In 2020, China was the only major economy to produce economic growth. It’s not surprising, then, that it was also the only major national market to see an increase in total media ad spending. Girded by this economic strength, China’s digital ad market hardly missed a beat.

Apple plans to roll out a major update to iOS this spring, requiring an opt-in before apps can track users across channels. "Behind the Numbers" host Marcus Johnson turns the tables on eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Nicole Perrin to ask about the latest research on AppTrackingTransparency opt-ins, the China Advertising ID (CAID), and how advertisers are preparing.

On today's episode, we discuss why shoppers like livestream shopping, why brands are keen to get involved, why it took off in China, and why it hasn't had as much success in the West—yet. We then talk about when Amazon Prime Day might be this year, Amazon considering opening a chain of discount stores, the top reason for online grocery shopping, and the places people typically begin their search when shopping for a product online. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer senior researcher Man-Chung Cheung and analyst at Insider Intelligence Daniel Keyes.

The digital divide has widened, particularly over the past year, and left seniors worldwide in the lurch. This issue takes on added urgency in China, where gender imbalance, delayed marriage, and a declining birthrate only exacerbate the rapid aging of its population. In November, the government urged tech companies to cater to the elderly, and China’s digital giants are now tapping into the so-called silver market.

Clubhouse has buzz, but social audio isn’t as simple as it looks. The most promising marketing use cases are for thought leadership, virtual events, and influencer marketing.

Once relegated to the children’s market, virtual characters are entering the mainstream in China. Fictional as these digitally rendered avatars may be, they hold real jobs, from pop star to influencer, to even news anchor. And they’re becoming increasingly interactive and humanlike, thanks to improvements in technologies such as AI, motion capture, and virtual reality (VR). Recent advancements in augmented reality (AR), in particular, have enabled virtual avatars to step out of social media and make live appearances alongside flesh-and-blood celebrities.

China will have 983.7 million internet users this year, thanks to an unexpected 8.6% boost in 2020, the fastest expansion its online population has seen since 2012. We previously forecast that it would take several more years for China’s internet users to hit the magical 1-billion mark, but we now project this unprecedented milestone will come by the end of next year.

Rural China's internet penetration climbed in 2020

Apple is facing yet another potential hurdle to IDFA: As Chinese tech companies work on a new way to track users on mobile devices, Apple will be faced with either barring a slew of Chinese developers altogether or forging ahead on a policy with no teeth.

The rest of the world is waking up to the potential of shoppable livestreams, but it’s old news to China’s short-form video players and ecommerce platforms. Short-video leaders Douyin (TikTok’s sister app) and Kuaishou (known outside of China as Kwai) have been expanding their social commerce operations, not just to sell products, but to provide services and other forms of content as well.