High-quality visuals or graphics would be the highest factor for AI-generated ads to grab the attention of both millennials (45%) and Gen Zers (50%), according to an October survey from Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Sonata Insights. While celebrity or influencer endorsements would be the least effective way to get millennials (12%) and Gen Zers (17%) to take note.

Department stores are the most popular destination for personal luxury goods purchases, with 44.5% of US adults shopping in-person and 33.2% shopping on department store websites or apps, according to “The EMARKETER Luxury Survey” conducted by Bizrate Insights in August 2024.

60% of marketers say AI and machine learning will have the biggest impact on marketing strategies in the next 5 years, according to a November 2024 report from Ascend2.

69.0% of US baby boomers are willing to wait for a worker to unlock a product when they see it in the store, according to Numerator. That figure is much lower for millennials (56.5%) and Gen Zers (57.2%).

Over half of retailer executives say that they implemented a return fee to discourage customers from initiating returns, according to October 2024 data from Optoro. Thirty-nine percent of executives said they launched a fee to discourage excessive or abusive returns, while 20% said it is to make it difficult or discourage customers from returning products.

86% of US adults have used self-checkout, and 70% have used mobile apps for shopping, per a September 2024 study from Morning Consult.

PayPal is the most popular mobile payment app that US adults typically use, with over twice as many users as the next most popular choice, Venmo, according to November 2024 data from YouGov.

41% of US consumers want brands to participate in meme culture and social media trends, according to M Booth. But just 25% want to see brands using popular phrases, expressions, and slang in their content, meaning brands need to be careful their voice doesn’t seem forced or corporate when posting online.

As cookies face an uncertain future, marketing leaders have shifted away from creating data-gathering strategies and are exploring how to better utilize the data they have. In February 2022, 58.3% of CMOs said their company had created a stronger data strategy to capture better information, compared with 41.9% who said the same in September 2024. In addition, fewer CMOs are offering customers incentives to provide access to their data (down more than 8 percentage points).

Over a quarter (27.9%) of US internet users use mobile apps to track their fitness and health, according to October 2024 data from Comscore.

Over half (54%) of US holiday shoppers expect to give clothing or accessories as gifts this year, the most popular gift category, according to a November 2024 survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF) conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics.

Mothers in the US spend over twice as much time on Facebook and Facebook Messenger than they do on TikTok, according to September Comscore data.

Programmatic ad sales on properties owned by digital publishers will reach $22.69 billion by 2027, adding $3.7 billion to where it was in 2022, according to Advertiser Perceptions' "Q4 2024: The State of the Ad Industry" survey.

37% of AI initiatives in the UK and US are run by the CMO or another executive, and 26% by a marketing operations team, per a November report from Invoca.

Limited-time sale pricing was the top factor contributing to US shoppers’ most recent online impulse purchases, according to September 2024 data from Gale Group.

American Airlines earned almost $1 billion in loyalty reward revenues in Q3 2024, which made up over 7.2% of its total operating revenue, according to public filings.

Almost half of adults worldwide (49%) have cut back on nonessential purchases over the last three months due to increasing prices for goods and services, per October data from Boston Consulting Group.

Target’s net sales grew just 0.9% in Q3 2024, well below Walmart’s growth of 5.0% and Amazon’s 8.7%, according to company earnings releases.

68% of US internet users think marketing from national brands with local messaging makes ads more relevant and shows advertisers are investing in local communities, per a study from The Harris Poll and Locality.

US digital media publishers and platforms are split on the difficulties they will face in 2025, according to a September 2024 study from Integral Ad Science and YouGov. Almost a third (29%) cited ads delivered alongside risky content, contextual targeting, monetizing with/without social platforms, and scaled audience extension as major challenges.