Livestream shopping is finally carving out a role in the US, even as adoption trails well behind China. For years, the format was held up as ecommerce's next frontier. Now it's settling in not as a replacement for traditional ecommerce, but as a different kind of shopping experience.

Consumer spending will come under greater pressure during the 2026 holiday season, slowing retail and ecommerce sales growth compared with the rest of the year.

Electronics ads convert best of any retail category at 7.58%, nearly four times the rate of home and kitchen ads (1.94%) at the bottom of the pack, according to a Q4 2025 report from SellMetric.

TikTok video views for wellness brands grew 646.9% YoY in Q1 2026, even as views across all industries fell 6%, according to a Q1 2026 report from Dash Social.

TikTok audiences watch just 21% of the average branded video, meaning 4 out of 5 viewers drop off before the end, according to a March report from Dash Social.

TikTok Shop is settling into a new phase as uncertainty about its future fades. Social commerce is maturing fast, but rising competition, shifting consumer habits, and tighter expectations are raising the stakes for brands.

Q4 TikTok video views jumped 68% as wellness, CPG, and retail soared—proof TikTok is now a sales engine.

Social commerce is booming in the UK, but the era of hyper-growth is coming to an end. Even so, social will continue gaining share of the digital wallet through 2029.

Luxury handbags and leather goods purchases dropped 12.8 percentage points among US adult luxury buyers since 2022, according to a September report from EMARKETER and Bizrate Insights.

Earlier this month, celebrity and influencer Shay Mitchell launched rini, a line of “clinically backed” and “scientifically proven” beauty face masks for kids. Although rini has attached itself to rising beauty trends, consumers and marketers across social platforms are criticising the way the brand is targeting an audience who might still be mastering their ABCs.

"The magic where I see it is all that you have done through the year actually get puts into practice and see the result during the holiday season," said Minyi Su, marketing lead at Bluemercury, during a recent episode of "Behind the Numbers."

As the market for personal luxury goods emerges from a prolonged period of recalibration, growth hinges on fostering innovation and engagement with core consumers across the globe.

If Amazon’s October Prime Big Deal Days event was any indication of the upcoming holiday season, consumers will keep spending on beauty products for themselves and others.

Gen Zers are avid personal care and beauty shoppers, and their habits often diverge from those of older consumers. While they shop in-store as much as non-Gen Zers, they're more likely to turn to digital channels for research and purchases. This report contrasts Gen Z behaviors with those of non-Gen Z shoppers across the personal care and beauty landscape.

AI shopping assistants are boosting discovery and personalization, but trust issues and fulfillment challenges could limit their impact on channel migration.

Our exclusive data explores how social commerce and AI are reshaping the beauty path to purchase for US consumers.

After beauty's social return on ad spend (ROAS) dipped to $1.90 in Q4 2024, the category saw a marked jump up to $3.50 in Q1 2025, according to a March report from Cart.com.

As consumers trade traditional search engines for social feeds, brands are approaching these platforms as drivers of brand awareness and conversion. TikTok Shop has rapidly become the eighth-largest beauty retailer in the United States, according to a February report from NielsenIQ. 41% of Gen Z turns to social platforms first for finding information, ahead of search engines (32%), AI chatbots (11%), and friends and family (9%), according to a May Sprout Social survey.

Ulta Beauty is tapping into trends like Korean beauty and wellness to stay relevant with younger consumers while Pop Mart has created viral excitement around its collectibles through smart digital marketing and gamification. In addition, Urban Outfitters has launched a back-to-school dorm makeover contest and Away Luggage is enhancing the travel experience with a giveaway. Here are the eight most interesting retailers and brands from last month, as ranked on our “Behind the Numbers” podcast.