In 2021, social audio app Clubhouse registered a total of 6.7 million downloads in the US. About 42% of those downloads occurred during Q1 2021, when the app received extraordinary media buzz. But as established platforms created copycat features, Clubhouse’s downloads decreased.

Amazon’s IMDb TV rebrands to Freevee as ad-supported video gains fans: The name change will highlight the service’s value and may help it better compete with Hulu.

In Latin America, ad buys on ecommerce channels consist of lower-funnel actions like sponsored product ads. Although brands are shifting spending to more upper-funnel formats, such as sponsored display and video, these performance-driven formats will remain the cornerstone of marketers’ retail media strategies in the near term.

Amazon flexes its market power with seller surcharges, anti-union stance: Despite rapid growth during the pandemic, the ecommerce giant is passing fuel and inflation costs onto its sellers while resisting calls to improve working conditions.

Retail media advertising sits at the intersection of two major digital disruptions unfolding in Latin America: the meteoric rise of ecommerce and reallocation of ad dollars toward digital formats. While still nascent, retail media will play a larger part of brands’ marketing strategies in 2022.

As of January 2022, 35% of people ages 12 and over in the US own a smart speaker, up just 2 percentage points from the year before. That’s following an increase of 6 percentage points year over year in 2021.

Amazon faces investigation into use of third-party seller data: As the SEC looks into Amazon business practices, Congress asks the DOJ to investigate the company for obstruction, which could heighten regulatory pressure on Big Tech.

Dimon warns of competition diminishing banks’ role in financial services: The JPMorgan Chase CEO’s annual letter to shareholders identified rising competitors and defended tech spending as necessary for maintaining the bank’s standing.

In 2022, 40.7% of China’s digital ad spending will go toward the ecommerce channel, for ads offered by retailers like Alibaba and JD.com. This eclipses the share in the US, where 14.5% of digital ad spending will flow to ecommerce channel ads sold by the likes of Amazon, Walmart, and eBay.

In part two, our analysts Paul Verna and Andrew Lipsman discuss how well-positioned Silicon Valley giants Meta and Google and their Seattle counterparts Amazon and Microsoft are for top-gaining segments of digital advertising—gaming, digital audio, and in-store digital media. They also explore other companies positioning themselves for the post-cookie era of digital ads, and ultimately answer the question: Is Seattle—not Silicon Valley—the future of digital advertising?

The super app model is moving to the West and will upend how consumers interact with financial services. Banks must start preparing now to make the changing tide work to their advantage.

Amazon workers vote to unionize as labor activism remains potent: A historic victory in New York could forever change Amazon’s relationship with its workers.

Join our analysts Paul Verna and Andrew Lipsman as they discuss the top-gaining segments of digital advertising, like connected TV and retail media, and explore whether the future of digital advertising belongs to Silicon Valley giants Meta and Google or their Seattle counterparts Amazon and Microsoft.

After a booming holiday shopping season in 2021, privacy-compliant consumer intelligence data offers a great deal of insight into what we can expect to see moving forward.

Here’s a breakdown of the online and in-store features that apparel retail shoppers value the most, and a ranking of how 10 leading retailers stack up.

Biden Administration prepares to promote innovation through tighter regulation: The DOJ’s support for antitrust bill could level the playing field for smaller firms but risks putting Big Tech on the defensive.

Amazon’s digital sales will grow significantly faster than the overall market in four categories this year.

The definition of cinema changed this weekend: With a Best Picture win for “CODA,” Apple showed that a streamer can deliver high-quality movie-going experiences—without going to the movies.

Younger consumers turn to social media to inform their purchases: 45% of Gen Z shoppers use Instagram for product research, 1.5x more than look to Facebook and TikTok.