On today’s podcast episode, we present our “Unofficial Monthly Retailer Awards” (UMRAs) for September. The awards include “Most Impactful Campaign,” “Best IRL Initiative,” and “Greatest Under-the-Radar Move.” Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian; Senior Analysts Arielle Feger and Rachel Wolff; and Senior Director of Content Becky Schilling.

Commerce media’s inherited advantage is reaching its limits. The next phase depends on earning consumer attention and advertiser demand, even as conversational commerce reshapes the high-intent ad model that fueled its rise.

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss how using AI could actually hurt a brand’s reputation, when consumers may feel deceived if they discover AI was involved, and the kinds of AI use people are most likely to find offensive. Are we entering a world where the question isn’t “Can AI do this?” but “Will our customers think less of us if they know we used AI to do it?” Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Analyst Grace Harmon and Senior Analyst Asa Hiken. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

Agentic commerce has moved from buzzword to balance sheet, and the numbers prove it. AI-driven commerce is projected to grow from under $50 billion this year to nearly $300 billion by 2030, rising from roughly 3% to 15% of total US e-commerce sales.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss what back-to-school tells us about the holiday shopper, ways AI could show up during holiday shopping, and one holiday change retailers still have time to make to their digital marketing, promotional, or customer-experience strategy. Tune in for a discussion featuring Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Senior Analyst Arielle Feger.

On today’s podcast, we discuss how David’s Bridal is expanding across the wedding journey—from new services and revenue streams to different retail formats—while staying grounded in what customers actually want. What does it take to earn permission to enter new categories, stand out in a crowded market, and use customer insight to shape where a business grows next?

On today’s podcast, we discuss what “kidulting” actually means, why toy companies are paying so much more attention to this consumer now, and what non-toy brands can learn from this trend. Tune in for a discussion featuring Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, along with Senior Analyst Carina Lamb and Principal Analyst Zak Stambor.

On today’s podcast episode, we present our “Unofficial Monthly Retailer Awards” (UMRAs) for August, focusing on Back-to-School activations. The awards include “Most Impactful Campaign,” “Best IRL Initiative,” and “Greatest Under-the-Radar Move.” Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian; Senior Analysts Arielle Feger and Carina Lamb; and Principal Analyst Sarah Marzano.

On today’s podcast, we discuss why shopping still feels so disconnected when brands and retailers know so much about us, what’s changed most about what consumers expect from brands today, and what brands should be building now to be ready for people shopping on their own—some using AI assistants, with some purchases becoming fully agentic. Tune in for a conversation featuring Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Keith Lehman, Global Marketing Director for Digital Commerce and Retail Media at Colgate-Palmolive.

Last November, we identified 11 trends we expected to shape the business landscape in 2026. Our Trends 2026 update reveals where expectations are holding, where surprises have emerged, and what businesses should watch through year-end.

On today’s podcast, we discuss how Bombas has held onto its purpose as it has scaled, what separates partnerships that last from those that are simply campaigns, and the signals that tell Soles4Souls when a company is genuinely committed versus just checking a box. Tune in for a conversation featuring Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Buddy Teaster, President and CEO of Soles4Souls, and Kelly Cobb, VP of Impact at Bombas.

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss what’s driving the current surge in interest in health wearables, which wearable health metrics are reliable enough for clinical decision-making, the leading devices on the market, and how AI is helping transform them into comprehensive digital health hubs. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Analysts Rajiv Leventhal and Beth Snyder Bulik, as they explore these topics. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

As brands strive to create lasting connections with interested consumers, Playtex Sport is counting on active creators to reach those who will care the most and drive sales to retailers.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the three biggest questions surrounding Google right now: Is Google spending too much in the AI race? Will the company finally rationalize its AI product naming conventions? And what will the next phase of YouTube's growth look like? Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Principal Analyst Nate Elliott and Analyst Marisa Jones. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Advertisers are underinvesting in channels they believe would pay off because they can't prove the return. That measurement gap is pushing marketers toward the one channel that may have solved it: mobile. Many are now applying mobile marketing measurement methods to their other channels, according to a recent EMARKETER and AppsFlyer study. Nearly six in 10 marketers (58.6%) say their organizations are likely underinvesting in profitable channels because those channels require better measurement, per the May survey. Channels cited by the most marketers as blind spots were social media (named by 50.3%) and connected TV/streaming (47.1%).

A friend's word still carries the most weight with holiday shoppers. But a close second is something brands rarely offer on their own: an honest account of a product's flaws. Some 41.9% of consumers said a trusted friend's or family member's recommendation made them feel confident in their last holiday purchase, according to a new survey of 1,001 US adults by EMARKETER and Reddit. Right behind that, 26.0% pointed to an honest discussion of a product's downsides alongside its strengths, ahead of expert reviews (18.7%) and influencer endorsements (12.6%). Shoppers are less interested in being sold to than in watching someone work through the tradeoffs.

On today’s podcast, we go beyond the headlines to explore what’s driving the latest wave of GLP-1 momentum, why this represents a lasting shift rather than just another healthcare trend, the biggest misconception retailers still have about how these drugs are changing consumer behavior, and which parts of the retail playbook need to be rewritten as consumers change how they eat, shop, and live. Tune in for a discussion featuring Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, along with Senior Analysts Rajiv Leventhal and Rachel Wolff.

Third-party marketplaces concentrate most of the world's online shopping, and the model keeps expanding: social platforms now run marketplaces, US retailers are opening their marketplaces to international shoppers, and Latin America has become the most contested battleground. This FAQ covers how marketplace power is distributed, where the growth is, and what sellers should do about it in 2026.

Rather than creating an out-of-home (OOH) campaign designed to generate social media buzz, travel app Skyscanner did the reverse: It turned an already-viral TikTok moment into a real-world brand experience. The company recently installed a billboard in the baggage claim area of San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, riffing on the viral "First time in San Juan, mi hijo?" audio created by Pittsburgh comedian Bill Stiteler (@saxboybilly18), which continues to soundtrack vacation videos, travel recaps and Puerto Rico getaways across TikTok. The billboard greets arriving visitors with the message: "First time in San Juan, mi hijo? Next time, compare flights and save 30% on average."

On today’s podcast, we discuss how infrequent big-ticket brands can stay part of the conversation and maintain relevance between purchases, what separates a partnership that’s simply marketing from one that truly strengthens a brand, and what it means for brands to earn a place in consumers’ initial consideration set as more people discover brands through AI instead of traditional search. Tune in to hear a discussion featuring Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Analyst Rachel Wolff, and Saatva CMO Joe McCambley.