Payment providers are investing in AI to help streamline and personalize both the merchant and customer experiences

The tech is dominating recent headlines as retailer and consumer interest explodes

Whether brands are aligning their product with comfort food, launching fragrances, or prioritizing scent in their retail spaces, marketers are embracing multisensory experiences as another way to stand out in the digital noise.

OpenAI introduced product recommendations into ChatGPT on Monday, creating a potential opportunity for advertising—and a threat to affiliate marketing sites.

Agent Pay could transform the payments experience for consumers with hyperpersonalized recommendations

Almost nine in 10 (86%) US contact center decision-makers are either currently using AI for in-call agent assistance or plan to do so in the next two years, according to January data from ContactBabel and CallMiner.

AI agents will likely limit ad opportunities during the consumer journey's consideration stage, but they will allow for more ad opportunities in the awareness stage, our research shows.

Marketers are just starting to familiarize themselves with machine-to-machine (M2M) marketing, where a brand AI agent and a consumer AI agent navigate decision-making. The next step is preparing for this AI-driven method of influencing consumers, by examining how agents “understand” their brands and work to improve those impressions.

YouTube tests new AI features: The updates, including video carousels in search results and AI video summaries, promise innovation but require adaptation.

It uses the technology for more manual processes, freeing up the team for creativity.

As AI changes how buyers discover content, B2B brands have an opportunity to gain visibility. This report explores how SEO strategies can evolve to meet AI-powered search and why structured, trusted content wins.

A third of US employees who work against their company's generative AI (genAI) strategy do so because they feel the technology diminishes their value or creativity, according to December 2024 data from Writer.

Several weeks ago, Amazon announced Nova Act, an AI model that can search for products, add to cart, and make purchases on someone’s behalf without intervention. As AI agents like Nova Act become more popular, marketers will need to target not only people, but the machines operating on their behalf, using a strategy called machine-to-machine—or M2M—marketing.

The transition risks alienating customers who are frustrated by the app or uncomfortable with the AI surveillance tech

YouTube shows virtual influencers are gaining traction: While the technology promises innovation, not all consumers are buying in.

Only 30% of ad industry professionals have fully-scaled AI across their media campaign cycles, according to January data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the many definitions of an “AI agent”, why they’re so hard to build right, and what comes next. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Analyst Jacob Bourne, and Vice President of GenAI Dan Van Dyke. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

This is the Q1 2025 installment of our quarterly “Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

Brand loyalty membership is rebounding in the UK as shoppers turn to loyalty programs for savings. Supermarkets are driving innovation, but there is space for brands and retailers of all sizes to boost revenues and forge stronger customer connections.