After eMarketer's February 2020 forecast projected modest growth of 2.8% to $5.621 trillion in total US retail sales, the coronavirus pandemic then took the US economy by storm, causing closures, stay-at-home orders, and a decline in the demand of non-essential goods.

Our revised estimates for total ad spending in Canada this year show a big decline, mirroring what’s expected overall for the Canadian economy. Digital will hold its level after years of double-digit growth.

In a world where consumers are empowered with unlimited access to information and ever-growing expectations, brands need to deliver remarkable experiences in order to differentiate.

The pandemic is pushing more people to digital—some even for the first time—as many look to activities they may not have considered before lockdown.

Jonathan Adams, executive director and managing partner at Wavemaker, joins eMarketer co-founder and Insider Intelligence chief evangelist Geoff Ramsey in a conversation about the health of the ad ecosystem amid unprecedented disruption. Among the many topics they cover are the balance between subscription- and ad-supported video and the role of walled gardens.

Signs of media buyer optimism in early May seem to have been outliers, based on recent research from Advertiser Perceptions, which has been tracking US marketers' attitudes during the pandemic.

Total ad spending in France and Germany will fall this year, as a result of the pandemic. Traditional media will suffer most; digital ad spend will rise marginally, to €4.93 billion ($5.51 billion) in France and €7.38 billion ($8.27 billion) in Germany.

In this Meet the Analyst Webinar, eMarketer principal analyst Nicole Perrin checks in on the state of customer experiences in 2020, how the pandemic has changed them, and how brands are continuing to work toward a single customer view to best serve their audiences with relevant and useful messages.

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed UK ad spending into negative territory in 2020. However, digital ad spend will grow marginally, by 0.3%, fueled by the impressive performance of video ad spending—up 15.0% this year.

eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Mark Dolliver discusses how another recession will affect millennials and how they've delayed adulthood, but not forever. He then talks about what happens when you buck gender stereotypes in ads, the truth about people ages 65 and older and whether our digital lives will become more intertwined.

As consumers and businesses alike pull back on spending amid the coronavirus pandemic, 50% of CEOs worldwide say that diminished demand for their company’s products and services is the biggest obstacle to their business’ viability right now, according to June 2020 data from YPO.

Despite a downgrade to our forecast, digital ad spending in China will still grow 5.0% this year. But there will be a power swap among the major platforms, as Tencent displaces Baidu and becomes the No. 2 publisher. And Alibaba will remain No. 1, but with lowered expectations.

Among holiday shopping events in China, many outside the country have probably only heard of Singles’ Day. However, 618—which ecommerce giant JD.com launched to commemorate the company’s founding day—is gaining popularity. And given the global interest in a post-pandemic retail rebound, this year’s event was particularly worthy of attention.