Meta’s global ad marketplace is splitting into two distinct cost curves. According to new Emplifi data, retail CPCs nearly doubled from $0.16 to $0.32 over the past year, while ecommerce CPCs fell from $0.23 to $0.19 as Meta’s AI optimization drove sharper efficiencies. The overall median CPC declined from $0.19 to $0.15, indicating advertisers aren’t cutting spend—they’re reallocating as automation improves returns. Retail’s mixed online–offline goals make optimization harder, while ecommerce benefits from clearer conversion signals. With Q4 competition intensifying and holiday ecommerce projected to grow 7%, marketers should expect sharper CPC swings and plan for agile bidding, creative iteration, and real-time budget shifts.

WunderKIND Ads announced an integration with Yahoo DSP Thursday that will unlock scalable access to Wunderkind’s connected TV (CTV) pause ad inventory through private marketplace (PMP) deals. Wunderkind’s and Yahoo DSP’s integration delivered a 12.6% lift in purchase intent for what the announcement refers to as a “leading luxury retailer”; an almost 10% lift in brand favorability; and a 28% more cost-effective CPC than the retailer’s holiday average. Those using Yahoo DSP can now take advantage of Wunderkind’s high-performing pause ads, unlocking scalable access to formats proven to lift purchase intent, strengthen brand perception, and drive more efficient results.

Temu and Shein’s ad bidding war drove spending away from search: CPCs spiked after the two retailers claimed in-demand search ad space.

Digital ad spend grows in Q2 2024, says Skai: Retail media leads with 21% YoY increase, despite higher CPC and CPM across channels.

Retail media search is gaining steam while Google and other traditional search players lag. Marketers will grapple with genAI and measurement challenges as they rely more heavily on retailers’ search ad offerings.

Lowe’s teams up with Yahoo to enhance retail media network: The partnership lets advertisers run off-site omnichannel campaigns and improves measurement and attribution.

Advertisers saw higher ROAS from Walmart than Amazon in Q2: But the ecommerce giant continues to attract the lion’s share of retail media spend.

Google’s paid search ads have gotten pricier in the US, with costs per click (CPCs) rising across retail product categories in Q3 2021.

Here’s how publishers are developing and expanding their ecommerce monetization strategies, and how brands and retailers can partner with them to drive purchases in the affiliate channel.

For brands and retailers in some categories, Amazon is a significant channel for ecommerce sales. And that often means paying for prime placement on Amazon properties, including in search results. We estimate Amazon will have earned 72% of its $9.85 billion in net US digital ad revenues from search ads in 2019.

This StatPack provides a visual overview of trends in display, video and mobile ads bought programmatically, both in the US and worldwide.