The CPG industry will increase its investments in digital advertising this year as strong sales of essential goods and personal care products—particularly on ecommerce platforms—gave advertisers reasons to keep spending during the pandemic.

Subscriptions like Netflix and Spotify have successfully transformed the way people engage with media, but retail subscriptions are yet to transform the way people shop. So far, retail subscription boxes have seen momentum within the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) category—think companies like Blue Apron, Dollar Shave Club and Birchbox. Despite the waves these companies have made, are consumers actually ready to automate their purchases of everyday goods?

According to a January 2019 survey from influencer marketing agency Mediakix, 61% of US marketers agreed that it’s difficult to find the right influencers for a campaign. And more than one in four US marketers said that brand safety and alignment was a challenge when it comes to influencer marketing.

With its increased investment in Instagram Stories, Benefit plans to focus on both organic and paid content in 2019. And rising usage in swipe-up behavior—when a user swipes up on stories content and is taken to a landing page on the brand's website—is opening the door to new opportunities.

Amazon might not be the first retailer that comes to mind for health, personal care and beauty products, but it's the third-fastest-growing category by our estimates. We forecast that Amazon's US sales of those products will reach $16 billion this year, a 37.9% increase over 2017.

In a physical retail environment, packaging continues to influence consumers' purchasing decisions. This is not just from a design or visual standpoint, but also from a desire for more information.

Laura Brinker, vice president of beauty brand partnerships at Influenster, explains why the influencer market has evolved toward microinfluencers, and why influencer marketing is here to stay.