A controversial “active listening” targeting method reinforces privacy needs: Cox Media Group’s proposal reignited concerns about the ethical boundaries of ad targeting.

This year, US holiday sales will reach a record $1.353 trillion, per our July 2024 forecast. That holiday season is starting earlier and earlier, which means marketers need to be prepared now for shopping to pick up in September and October. The election and consumer concerns about the economy will complicate where advertisers reach consumers and what messaging they use. Here are five stats marketers should see as they prep their holiday campaigns.

US retail and ecommerce sales will maintain stable growth over the next five years, with pockets of opportunity emerging from new digital consumers and mobile-first online shopping trends.

After years of turbulence, UK ecommerce sales are growing again, albeit slowly. And there won’t be a significant shift over the next five years.

Walmart partners with Burger King to beef up Walmart+ perks: While the retailer focuses on appealing to its core customer base, Amazon makes a move for holiday and grocery sales.

Voice assistant adoption continues to grow, but the pace has slowed. Gen Z and seniors are key growth drivers, while smartphones and smart speakers remain central to the ecosystem as innovation and fresh competition shake up the sector.

More than 181 million people in the US will be Amazon Prime members this year, representing nearly 7 in 10 (73.7%) US internet users, according to our July 2024 forecast. Many of them turn to influencers before checking out; others can be won over by better discounts from competitor retailers; while some favor Amazon for fashion over groceries.

Amid shifting consumer priorities, competitive promotional activity, and an unusual calendar, brands and retailers must fine-tune their holiday 2024 marketing strategies to maximize sales during this critical period.

Amazon tests removing product reviews and ratings from search: The retailer claims it will enhance the browsing experience, but it creates friction for the majority of shoppers who rely on customer feedback.

The close tie between Amazon's ecommerce and advertising businesses presents both opportunities and challenges. "When ecommerce sales are growing, retail media dollars are going to go up,” our analyst Jeremy Goldman said on a recent episode of the "Behind the Numbers" podcast. “But when ecommerce dollars aren’t growing that much, it's harder to get the retail media dollars to grow because they’re so intertwined."

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

But usage of the payment option remained quite limited compared with the share of buyers who use BNPL at any point during the year

Product safety issues could derail Chinese ecommerce platforms’ growth ambitions: Shein and Temu are struggling to keep products with high levels of toxic substances—as well as those hazardous to babies and children—off their marketplaces.

From the staying power of self-checkouts to the growing integration of mobile, here are three trends shaping the way consumers are completing their in-store purchases.

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

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

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

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

Walmart's ad business drives 26% revenue growth: Walmart Connect leads with 30% increase, outpacing Amazon's ad unit.

Fast shipping, the vast selection of products, and high-quality customer service add to consumers’ growing attraction to online retail marketplaces, our analyst Sky Canaves said. “If there are any issues with the order, for example, there’s a trusted intermediary between the buyer and seller, which is why consumers may often feel that they have greater trust in marketplaces,” she said.