Insurers can reach SMB customers earlier by offering advice and pricing before shoppers compare providers.

Wearables are shifting from fitness trackers to connected healthcare platforms. The value of AI, clinician access, and health data integration is expanding, as high costs risk excluding consumers who need these tools the most.

Issuers should design products around value and essentials as consumers demonstrate resilience.

At this week's CommerceNext Growth Show in New York City, executives from Ulta Beauty, Tapestry, Stitch Fix, and Novi shared how they're using AI to deepen customer relationships and why winning loyalty now means appealing to both consumers and the AI models guiding product discovery.

David’s Bridal shoppers can now make purchases within ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, another signal that retail at large is headed on an AI-enabled path.

A leaked Amazon deck positions its Rufus AI shopping assistant as a high-intent retail media channel with CPC pricing on the horizon.

AI brands’ new playbook: Bypassing marketing channels and seeking premium sports partnerships help secure the C-suite’s attention and fan loyalty.

Agency roles are shifting upward; execution is becoming software, while oversight, integration, and governance gain importance.

As conversational AI becomes a new entry point for discovery, advertisers are rethinking how relevance and usefulness show up in these environments. Roundel’s pilot with OpenAI offers an early look at what user-first advertising could mean inside AI-driven conversations.

Anthropic says it prioritizes trust over monetization; the company says ads inside AI chat would undermine credibility in work, health, and reasoning contexts.

71% of US marketers say establishing ethical and privacy standards is the top step for preparing for AI agent-led commerce, according to an October 2025 survey from ANA and The Harris Poll.

Voice assistants evolve into AI-first interfaces—blending conversation, context, and control across ecosystems.

Consumers are integrating AI into everyday health searches as tools grow more conversational, even though output reliability remains uneven. The balance of speed, accuracy, and trust will shape how people use AI for information and care.

Google is quietly exploring how Gemini could support advertising in 2026, per Adweek, even as the company publicly denies any such plans. Agencies say Google has framed potential Gemini ads as high-intent, conversational opportunities for ecommerce brands—signals emerging alongside rapid user growth. Gemini’s global MAUs have climbed roughly 30% since August, and its US footprint is projected to reach 85.7 million users by 2029. If prompt-level signals become targetable, conversational AI could function as a new, more precise form of intent advertising.

Marketing professionals see AI leading to several shifts in consumer behavior that will greatly impact the fundamentals of digital advertising in the next 2 to 3 years, per a Funnel and Ravn Research study of in-house marketers and agency professionals. As AI reshapes digital and search advertising, the brands that thrive will be those who seize the opportunities presented by AI-driven changes.

CVS Health’s Aetna is adding conversational generative AI (genAI) to its insurance website and mobile app. Aetna’s move highlights how insurers can use genAI to become more attractive to employer benefit packages.

After more than a year of AI stumbles, Apple will reportedly pay Google $1 billion annually to use a custom-built version of Gemini, Google’s flagship AI model, to power a next-generation Siri—marking one of Apple’s boldest AI moves yet, per Bloomberg. A smarter Gemini-infused Siri could redefine how users find information, products, and services—shifting search and ad engagement from text to voice. For marketers and advertisers, this means adapting quickly to a world where voice agents become the new gatekeepers of attention.

The smart home wars are shifting from hardware and voice assistants to AI strategy. In back-to-back announcements this week, Google and Amazon introduced the next phase of connected devices with AI front and center. Both companies are racing to turn smart speakers and displays into AI hubs and ad ecosystems. Marketers should start testing conversational ads, commerce integrations, and context-driven experiences on both platforms as usage scales and the next dominant household gatekeeper takes shape.

Meta will begin using conversations with its AI assistant to personalize ads and feeds across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp starting December 16. The change represents Meta’s most aggressive AI monetization effort to date, moving beyond likes and follows to conversational intent—a richer, real-time signal of consumer interest. Regulators are already raising alarms about surveillance and privacy. With 98% of Meta’s revenues tied to ads, even small gains could shift billions.

Reddit’s blowout Q1 shows ad momentum: With strong midmarket traction and AI tools scaling, its business model is leveling up.