The role of the CMO has expanded far beyond traditional marketing expectations. Despite high expectations and many challenges, CMOs can find new opportunities to lead successful teams and drive business growth. Four CMOs share their perspectives for this report.

At $22.25 billion, digital advertising is advancing unabated in Latin America this year. Double-digit gains in video and retail media ad spending, as well as improving economic conditions in Brazil and Mexico, will help take the regional market to new heights. Here are the latest trends you need to know.

Amazon returns partnership is a huge hassle for Kohl’s, Staples employees: Despite an increase in foot traffic, the constant deluge of packages fails to deliver the expected sales bump.

Ecommerce has become a dominant sales channel in the pet industry, fueled by convenience and a broad range of online offerings. By 2028, nearly half of pet products sales will come from ecommerce.

Inflation continues to impact spending in Q2, with 84% of consumers saying inflation had an impact on their spending, a 10% increase over Q1, per Jungle Scout’s research. Meanwhile, Amazon product categories recorded sales increases and social media shopping is on the rise.

Prime Day 2024 shatters records yet again as consumers stock up on essentials: Shoppers spent $14.2 billion online, spurred by significant discounts and the chance to get a head start on back-to-school needs.

Search is undergoing a seismic shift. Google is still the go-to for most inquiries, but generative AI is changing how people search, and leading people to explore alternative search engines. Meanwhile, paid search dollars are moving to retail media networks as shoppers begin their searches on Amazon and other retailer sites. And Gen Z’s search habits look different from older generations, with the cohort flocking to social media sites like TikTok and using visual search and chatbots.

Amazon’s ad portal crashes during Prime Day: Though sales are unlikely to be impacted, the outage highlighted tensions between Amazon and sellers.

Consumers take a cautious approach to back-to-school shopping: To drive shoppers to spend, Macy’s revamped its Epic Threads brand, Kohl’s added Limited Too, and Old Navy offered cash back.

Amazon’s pricing and returns policies draw complaints from sellers: Merchants flag lost revenues, higher fees, and inadequate seller support as reasons for their discontent.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss what Amazon has planned for its thirties, the all-AI ad that sparked a debate about the future of marketing, why customer experience is historically low, the most impactful AR feature in retail, what animal can fly backwards, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analysts Sara Marzano and Carina Perkins.

Walmart’s retail media network generated 11 billion impressions in Q1: The retailer is chipping away at Amazon’s dominance, despite the latter’s moves to boost non-endemic spend.

Ecommerce will account for 35% of all back-to-school shopping this year: That’s a massive shift from the 23% share it accounted for prior to the pandemic as consumers embrace convenience.

During Prime Day 2024, US shoppers will spend nearly $14 billion—a 5.9% increase over last year. But the dynamics of the shopping event are shifting as competitors chip away at Amazon’s market share.

Walmart bets on AR: The retailer experiments with several use cases for the technology that it hopes can make shopping online as immersive, interactive, and social as in-person experience.

Marketplaces will continue to expand their share of US retail ecommerce as new players with roots in China vie for prominence.

TikTok Shop joins Amazon in holding a July sale: The marketplace hopes exclusive discounts on brands like L’Oréal and live-shopping events will boost GMV.

“In the digital era, each step along the path to purchase has become significantly more complex,” our analyst Blake Droesch said on a recent EMARKETER webinar. “The store remains a vital centerpiece, but the number of digital channels that consumers are using to discover and evaluate brands continues to grow at a rapid pace.” Brands and retailers need to stay on top of evolving purchasing behavior to meet their customers where they are. Here are three trends and opportunities that can help.

Albertsons, Costco, and Instacart are enhancing their retail media offerings. TikTok Shop reached a $1 million livestream. And three-time consecutive first place winner Walmart is developing immersive ways to shop and catering product lines to younger shoppers. Here’s our Unofficial Most Interesting Retailers List for June 2024.

As the share of US ecommerce sales on marketplaces continues to expand, our latest survey examines consumer buying habits and expectations across leading platforms.