US retailers and wholesalers grew total media ad spending 13.9% in H1 2025, but growth slowed to 6.9% in H2 2025, according to a January report from MediaRadar.

This FAQ addresses how AI fits into customer experience strategy in 2026.

Growing consumer restraint, severe weather, and income stress combine to delay discretionary purchases.

Our analysts (or “bakers”) will compete in a Great British Bake Off–style episode, discussing how the digital shelf for ecommerce will adapt to speak to AI audiences and how retailers will counter AI’s rise by connecting with customers IRL. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Senior Analyst Blake Droesch.

Visa and Mastercard reached a new settlement with merchants to lower fees in the US this November—another attempt to end a roughly 20-year fight in the courts, per SEC filings. The modest interchange reductions and new ability to steer customers away from higher-fee cards offer meaningful cost relief for small and midsize retailers that consumers may be more willing to support by using another card. However, those concessions are unlikely to move the needle for large national chains. They don’t materially change their economics, nor do they address the fundamental issue that networks and issuers still hold most of the pricing power.

This year, media and entertainment brands will spend nearly twice as much on linear TV ads (10.0%) as they will on over-the-top (OTT) streaming services (5.4%), according to MediaRadar data and an August 2025 EMARKETER forecast.

Visa and Mastercard reached a settlement with merchants to lower interchange fees in the US, ending a 20-year battle in the courts, per SEC filings. The networks will lower their average effective interchange rate by 0.1 percentage point for five years and cap standard US credit rates at 125 basis points. Small businesses trying to maximize their bottom lines by declining premium cards need to incentivize their consumers to switch to a compatible payment method. Offering discounts or loyalty programs contingent on standard credit cards, debit, or cash can help mitigate dissatisfaction while changing their consumers’ payment behavior patterns.

This sponsored article by Fetch will explore AI in the consumer goods sector.

Commercetools has debuted Cora, an AI shopping assistant that enables conversational commerce directly on retailers’ sites. Available in preview, Cora interprets natural language queries (e.g., “a red dress under $150”) and maintains context across devices, guiding users through search, filtering, and checkout. Unlike static chat widgets or keyword search, Cora reduces friction in the path to purchase by making AI a functional part of the shopping journey. The white-label model helps brands retain control and identity while tapping into Commercetools’ infrastructure—positioning Cora as both a conversion tool and a brand-safe alternative to third-party discovery engines.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the unofficial list of the most interesting retailers for the month of September, with a twist. This month ‘The Committee’ (Arielle Feger, Becky Schilling, and Emmy Liederman) put together a very unofficial list of the top eight most interesting back-to-college campaigns and activations. In this month’s episode, Committee members Analyst, Arielle Feger and Senior Director of Content, Becky Schilling will defend their list against Analyst, Rachel Wolff and Senior Analyst, Blake Droesch, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.

Google is rolling out new ad tools for AI Overviews targeting retailers in a bid to curb concerns about AI responses’ impact on referral traffic and clickthrough rates (CTRs), per a blog post. Giving retailers more opportunities to show up prominently in AI results could curb worries about AI Overviews cannibalizing CTRs and traffic, but brands still need to adapt to the rise of AI responses to remain competitive.

Google and commerce media company Criteo announced an onsite retail media integration on Tuesday, marking the first of its kind for Google and opening opportunities for brands across digital commerce. Criteo and Google’s integration provides clear direction for advertisers struggling to capitalize on retail media’s potential, offering a seamless ecosystem that will connect brands with customers likely to take action.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the unofficial list of the most interesting retailers for the month of July. Each month, our analysts Arielle Feger, Becky Schilling, and Vice President of Content and guest host, Suzy Davidkhanian (aka The Committee) put together a very unofficial list of the top eight retailers they're watching based on which are making the most interesting moves: Who's launching new initiatives? Which partnerships are moving the needle? Which standout marketing campaigns are being created? In this month's episode, Committee members Arielle Feger and Suzy Davidkhanian will defend their list against Senior Analyst Blake Droesch, and Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.

The insights: Electric vehicle owners are ideal targets for out-of-home (OOH) advertising and foot traffic. Chargers bring in foot traffic to surrounding areas. Half (50%) of EV drivers go grocery shopping while waiting for their vehicles to charge, per a JOLT Audience Insights survey in Australia. Our take: Here’s how retailers, brands, and advertisers can get ahead in this space: Install charging stations outside brick-and-mortar locations to capitalize on both foot traffic and OOH ads. Add QR codes to EV charger advertising that provide discounts to nearby or online businesses. Offer store credits or gift cards that cover the cost of charging fees to boost loyalty and word-of-mouth referrals.

The news: President Donald Trump signed the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins Act, known by its shorthand as the GENIUS Act, during a White House ceremony on Friday. Our take: The GENIUS Act ushers in the clarity and legitimacy sought after by crypto players and traditional FIs alike.

Believe it or not, the year is already halfway over. For advertisers, it's been a whirlwind with economic upheaval, massive AI adoption, Google upending search, and working hard to understand Gen Z. Oh, and remember when TikTok went dark for a weekend?

Tariff uncertainty puts retailers in a tough spot: Merchants are rushing to import goods, risking excess inventory, shortages, or mismatches with consumer preferences.

On Monday, US and Chinese officials reportedly announced a significant reduction of the recent tariffs that have led to economic uncertainty around the world.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the unofficial list of the most interesting retailers for the month of April. Each month, our analysts Arielle Feger, Becky Schilling, and Sara Lebow (aka The Committee) put together a very unofficial list of the top eight retailers they're watching based on which are making the most interesting moves: Who's launching new initiatives? Which partnerships are moving the needle? Which standout marketing campaigns are being created? In this month's episode, Committee members Analysts Arielle Feger and Sara Lebow will defend their list against Vice President of Content Suzy Davidkhanian and Senior Analyst Blake Droesch, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss (now that tariffs are here), how they’re impacting consumer behavior, some unexpected outcomes, and the numbers that will guide retailers in the months ahead. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Analyst Rachel Wolff and Senior Analyst Zak Stambor.