The explosion in vertical video is creating both opportunities and challenges for the Story format. Stories are evolving quickly on Instagram and remain a top venue for influencer activations. But Twitter’s decision to kill off Fleets shows they aren’t popular on all platforms.

On today's episode, we discuss where augmented reality (AR) lands on the gimmick to utility scale, what AR looks like beyond fashion and beauty, and what the Carolina Panthers' new mixed-reality mascot might mean for marketers. We then talk about what authentic social commerce really means, why Stories never worked out for LinkedIn, and what we expect the reaction to Twitter's Super Follows will be. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer senior analyst at Insider Intelligence Jasmine Enberg.

Take a look at some of Insider Intelligence's latest retail stories.

Over 70% of decision-makers said that events will include more robust digital components in the future, according to Forrester Consulting. Mike Dietrich, vice president of product marketing at Cvent, discusses with eMarketer editorial director at Insider Intelligence Rimma Kats, the key findings from the survey, and how organizations can prepare and invest in event marketing today.

As digital transformation accelerates worldwide, growth in online shopping has created opportunities not only to reimagine brand relevance, but also to rethink the end-to-end customer experience. Dr. Tiffany Raymond, head of global customer advocacy, at PayPal, talks with eMarketer editorial director at Insider Intelligence Rimma Kats, about steps you can take to optimize your product, cart and checkout pages to help reduce cart abandonment, improve conversion, increase spend and boost customer loyalty.

China continues to lead the world in all things ecommerce, including innovation. Social commerce livestreaming is just one of many new stories for 2021 and beyond.

This article was contributed and sponsored by PayPal.

This article was contributed and sponsored by Experian Marketing Services.

This article was contributed and sponsored by PwC.

This article was contributed and sponsored by Partnerize.

This article was contributed and sponsored by Yahoo.

Read Insider Intelligence's recent stories.

Curated by eMarketer, this collection of articles, insights, and interviews will help you understand what’s in store for TV and video advertisers as time spent shifts, audience measurement evolves, and more.

This article was contributed and sponsored by Amazon Pay.

Curated by eMarketer, this collection of articles, insights, and interviews will help you understand what is driving D2C success and why data is a crucial pillar of the business.

On today's episode, we discuss Spotify's Q2 performance, what to make of its ad revenue growth, and how its podcast investments are getting on. We then talk about where Amazon wants to take Alexa, social audio's monetization issue, and the significance of the NBA and iHeartMedia podcast partnership. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer senior forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Peter Vahle.

Read the latest TV marketing stories from Insider Intelligence.

On today's episode, we discuss where B2B marketing is headed and what some of the biggest challenges will be along the way. We then talk about our brand new influencer marketing spending forecast, what to make of TikTok Stories, and Instagram testing ads within its Shops tab. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst Jillian Ryan and senior forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Eric Haggstrom.

With Pay Later, SMBs can apply for short-term loans and pay them in equal installments—helping Veem carve out a piece of the BNPL market through B2B payments.

Successful brands are providing a hybrid customer journey that lets shoppers move seamlessly between the online and offline worlds. Tijs van Santen, chief customer officer at Uberall, shares insights with eMarketer editorial director at Insider Intelligence Rimma Kats, on consumer shopping behavior, including engagement with local businesses.

Read the latest retail stories from Insider Intelligence.

Retail loyalty programs—the most prevalent type in consumers’ wallets—help brands develop lasting customer relationships through easy, accessible, and appealing incentives. Co-brand credit cards—issued as partnerships between major brands, banks, and card networks— have long been a key piece of that puzzle.

Stories are hardly a new social media format—they are nearly 8 years old on Snapchat and almost 5 on Instagram. But they are still heavily used for social media marketing, even as short-video platforms like TikTok have taken off.

This article was contributed and sponsored by Expedia Group Media Solutions.

This article was contributed and sponsored by Partnerize.