Walmart's leadership change is unlikely to change the retailer’s strategy in 2026 as it makes gains in technology, ecommerce, and advertising.
In a year marked by platform volatility, AI acceleration, tariff shocks, and shifting consumer behavior, marketers searched for clarity across EMARKETER’s most-read topics. The top 10 themes reflect where advertiser attention truly moved in 2025. These trends captured the forces reshaping performance, discovery, and measurement: AI-driven optimization, creator-centric social ecosystems, commerce-led advertising, and CTV’s rise as the new premium video default. Together, they tell the story of a market recalibrating around efficiency, accountability, and cultural relevance as marketers prepared their 2026 strategies.
Apparel sellers are scaling private labels to attract price-savvy shoppers and stay nimble on trends.
Big websites like Hotels.com, Tripadvisor, and Expedia appeared most often in Q2 2025 travel searches, showing the influence of scale.
From tariffs to AI layoffs, retailers and consumers are flying blind and forced to adapt on the fly.
As 2025 draws to a close, we’ve reviewed our predictions from last year that have come true about NFC technology, flexible credentials, mobile wallets, and financial media networks.
As 2025 closes, we’re assessing where our predictions for the payments industry went wrong, specifically for pay-by-bank solutions for major retailers.
Reels video views for luxury brands grew 234% in Q2 2025, while TikTok slowed as brands face a shift that necessitates a rebalance in content distribution.
Major shifts from aging cohorts to rising media time and uneven AI adoption set the stage for another unpredictable year. Here are five charts to help your business understand these changes and kick-start the new year.
Agentic chatbots now drive discovery and checkout—but not without retailer pushback.
Amazon’s grip on ecommerce stays firm—for now—as Prime-led growth holds steady, yet AI agents could eventually challenge its ecommerce and retail media supremacy.
RMNs face a tougher sell in 2026, as smaller players must lean on category expertise, customer data, and their store footprints to counter Amazon's and Walmart's dominance.
TikTok Shop will surpass Target in US ecommerce in 2026, thanks to the platform’s growing influence over product discovery and shopping trends.
New data shows traditional SEO success no longer guarantees visibility inside generative AI answers. Ahrefs found that fewer than 9% of ChatGPT and Gemini citations come from URLs ranked in Google’s top 10 results—meaning more than 90% of high-ranking organic pages never appear in AI responses. Instead, LLMs lean heavily on community-driven sources like Reddit, YouTube, Wikipedia, Yelp, and TripAdvisor, dramatically reshaping early-stage discovery. With LLM usage exceeding one billion monthly users, brands that do not participate in open forums risk disappearing from AI-mediated journeys. Marketers must treat GEO as a distinct discipline, not an extension of SEO.
As more Americans take weight loss drugs, eating, shopping, and healthcare expectations are all evolving
54% of digital shoppers would choose store credit over a cash refund if they got a bonus, like $105 in credit for a $100 return, according to an August survey from Narvar.
On today's podcast episode, we give out our '2025 Retail Awards' for the 'Must-Visit Store of the Year', 'Glow-Up of the Year', 'AI Power Move', 'Collab of the Year', and 'Campaign of the Year'. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Senior Analyst Blake Droesch, and Analysts Arielle Feger and Rachel Wolff.
Brands that offer real-time updates and hassle-free refunds can turn theft frustrations into loyalty wins.
Tailoring marketing to Gen Alpha is proving critical for brands looking to capitalize on their emerging influence.
As consumers become adept at ignoring ads, avoiding dreaded ad fatigue requires brands to prioritize creativity and interactivity.