2025 is the year marketers will get serious about the creator economy, according to our analyst Jasmine Enberg.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how TikTok Shop has changed the way people shop on social media, how the brands who sell on the platform will be impacted if TikTok goes away, and what they should be thinking about next. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Principal Analyst Sky Canaves and Vice President and Principal Analyst Jasmine Enberg.

59% of US shoppers are most influenced by honest creator reviews that showcase the pros and cons of a product, according to a September 2024 survey by Bazaarvoice and Savanta.

Instead of casting a wide net on social platforms and pursuing the creators with the highest follower accounts, marketers are now more focused on resonating with the right audience.

Not everyone gets news from creators and influencers. But alternative voices, especially podcasters, hold a lot of sway over key demographics, including Gen Z, men, and consumers who feel marginalized by mainstream media.

Snapchat launches ‘Find Your Favorites’ campaign: Creator-focused strategy aims to grow engagement and revenue amid TikTok's uncertain US future.

Beauty’s run of strong retail sales growth is winding down, but new audiences and sales channels will offer opportunities for savvy brands and retailers to regain momentum.

The loss of TikTok in the US would cause a ripple effect across the media, marketing, and commerce landscape. Meta and YouTube stand to gain the most, but there is a long list of other winners—and losers.

3 2024 retail misconceptions: Retail media, QR codes, and microcommunities Brands and retailers got a lot right in 2024. Commerce media expanded further into non-retail channels like payments and travel. Brands found their own voices on TikTok. And in-person events helped drive traffic to stores. But the year also came with a number of lessons for retail. Here are three misconceptions retail experts noticed in 2024, and how brands can get them right in the 12 months ahead.

Physical campuses for creators set to return: These spaces could offer creators and brands opportunities to collaborate and learn as the industry professionalizes.

As social media strengthens its grip on consumers’ digital lives in 2025, political polarization, regulation, and a desire for deeper personalization will shake up the landscape.

2024 was a year of legitimacy for the creator economy. 2025 will be a year of professionalization, as creator content scales beyond social media and marketers focus on proving the ROI of their growing influencer marketing investments.

Snap’s play for adrift creators: A simplified payment program could entice creators who are left stranded by a TikTok ban.

News influencers are overwhelmingly male and lean right-wing: Brands looking for creators have to carefully pick apart values to ensure an ideological match.

Social commerce is gaining momentum in the UK—with sales set to double by 2028—as major brands join TikTok and as more people shop on social platforms.

The phrase “retail apocalypse” once dominated industry conversation, Ethan Chernofsky, senior vice president of marketing at Placer.ai said during the EMARKETER Summit on November 1.

Companies large and small will net hundreds of billions in US incremental ecommerce and digital ad dollars in the next two years. Who will be the big winners?

Affiliate marketing shifts to creator-driven strategies: Influencers bring engagement and trust to brand partnerships.

Gen Z is looking for “besties,” said speakers at ZCON, a conference featuring Gen Z speakers, creators, marketers, and business leaders. Speakers and attendees emphasized connections, personal branding on social media, platforms for networking, and more. Here are four takeaways from the event.

Influencer marketing is a natural way to reach Gen Z: Gen Zers rely on influencers far more than millennials do, per GoDaddy.