Facebook is still the king of social commerce in the US. More than 60% of US social media users ages 14 and older will make a purchase via the platform this year, and about 40% will do so via its sister app Instagram. TikTok will grow the fastest in this regard, drawing nearly one-quarter of social buyers in that age group.

While Amazon Prime Day was bigger than ever this year, one key category took a hit. Electronics sales decreased by 5% from last Prime Day, while growth shot past 25% in home, garden, and tools, as well as in beauty and health.

Among US podcast ads, pre-roll spots generated about 5% more website visits during Q2 than those in the middle of an episode. While that margin is fairly slim, both placements produced better results than post-roll, likely because earlier spots catch listeners before they drop off.

Nearly $2 billion in US out-of-home (OOH) ad spend went to billboards in Q2, accounting for about three-fourths of OOH. That said, billboards’ share decreased by 9 percentage points with that money going to transit as commuters return to buses and trains.

Google and Meta have maintained a steady lead in digital ad revenues worldwide, ahead of the likes of Amazon, Twitter, and Snapchat. But that's not without their own growing pains. Both Meta and Google saw revenues dip by several billion dollars in Q1 of this year. Still, the companies are tens of billions of dollars ahead of triopoly competitor, Amazon, in digital ad revenues.

For one-third of US digital buyers, Prime Day offered an opportunity to finally click purchase on lower-priced items. But for 28%, inflation had the opposite effect, leading them to pass on deals that weren’t a necessity.

Instacart jumped from 10.2% of US digital grocery sales in 2019 to 21.5% in 2020, taking over share as people pivoted to online grocery deliveries. Walmart has had the highest digital grocery share since 2020, which put it in good shape this past earnings season when consumers cut back on superfluous spending and sought grocery savings.

Across the board, links in creator bios are the most popular form of TikTok creator marketing. Duets and stitches, where creator content and brand content are joined in the same video, are also popular among mid-size businesses. This type of content, which is relatively inexpensive but requires original content in addition to creator content, ranks lower with small and large businesses.

Shipments of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices will increase more than sixfold worldwide over the next four years, from 14.3 million this year to 87.7 million in 2026.

Peloton’s adult user base in the US is still expanding, but year-over-year growth will continue to decelerate from its record high of 115.3% in 2020. From next year through 2026, growth will slow to single digits.

TikTok’s influencer marketing takeover is nothing short of astounding. In 2019, the app accounted for 2.3% of US spending on creator campaigns. This year, TikTok’s share will reach 15.5%, beating Facebook’s 14.8%. Instagram will remain on top with 44.7%.

In 2026, the number of internet of things (IoT) mobile connections worldwide will more than double from 2021. The markets that are driving growth include China, Western Europe, and North America.

Brands working with influencers are focused on generating interactions and leads. More than 60% of US social media marketers partner with creators primarily to foster engagement, and roughly the same share do so to reach new audiences.

For most internet users in the US, online orders typically come in two to three days—a delivery time popularized by Amazon’s Prime program. Just 3% of internet users are used to same-day delivery, which is increasingly offered by nongrocery retailers as well.

US back-to-college retail spending will reach a new high of $73.9 billion this year, beating last year’s record of $71.0 billion and eclipsing the pre-pandemic figure of $54.5 billion in 2019.

The cost of school supplies is weighing heavily on US parents. Between May and June, 40% of those planning to do back-to-school shopping considered it a significant concern in their budget, compared with 30% last August. Meanwhile, 19% said they could not afford it, up from 14%.

More than half of US adults shop online at least once a week, and 16% do so at least once a day. Overall, online shopping is on the rise and moving to mobile.

US banking digital ad spend will hit $13.54 billion in 2022, up 20.4% year over year. Growth was even faster in 2021, when banks anticipated an upswing in consumer spend. In the coming years, growth will decelerate but remain in the double digits.

Content creators offer brands the opportunity to advertise in an inexpensive, targeted, and authentic way on social media. In order to focus on authenticity, US social media marketers are most inclined to hire creators for educational content, testimonials, and product unboxings, which allow followers to learn and discover alongside their favorite influencers.

More than anything else, cash-back credit card customers want security and control. Free identity theft insurance and Social Security number monitoring are by far the most valued features among potential users of these cards in the US. These consumers also look for ease of earning and redeeming rewards.