AI is already disrupting programmatic. Generative search is reshaping web traffic, while agentic buying and curated deals redraw how ads are bought and sold. Expect more automation and more premium pipes, but tougher transparency tradeoffs.

Growing consumer adoption of AI tools is positioning AI platforms as an alternative shopping channel—but most AI-driven transactions are still completed on retailer websites.

AI was everywhere at CES 2026, from robots to toilets and toys. The race to define the next computing interface is on, agentic ad tech is emerging, and health wearables are pushing further into physiological data. Best in show: Lego’s Smart Brick.

Higher frequency and broader usage suggest it is becoming a default behavior rather than a situational option.

Growing consumer restraint, severe weather, and income stress combine to delay discretionary purchases.

Amazon bets on AI health guidance paired with doctor access—something ChatGPT and Claude don’t offer.

A free myDG Delivery offer is part of a bigger ecommerce and media play.

Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol promises a common standard for agentic commerce. But AI-driven checkout will remain small for the foreseeable future, keeping the focus on how AI influences discovery rather than where transactions are completed.

Mexico’s digital ad market is rapidly transforming as new formats, channels, and players emerge. Understanding the local market forces, challenges, and opportunities driving these shifts is vital to staying competitive.

Each is borrowing from the other’s playbook as they race to dominate ecommerce.

The retailer is partnering with Korean beauty giant Olive Young to grow its selection and keep Ulta and Amazon at bay.

Trust in consumer banking varies widely in 2026. Primary banks still anchor core products. But confidence differs by generation, product, and channel, with honesty, transparency, and security shaping how consumers evaluate financial providers.

Brazil’s digital ad market continues to transform as new formats, channels, and players emerge. Understanding the local market forces, challenges, and opportunities driving these shifts is vital to staying competitive in the country’s fast-evolving landscape.

NFL viewership favors broadcast as traditional TV draws the biggest audiences, but streaming’s ad effectiveness is unmatched.

Digital grocery has evolved from a pandemic-era convenience to a core retail channel. More than 90% of US consumers now shop for groceries both online and in-store, according to FMI and NielsenIQ. As the channel matures, the competitive battleground shifts from basic fulfillment to AI-powered personalization, retail media monetization, and seamless omnichannel experiences. This FAQ addresses the trends, players, and strategies shaping digital grocery in 2026.

Amazon is pushing suppliers to cut prices amid lower China duties and questions over tariffs’ legality

The growing role of AI in shopping is forcing retailers to rethink discovery and decision-making. Walmart, for example, is embedding its ecommerce capabilities into external AI assistants like Google’s Gemini. Meanwhile, Amazon is keeping AI-led discovery and decision-making inside its own ecosystem with tools like Rufus.

This FAQ discusses how the holiday marketing season is evolving into a longer, leaner, and more competitive period, driven by economic headwinds, earlier shopping behavior, and the growing importance of retail media. It outlines why marketers must plan earlier, prioritize measurable and omnichannel strategies, and avoid overconcentrating spend around the Cyber Five to capture demand across an extended season.

As streaming services capture an increasing share of both viewership and subscription revenues, this FAQ will help marketers understand the terminology and dynamics shaping video advertising in 2026.

As genAI assistants play a more prominent role in shopping, retailers and brands will have to rethink how their loyalty programs support direct consumer relationships, and how loyalty benefits can be surfaced in AI conversations.