Bluemercury. “While personalized messaging is important, we need to make sure that personalization all ladders up to the same theme.” Balancing broader brand identity with customized recommendations was one of many themes Su focused on at EMARKETER’s Future of Digital Summit on Tuesday.
American Express and UPS partnered to help ease the cost of shipping for small and midsize businesses (SMBs), per a press release. Amex and UPS’ partnership can help SMBs save on shipping costs and could make UPS a more attractive logistics partner—especially as other mailing providers, such as Korea Post, Norway and Finland’s carriers, Deutsche Post, and DHL Parcel Germany plan to stop US-bound deliveries due to confusion over duty charges and required data submissions.