TikTok’s latest strategy to boost social commerce sales relies on AI: The social platform is testing a feature that automatically links users to TikTok Shop without creator input.

Carnival embraces 'granfluencer' wave: Cruise line teams up with Retirement House and Gronk for a multi-generational TikTok hit.

Gen Z’s attention is split across social media for shopping and search: The cohort’s use of multiple social networks spells opportunity for platforms and advertisers.

Overly complicated ideas don’t go viral on Reels. “Be brutal in the simplicity of your idea,” Rory McClenaghan, group strategy director at Molson Coors’ internal agency, Volt, said at Advertising Week New York 2023. If you can’t explain the Reels idea in four frames or fewer, it’s probably too complicated.

E.l.f. Beauty’s “Make up over Makeup” campaign, which launched in May, was a departure from what many think of as creator marketing. The campaign brought creators Chris Olsen, who boasts 12.1 million followers on TikTok, and Ian Paget, who has 2.5 million followers on TikTok, together after their high-profile breakup for a conversation and makeover.

US annual social commerce sales per buyer will nearly double from $627.8 in 2023 to $1,223.7 in 2027, according to our forecast.

TikTok wants to court sports advertisers: The app recently held sessions to teach advertisers how to build effective campaigns around major sports events.

Social commerce still has plenty of room to expand in the US. With discovery and inspiration as the key characteristics of social commerce, TikTok won’t be Amazon—but it will bring in new Gen Z shoppers.

ByteDance's CapCut dives into the business sector: The popular app is introducing AI-driven tools to help content marketers.

TikTok is extending its video content to an array of public screens, including those at airports, gas stations, and movie rental machines. The expansion into out-of-home (OOH) advertising marks TikTok’s ambitions to go beyond its roots as a mobile app.

YouTube keeps rolling out shopping tools: The latest update enables creators to make the shopping button appear at relevant points in their videos.

TikTok’s premium ad placements get Disney’s stamp of approval: The app will host a monthlong Disney content hub.

Ecommerce sales will return to double-digit growth this holiday season amid a backdrop of healthy consumer spending.

Half of shoppers worldwide have used social media to discover products, per Salesforce, but even more (59%) have used it to purchase something.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how creators are evolving; why YouTube is white space for many marketers; and how marketers, social platforms, and media companies should shift their strategies. "In Other News," we talk about what freedom of speech actually means on social media and why TikTok and Pinterest are taking different approaches to social commerce. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Jasmine Enberg.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss why shopping on Amazon is changing, the proposal of ad-free TikTok and Instagram subscriptions, how much Amazon's AI chatbot shopping assistant can move the needle for customers, whether Toys-R-Us can make a successful comeback, the share of women in leadership roles and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analysts Blake Droesch and Paul Verna.

Next year, US influencer marketing spend will hit $5.89 billion, and 82.7% of marketers will use influencer marketing, according to our forecasts. While that figure still pales in comparison to the $75.08 billion going to social network ad spend, influencer marketing is growing at a faster rate.