Alibaba released two cutting-edge additions to its Qwen 3 large language model (LLM) that are ripe for enterprise application.Qwen3-Omni gives enterprises a rare mix of flexibility, cost savings, and global reach that many proprietary models can’t match. Qwen3-Max could push Alibaba into the frontier of agentic AI, combining massive scale with code-generation tools that could rival other developer-first models. For CMOs, Qwen3-Omni’s multilingual and multimodal skills could power richer customer interactions and unlock real-time insights from video, audio, and text data.

Shoppers are using AI tools at a high rate but are split on brands’ use of AI-generated content and whether companies are delivering on customer experience promises. Half (52%) of consumers are excited by the idea of having an AI agent shop on their behalf, per VML. Nearly two-thirds (63%) say AI-powered personalization helps them discover new products, but 45% think brands are still failing to tailor recommendations effectively. Brands can keep shoppers engaged by demonstrating AI’s value in tangible ways—like smarter recommendations and smoother checkout—rather than relying on broad claims of AI integration.

Our third annual Path to Purchase survey looks at how consumers discover, research, and ultimately purchase new brands and products.

In-store retail media is Europe’s next big ad opportunity. But as retailers digitize stores, standardization and measurement challenges are dragging advertiser adoption.

The news: Online retail traffic from generative AI (genAI) sources is exploding, highlighting how AI tools are intercepting and guiding the product search journey. GenAI traffic to US retail sites grew 4,700% YoY in July, per Adobe Digital Insights. 38% of US consumers have used genAI for shopping, and another 52% plan to do so this year. Our take: Brands need to market to both machines and people to avoid being excluded from AI results. Success will involve understanding how models interpret product data and reviews and aligning messaging with the signals AI uses to index and recommend products.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how the world’s largest online retailer is weathering tariffs so far, the biggest takeaway from Prime Day, and why Amazon’s AI future could be wearables. Join our conversation with Senior Director of Podcasts and host, Marcus Johnson, Senior Director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, and Analyst, Rachel Wolff. Listen everywhere you find podcasts and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

The situation: Amazon and Google, once bound by a symbiotic relationship in which Amazon funneled ad dollars into Google Search and Google indexed Amazon’s pages, are now veering toward open conflict as generative AI (genAI) blurs the lines between ecommerce, advertising, and search. Both companies are determined to own the entire journey from discovery to checkout, and that ambition is unraveling what remains of their former détente. Our take: Amazon and Google are racing to define where and how consumers discover and buy products in the genAI era. If Amazon succeeds in walling off its marketplace data and steering shoppers to its own AI interfaces, the retail landscape could splinter into walled gardens where tech giants cooperate far less. That winner‑takes‑all dynamic might suit the victors, but it risks degrading the overall consumer experience with fewer choices and less transparent pricing. At the same time, it could lead brands and retailers into a margin‑sapping race to the bottom inside whichever closed ecosystem proves most dominant.

The news: President Donald Trump signed an executive order to close the so-called de minimis trade loophole, which allows foreign packages valued under $800 to enter the US tariff-free. Effective August 29, all shipments under that threshold—regardless of origin—will be subject to duties based on value and country of origin. The White House already ended the exemption for packages from China and Hong Kong on May 2. Our take: Eliminating the de minimis exemption levels the playing field between international ecommerce sellers and domestic retailers—but could also drive up prices for consumers.

In this podcast episode, we discuss Amazon’s yearly discount sales drive, Prime Day, and how it morphed into a 4-day shopping spree, the number of sales revealed on each day of shopping, how other retailers responded, and what should we expect when the holiday season approaches. Listen to the discussion with Analyst and guest host, Arielle Feger, Senior Analyst Zak Stambor, and Analyst Rachel Wolff.

Though TikTok Shop faces the dual challenges of economic instability and a tenuous presence on US app stores, marketers are still taking advantage of its positioning as both a social platform and ecommerce engine.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our “Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks” series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks” series, which helps retailers and brands calibrate their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks” series, which helps retailers and brands calibrate their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks” series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.​

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks” series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks” series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.​

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks” series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks” series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.