We forecast that total retail holiday sales will total $1.297 trillion this year. Brands looking for a piece of the pie need to maximize their social media presence, which, of course, includes TikTok.

Pinduoduo, ByteDance pose threat to Amazon: China-based companies are getting into international ecommerce for an expanded customer base. If the prices are right, they could give Amazon more Q4 worries.

Twitter in transition: Upheaval follows the leadership change at Twitter as it grapples with ramping up profits and drumming up advertising revenue just as brands and users question its content moderation policies.

On today's episode, we discuss the addressable opportunity in the US, how big the connected TV market is, and how measurement, privacy, and fragmentation are disrupting progress in advanced TV. "In Other News," we talk about how TikTok is trying to usher in an age of machine learning advertising and how Google is trying to put Chrome users in control of their ad experience. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Evelyn Mitchell.

On today's episode, we discuss why Snap saw record slow revenue growth in Q3, how it still managed to grow users by so much, and where the company goes from here. "In Other News," we talk about the concern over BeReal not having a financial model and what to make of a new social app that is ranked No. 1 in the app store ahead of BeReal and TikTok. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Jasmine Enberg.

About half of US Gen Z and millennial social users make purchases on social media, compared to 38% of US adults overall. Boomers are the least likely to buy via social.

There’s still a large percentage of social media users who don’t buy via social. Understanding what makes current social buyers buy can help brands and platforms increase sales and potentially grow their customer bases.

According to TikTok, 44% of users are planning to buy or lease a car in the next six months. It’s with that in mind that the platform recently released its “Auto Dealers Playbook,” which aims to help marketers leverage the platform to engage the auto community and boost sales.

TikTok pushes an AI advertising product: The app’s strong position is letting it experiment with machine learning to court advertisers big and small.

Over the last couple of years, TikTok has transformed from an app where teens post dance routines to a bona fide social giant, competing with the likes of Facebook and Instagram. And as the platform grows, so does the opportunity for marketers to advertise and sell on it.

BeReal is the newest kid on the social media block. The app has already captured the attention of Gen Z, and its growing popularity has sparked copycat features from Snapchat, Instagram and, yes, even TikTok. But do brands of all stripes need to embrace BeReal—or is it not ready for primetime just yet

TikTok’s latest target is podcasts: YouTube’s success with the format tipped off the short-form video app to an opportunity for incremental growth.

TikTok enters the streaming music arena: TikTok is timing its streaming super app and services takeover at a time when key player Spotify’s value is declining and ByteDance is on the rise.

Q3 wasn’t an easy quarter for Meta. Snap is in a tough spot. TikTok was the elephant in the room amid its rivals’ disappointing Q2 earnings calls.

In this report, we look at the most important updates for social platforms in Q3 and how those changes will affect marketers. For the first time, we’re including updates for YouTube as well.

TikTok intends to build its own product fulfillment centers in the US, as evidenced by new job postings on LinkedIn, first discovered by Axios.

TikTok bets on social commerce to deliver significant revenues: The platform is reportedly planning to build its own network of fulfillment centers.

TikTok’s videos are ideal vehicles for misinformation: Misleading short-form videos are going viral on TikTok and competing platforms, proving that video is difficult to regulate.

Meta shares its earnings with creators: New Reels ads expand choices for brands and revenue opportunities for influencers.

Expect a transformation at Twitter over the next few years: We outline where the platform will and won’t change once Elon Musk’s purchase goes through.