On today's special episode, we continue our new monthly show where we discuss the biggest trends of the moment and the newest research, sprinkle in some analysis, and bundle it up into a quiz. Every month, three of our analysts representing their respective coverage area teams compete against each other. (We also encourage you to play along at home.) We’ll keep a running score all year and crown a winning team at the end of the year. Today, we cover Google reinventing search, Amazon's grocery strategy, and what Twitter appointing a new CEO means for growth. Tune in to the discussion with this month's contestants: our analysts Ross Benes, Blake Droesch, and Debra Aho Williamson.

On today's episode, we discuss what happens now that Montana has approved a ban on TikTok, what Amazon's AI chatbot might look like, why Meta got a record fine from the EU, what space advertising looks like, a Supreme Court ruling on an infamous internet law, how good humans are at multitasking, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, analyst Evelyn Mitchell, and vice president of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti.

The 15 biggest US ecommerce players aren’t a surprise (here’s looking at you, Amazon, Walmart, and Apple). User-friendly mobile apps, quick delivery, innovation, and converting sales are what turn retailers into ecommerce powerhouses. Here are the companies our analysts believe best exemplify those features within the 15 largest ecommerce players.

In China, ecommerce channel ad spending represents over 38% of total digital ad spending, and ecommerce search spending accounts for 64.0% of total search. Could the US figures reach similar heights?

Target offers a year-long return policy for its private labels: That’s a very different approach from most retailers, which have made steps to clamp down on returns.

Internet use is growing the fastest in the Middle East and Africa, where about 80 million more people will go online at least once per month between 2023 and 2027, according to our forecast. Roughly 60% of the global population will use the internet regularly.

Moving away from retail can help it overcome growth roadblocks, while a look to China could signal what’s coming for the space

Brands can take a page from lululemon athletica’s playbook and hold a dupe swap to show consumers what they’ve been missing or use social media to give a behind-the-scenes look at how a product is made. Other strategies include leaning into secondhand and adding less expensive alternatives.

To survive the era of subscription fatigue, brands and retailers need to invest in models that bring customers value and convenience.

Amazon is the top dog of US retail, accounting for 37.6% of all US ecommerce sales this year for a total of $431.11 billion dollars, according to our forecast. While the giant has a successful stronghold in many US industries, Amazon isn’t dominant everywhere, especially as it pertains to a physical footprint and getting consumers comfortable with its elite tech. Here are a few areas Amazon hasn’t overtaken—yet.

On today's episode, we discuss what's currently driving retail media, the other retailers outside of Amazon to watch, and what advertisers should be focusing on in this moment. "In Other News," we talk about ads (and influencer content) in Roblox and why Tesla has decided to start advertising for the first time. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Max Willens.

The rise of shopping apps selling ultralow-cost goods from China is drawing more value-driven US consumers. But are their strategies sustainable over the long term?

Amazon plots an upgrade to its search capabilities, with help from generative AI: The retailer is planning to incorporate an AI chatbot to help shoppers with queries, recommendations, and product comparisons.

Cross-border ecommerce is rising in popularity as US consumers look for value amid inflation. But growth has slowed from previous boom years.

Generative AI is poised to reshape the search advertising market. With a significant first-mover advantage, will Microsoft grow its share of search ad budgets? How can advertisers stay ahead of the curve?

US digital ad spend growth will return to double digits next year at 11.2% growth, following 2023’s slower growth of 7.8%. Growth certainly won’t return to the 37.6% growth we saw in 2021, but it will increase steadily. Come 2025, US digital ad spend will pass $300 billion and keep climbing to nearly $400 billion by the end of 2027.

Walmart lags behind Amazon in total ecommerce sales, retail media ad dollars, and retail subscriptions. But there may be ways for it to minimize the gap in certain areas, namely search and AI capabilities.

This year’s upfronts have been unusual, with the haze of the Writers Guild of America strike and a decisive shift toward streaming. From YouTube’s mixed messages to Netflix’s ad-supported tier’s less-than-impressive beginning, here are five trends pinpointed by our analyst.

Digital ad spending will increase slightly faster this year than in 2022, but the bump will be minimal. Total media ad spending growth will roughly hold steady. But there are parts of the world where spending is surging.

Worsening economic conditions will take their toll on Latin America’s digital ad market this year. Despite gains of 12.7%, digital ad spending will fail to outpace the rate of inflation for the first time since we began tracking the region in 2011. Here are our latest forecasts.