At Cannes Lions 2025, commerce media partnerships once again reigned supreme. Once the domain of digital shelf tactics and retail data, commerce media is now reshaping how brands show up across social platforms, connected TV (CTV), and in-store displays. This year’s festival offered a glimpse into a more integrated, AI-driven future—one where conversational ads, programmatic pipes, and real-world touchpoints blur the lines between media and purchase.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how to get folks to buy something they can’t go and see in a store, how D2Cs should be thinking about generative AI, and how one DTC is negotiating the tariff minefield. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Principal Analyst Sky Canaves and CEO and president of Eyebuydirect Sunny Jiang.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss why the new funnel begins at checkout, what kinds of offers customers are most receptive to when getting ready to click the buy button, and how to avoid showing someone something they already have. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Vice President of Content Suzy Davidkhanian, Senior Director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, and Senior Vice President of Solutions and Operations at Rokt Jon Humphrey. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

AI agents are here, but they’ve had little effect on the consumer journey so far. That should change by the end of 2028.

Our exclusive survey data reveals what’s shaping US banking consumers’ customer journeys today. Banks can use these five charts to identify opportunities to improve customer acquisition and retention.

On this podcast episode, we explore the deployment of AI in payments in 2024. First, we discuss the most impactful use cases for AI in payments, such as fraud detection and prevention, false declines and purchase conversion, B2B payments, enhanced customer service, and digital wallets. In our "For Argument’s Sake" segment, we rank these use cases in order of impact and debate our decisions. Join the conversation with host Rob Rubin, our analyst David Morris, and Angela Murphy, PhD, client partner at Persistent Systems.

On today's podcast episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss how purchase data can inform campaigns, the importance of real-time information, and what retail media networks are missing. Then, for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank the most exciting retail media tech advances happening right now. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analyst Arielle Feger and Damian Garbaccio, chief business and marketing officer at Affinity Solutions.

Key stat: 31.5% of US shoppers who discovered an item in-store purchased it right away, per an Insider Intelligence survey.

How does social media influence Gen Z’s customer journey?

How do consumers discover, evaluate, and purchase new brands and products?

Casper’s subway ads give commuters fun puzzles to solve while increasing its brand awareness. Albertsons Companies leverages a game to entice consumers to play for discounts and rewards. And Nike’s mobile app earns the brand a spot in consumers’ everyday lives. Here are five ways brands are embracing gamification across different stages.

Marketers have a wealth of opportunities throughout the buyer’s journey to leverage generative AI. Here's how to use it effectively at each stage of the customer life cycle.

For real this time: Elon Musk is buying Twitter for $44 billion after backing out of the deal and engaging in a public dispute that put personnel and shareholders through the wringer.

Rapidly shifting customer expectations, disruption from new entrants, and new risks and coverage needs threaten to turn the property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry on its head. But insurers that digitally transform can come out on top.

See where US consumers want to earn rewards

This report will guide marketers through a customer journey mapping exercise and explore why and how different content can be implemented throughout the life cycle.