TD Bank will finally offer Amazon Shop with Points in the US for its credit cardholders, per a press release. Earning consumers’ loyalty requires delivering on competitive rewards. While perks like fraud protection and Amazon rewards are seen as default credit card features, issuers trying to impress should incorporate at least 2% cash back, rewards for paying off balances, and payment flexibility at checkout, per our 2025 US Cash-Back Credit Card Emerging Features Benchmark.
Live sports is drifting from linear TV to fragmented streaming. That’s raising costs, confusing viewers, and forcing leagues and advertisers to navigate new tradeoffs between reach, revenues, and shifting time spent.
Amazon is going all-in on AI-powered advertising solutions for small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). SMBs can now create high-quality campaigns without requiring costly resources, giving SMBs access to creative capabilities that were once out of reach.
In earnings calls from retail leaders, one of the biggest shared signals is that AI shopping assistants are becoming the new front door of the customer journey. Whether the retailer is in grocery, fashion, or general merchandise, conversational search is now the organizing principle for discovery.
Q3 was a record-breaking quarter for the three largest ad platforms, but heavy spending on AI is compressing margins and raising questions about how the technology will impact the future of digital advertising.
As retail media moves from side business to centerpiece, big brands are prioritizing measurement and efficiency to cement the channel as a mature budget item. Retail media will grow almost 20% this year (19.4%) to reach $58.79 billion, according to EMARKETER's September 2025 forecast. In recent earnings calls, tech leaders described a channel that is now about solid data, AI-driven relevance, and reshaping how advertisers reach shoppers.
Future-proofing against—and capitalizing on—advances in consumer-facing AI will be the overarching theme for retailers in 2026.
Amazon quietly introduced agentic shopping capabilities to its Rufus chatbot last week. Customers can now ask Rufus to monitor products and make a purchase when an item reaches a target price or discount level. Amazon’s “Auto Buy” feature could make Rufus more useful for deal-seeking shoppers this holiday season—provided they know the option exists and trust the chatbot’s accuracy. Over the long term, adding more agentic features to Rufus—which has been used by 250 million active customers this year alone—could enable Amazon to satisfy shoppers’ desire for AI assistance without ceding ground to platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Global ad spending has steadied after a turbulent year, setting the stage for modest acceleration in 2026. Digital is still the main engine, but traditional media’s rebound will add lift as markets stabilize.
Chinese tax authorities are requiring Amazon, Temu, Shein, and other major platforms to submit Q3 sales data from Chinese merchants as regulators intensify efforts to curb tax evasion in cross-border ecommerce. The information is expected to reveal higher actual sales than those reported, potentially leaving sellers liable for up to 13% VAT plus back taxes. The move aligns with Beijing’s broader push to recover tax revenue, and it comes as global markets tighten de minimis rules. These shifts could reshape marketplace dynamics as Chinese sellers reassess pricing, participation, and ad spending amid rising compliance pressures.
From grocery aisles to gig apps, the biggest names in commerce are converging on the same conclusion: Grocery has grown into the ultimate testbed for convenience, loyalty, and AI-driven efficiency.
Latin America’s digital ad market is transforming as new formats, channels, and players emerge. Understanding the market forces, challenges, and opportunities driving these shifts is key to staying competitive in this fast-evolving landscape.
Amazon announced a breadth of AI-powered ad options on Day 1 of its annual Unboxed event designed to simplify campaign creation and deployment. Amazon’s new resources give advertisers a uniquely full-funnel solution that’s difficult to find in the crowded digital marketing world.
Amazon’s Prime Video maintains an average monthly ad-supported reach of more than 315 million viewers globally, the company announced at its 2025 unBoxed event. Amazon’s high-intent shopper base and ability to lead users through the entire marketing funnel offer a distinct advantage.
OpenAI’s push into commerce took a major step forward with the launch of in-app shopping on ChatGPT, though it will take time to gain traction as a meaningful retail sales channel.
This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their digital ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.
This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their retail media ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.
This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their search ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.
This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their social media ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.
This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their TV and CTV ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.
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