Thanksgiving store closures return thanks to shifting consumer habits: Increasing online shopping and earlier deal-seeking, plus criticism over opening on Thanksgiving Day, could lead many retailers to forgo the trend for good—Target has already committed to doing so.

Brand suitability tools give advertisers some power back as targeting restrictions tighten: They are no substitute for true targeting tools, but they offer marketers a bit more control over the context of their ad placements.

TikTok’s new report on teen safety is part of an ongoing effort by the app to ease scrutiny: After Instagram’s bombshell report about teen health earlier this year, platforms like TikTok and Snap are racing to show regulators, users, and advertisers that they don’t share the same issues.

Activision Blizzard faces calls from fans, shareholders, and industry figures for its CEO to resign: Widespread backlash against the gaming company suggests that consumers are paying more attention to corporate social responsibility and ethics.

Instacart delays IPO plans to focus on broadening services: The company believes it may generate as much as $10 billion to $20 billion in annual revenues from its retail media network in the coming years.

Billions of dollars from SoftBank, others are poised to transform India’s digital economy: Broader 4G coverage, along with regulatory challenges tied to operating in China, increasingly make India a land of market opportunity.

Google’s $2.8 billion EU antitrust fine is the latest in a wave of action against Big Tech: The search giant and other major tech firms face criticism across the globe for anti-competitive search practices, and new regulation could forever change their hold on digital markets.

European advertisers may face the brunt of the GDPR soon: With the IAB Europe's consent framework likely to be found in breach of the privacy regulations, marketers will need to scramble for alternatives.

WhatsApp chases Discord's success with Communities feature: The platform's upcoming tools could help create intimate, niche communities—a formula for high engagement and brand interest.

Riot Games’ launch of its animated series “Arcane” shows the importance of meeting fans where they are: The developer’s Netflix-exclusive show will be promoted across all of its video games and will premiere live on Twitch.

Nike files to trademark virtual goods as metaverse inches closer to reality: Many companies have already begun experimenting with branded digital items, but some are starting to take it more seriously as buzz around the metaverse intensifies.

Shopify’s cross-border features show it’s shifting away from smaller sellers: The platform rose to popularity in part due to supporting mom-and-pops, but its newest international-focused features show it’s going all in on its biggest clients.

Here’s what the data suggests regarding a return to in-person events: many business travelers are cautiously weighing travel opportunities versus the often mixed bag that is virtual events.

Podcasting is majorly boosting Spotify's ad biz: Ad revenues are up 75% year over year as the audio giant's investments in podcasting finally begin to pay off.

Big Tech invests heavily in sustainability as consumer and regulator concerns ramp up: Apple and Amazon announced progress toward their environmental initiatives ahead of a United Nations climate change conference.

Faze Clan's public offering will be a proving ground for public creator economy companies: The organization started in 2010—before influencers and creators were the norm—and its market performance could foreshadow similar moves from newer companies.

Snap misses Q3 revenue goal by $3 million, citing iOS privacy changes: The platform’s bottom line was affected by supply chain issues and changes to app tracking via Apple, foreshadowing a rough quarter for other social platforms.

After mostly missing out on a year of holiday fun, data shows that US consumers are excited to get back into the swing of things this year.

Spotify’s video podcasting push could bring in more users and marketers: Podcasts are already gaining steam with both groups, and video will help make the medium—and ads in it—even more engaging.

YouTube is carving into social commerce and TV measurement: The platform is leveraging both its deep pool of creators and large TV-based audience to get a leg up on competitors.