55% of US agency and marketing decision-makers expect AI to improve retail media by offering greater insights and recommendations, according to a July 2024 study from Quartile and NewtonX.

Google will fall below a 50% share of the US search advertising market next year for the first time since we started tracking it in 2008, per our forecast. It’s a pivotal time for paid search, with Google’s ad dominance threatened by generative AI, social media, retail media, and lawsuits. Meanwhile, ad-averse consumers are becoming hesitant to click search ads. Here are four trends our exclusive KPI data reveal about Google, retail media, and the future of paid search.

59% of US consumers want details on costs and promotions from a commerce video ad, according to July 2024 data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau in partnership with Alter Agents. Nearly as many (58%) want clear product demos and details.

To take on retail media giants like Amazon and Walmart Connect, smaller networks need to constantly show what sets them apart and step up their media game.

Spend from current retail media network (RMN) advertisers is showing signs of cooling, forcing RMNs to look to non-endemic advertisers outside their existing ad networks for new ad dollars.

Publicis acquires Mars United Commerce: The deal strengthens holding company’s ability to offer commerce media solutions.

Pure-play advertising fuels US ad growth: Recurring events like the Olympics drive spending, but the market is steadily expanding even without them.

“In 2022, retail media hit the first of many milestones when it became the fastest US ad channel to eclipse $30 billion in spending—nearly twice as quickly as it took social media,” our analyst Max Willens said on a recent Meet the Analyst webinar. “That was just the start.”

Last week, retail marketplaces Thrive Market and Faire joined the growing number of retail media.

Consumers may be concerned about the economy, but the outlook is good for ad spend in the final months of 2024. The share of advertisers concerned about a slowing US economy dropped 11 percentage points (from 49% to 38%) between November 2023 and August 2024, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). Retail media’s popularity, an influx of value-based messaging, high political ad spend, and connected TV (CTV) monetization will boost the ad industry the rest of 2024.

Marketers project Q4 revenue gains: Sales to outpace ad spend growth, driven by focus on more efficient spending strategies.

Kroger benefited from shoppers’ deal-seeking behaviors in Q2: Despite a difficult operating environment, the grocer won over consumers with lower prices and expanded private label selections.

Ad spend continues to grow faster than the GDP, fueled in no small part by connected TV (CTV), retail media, social media, and search.

Two in three advertisers don’t plan to invest in new retail media networks (RMNs) in the next couple of years, according to Association of National Advertisers (ANA) data. “The majority of dollars used to fund investments in retail media are being borrowed from existing budgets within advertisers’ organizations,” said our analyst Sarah Marzano.

Ad spending on retail media will increase by more than $75 billion by 2028. To take advantage of this opportunity, retailers must understand advertisers' top priorities and be prepared to address their challenges.

In August, brands got physical, with Olipop entering a new stadium, Nordstrom inking a deal with Rihanna, and Walmart growing with nonendemic retail media opportunities. Others took a more digital approach, making shopping more seamless on social media sites and AI-powered search. Here are the moves that made our analysts name eight brands to our unofficial most interesting list in August. 

US ad market grows 14% YoY in July: While spending continues, the industry remains cautious amid economic uncertainties and election-year volatility.

Coupons play a bigger role in purchasing decisions as consumers become increasingly value-conscious. More than a quarter (26%) of US adults are using more coupons this year because of the state of the economy, according to July 2024 data by Prosper Insights & Analytics and the National Retail Federation. Here are five stats to better understand how and where consumers are seeking savings.

Lowe’s retail media network rebrand isn’t signaling a new identity, but a confirmation of the relationship it's built with its advertising partners.

Nearly two-thirds (66%) of US data and ad professionals have adopted data clean rooms as a result of privacy legislation and/or signal loss, according to February 2024 data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and BWG Strategy. Since data is at the core of retail media success, enabling brands to target and measure campaigns more accurately, it’s not surprising that data clean rooms have come into play.