Commerce media’s inherited advantage is reaching its limits. The next phase depends on earning consumer attention and advertiser demand, even as conversational commerce reshapes the high-intent ad model that fueled its rise.

B2B digital ad spending growth is accelerating in 2026. Although mobile growth is slowing from its 2025 pace, mobile and video will still outpace overall B2B digital spending. Display’s share is expanding, while search remains important as AI changes how buyers research and validate vendors.

Retailer-native AI assistants will drive 54.1% of US AI-driven retail ecommerce sales in 2026, keeping retailers ahead of general-purpose AI platforms through 2030, according to a July report from EMARKETER.

Nearly half of US digital shoppers (47.1%) have not used AI to shop and aren't interested, according to an April 2026 survey from Bizrate Insights and EMARKETER.

AI shopping assistants such as Amazon's Alexa for Shopping (formerly Rufus), Walmart's Sparky, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini are reshaping how consumers discover and evaluate products. Retailer-owned assistants are already lifting order values and conversion, while standalone AI platforms struggle to convert recommendations into purchases. This FAQ covers how AI shopping assistants work, what they mean for brand loyalty, and how brands earn a place in AI-generated recommendations.

AI search is changing how B2B buyers discover and compare vendors. Visibility depends on strong SEO fundamentals, clearer differentiation, and content governance that support faster evaluation and more consistent brand information.

As healthcare and pharma ad spend shifts to digital, discover the CTV, social, and search trends redefining media strategy in our latest forecast.

The news: OpenAI is working on an enterprise product that would rival both Microsoft 365 and Google Workplace, per The Information. The features would allow user collaboration within documents and chat capabilities among co-workers, according to two sources. Our take: OpenAI has the potential to be an all-in-one solution if it could use its interface as a document creator and data storage solution, but Microsoft’s and Google’s brand recognition in that space is likely to keep ChatGPT enterprise solutions on the sidelines—for now.

Kantar Media is sold for $1 billion as measurement heats up: Private equity sees a big opportunity in the rapidly changing landscape.

Mobile payments—both proximity payments and P2P transfers—continue to grow rapidly in volume. User growth is slowing, and increased spending will primarily come from existing users spending more often via mobile phones.

Grocery is the least penetrated but fastest-growing category in ecommerce today. Traditional brands and retailers need to understand why this channel shift is accelerating and adjust their marketing and selling strategies accordingly.

In some B2B businesses, only a small subset of the customer base actually drives the largest portion of their profitability. Bain & Company's Mark Kovac explains how B2Bs can realign their growth strategy to existing accounts with the most potential.