AI-focused fintechs offer small FIs less-powerful solutions than their larger counterparts—if they work with them at all.

Tapestry brings its D2C and wholesale teams together to create a consistent brand experience across channels, while Hollister enables teens to fill their carts and send to a parent for purchase. Instacart and eBay find ways to offer customers more value.

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?

Google turns to generative AI to give shoppers a helping hand: The search engine aims to simplify consumers’ purchase decisions by arming consumers with more information.

Surging Cash App user growth helped drive a buoyant Q1 for Block despite recent short seller allegations.

Last month, Meta said it would use generative AI in ad creation by the end of the year. Not long after, Google announced generative AI ad plans of its own in the form of tools that will “remix” ads based on client goals. Neither company has released details of what these AI updates will look like, but the changes are big news for advertisers, agencies, and everyone in between.

Next year, Snapchat’s ad revenues will increase by 10.4% worldwide after a year of almost no growth. Its ad revenues will rise from $3.80 billion this year to $4.20 billion next year, but they’ll still make up just 0.6% of total digital ad revenues worldwide.

Concerns surrounding privacy are high, which could weigh on marketers’ efforts to target consumers. US adults under 30 are slightly less concerned (66%) than older consumers about the use of personal information for targeted digital ads, according to the Out of Home Advertising Association of America and Morning Consult.

US marketers will spend over $1 billion more on influencer marketing in 2023 than they did last year, per our forecast. We lay out six tactics to maximize the impact of those dollars.

Snap is having trouble monetizing because Snapchat is primarily a chat platform, and “messaging apps are notoriously difficult to monetize,” according to our analyst Jasmine Enberg. The company could lean into its software as a service retail offerings, but consumers also aren’t sold on AR for shopping. Just 12.4% of US adults use AR for shopping, according to our forecast.

The EU chimes in to the AI copyright debate: A rule proposed by European regulators would remove legal gray areas around how AI is trained.

Microsoft and Google report solid quarterly results amid slow economy: With AI transforming the future of search, is Microsoft gaining a perceived edge in innovation?

In most regions around the world, high interest in generative AI is being matched by innovations related to the technology, deployment of the tool, and adoption by consumers. But the level of maturity across these three areas is not equal everywhere. Here’s our breakdown of the technology’s state of play in key regions.

Google’s generative AI is a landmark moment for advertising: Legal issues have slowed generative AI’s use, but the ad duopoly’s support will start a flood.

They often don’t have real-time data capabilities. Partnering with a fraud-focused fintech could be a solution.

Inflation is starting to ease, but consumers remain cautious with their spending. This puts pressure on consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands and retailers to attract customers without affecting the bottom line.

“[AI] really does raise the bar in terms of what people are going to expect from you,” our analyst Jeremy Goldman said on our recent “ChatGPT and Generative AI” panel. As AI matures, it will become more specialized, automating mundane tasks, ushering in personalization, and changing the way consumers, retailers, and marketers use the internet. Here are eight predictions for that not-so-distant future.

Gaming became a popular online activity during the pandemic. Growth may be slowing, but it’s not shrinking, meaning that the majority of those who picked up the hobby during the pandemic have become long-term users.

Global spending on AI-centric systems—including the software, hardware, and services for these systems—will increase 27% this year to reach $154 billion, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).

D2C ecommerce is rapidly evolving, driven by digital marketing, AI-enhanced personalization, sustainability, and more. By identifying and leveraging these emerging trends, businesses can effectively adapt to this competitive environment and address the dynamic expectations of consumers today.