As commerce media ad spend shifts, clear gaps emerge in buyer maturity and execution. From setup friction to system-level optimization, spend levels signal today’s constraints and what it takes to unlock scalable growth.

Industry KPI data shows arts and entertainment ROAS peaked in late Q3, with awards buzz lifting efficiency early.

Meta's Q4 revenues jumped 24%, but massive AI capex made it one of its costliest quarters.

Mexico’s digital ad market is rapidly transforming as new formats, channels, and players emerge. Understanding the local market forces, challenges, and opportunities driving these shifts is vital to staying competitive.

Brazil’s digital ad market continues to transform as new formats, channels, and players emerge. Understanding the local market forces, challenges, and opportunities driving these shifts is vital to staying competitive in the country’s fast-evolving landscape.

This FAQ addresses how retail media works, who the major players are, and what marketers should consider when allocating budgets.

Agencies are increasingly acting as commerce media guides, helping brands move past outdated structures, sort through measurement standards, and bring AI into their planning. While commerce media networks (CMNs) have expanded to capture more than just retail media dollars, the silos between brand, retail, and sales teams make integration a challenge.

46% of worldwide marketing decision-makers say reaching their target audience is the biggest challenge when advertising on social media, according to a March survey from DoubleVerify and Sapio Research.

Meta’s global ad marketplace is splitting into two distinct cost curves. According to new Emplifi data, retail CPCs nearly doubled from $0.16 to $0.32 over the past year, while ecommerce CPCs fell from $0.23 to $0.19 as Meta’s AI optimization drove sharper efficiencies. The overall median CPC declined from $0.19 to $0.15, indicating advertisers aren’t cutting spend—they’re reallocating as automation improves returns. Retail’s mixed online–offline goals make optimization harder, while ecommerce benefits from clearer conversion signals. With Q4 competition intensifying and holiday ecommerce projected to grow 7%, marketers should expect sharper CPC swings and plan for agile bidding, creative iteration, and real-time budget shifts.

As CTV investment accelerates, so does scrutiny. Marketers face pressure to validate every ad dollar, yet measurement across connected TV (CTV) remains fractured and disconnected from the outcomes that matter: Sales.

Latin America’s digital ad market is transforming as new formats, channels, and players emerge. Understanding the market forces, challenges, and opportunities driving these shifts is key to staying competitive in this fast-evolving landscape.

Perplexity is taking a step back from its advertising initiatives amid struggles to monetize AI search. Marketers should pause planned investments in AI search until search ads are measurable and proven to be effective. AI adoption may be growing, but there remains no clear evidence that ad formats in AI search provide returns.

In-store retail media is Europe’s next big ad opportunity. But as retailers digitize stores, standardization and measurement challenges are dragging advertiser adoption.

The news: Meta and Google still account for 88% of mobile ad spending despite shifting user habits, per a Moloco report. But while advertiser attention remains firmly focused on Big Tech, those that diversify their media mix could increase financial returns as much as 214%. Our take: As audiences become fragmented across social media, advertisers are increasingly faced with the need to look beyond the big players—but with big tech still commanding attention, a balanced approach is key.

Reddit posted a standout Q2 2025, with revenues jumping 78% year-over-year to $500 million—including $465 million in ad revenue, up 84%. Net income reached $89 million with strong EBITDA and free cash flow. Global DAUs grew 21% to 110.4 million, and US ARPU climbed 59% to $7.87, signaling improved monetization. Reddit is now a billion-dollar US ad business a year ahead of forecasts, driven by growth in AI ad tools. Yet challenges remain: Reddit still holds only 1.1% of US social ad spend and relies heavily on Google Search traffic. Sustaining growth means reshaping advertiser perception and boosting direct engagement.

Samsung Ads has launched Mobile Conversion, a new tool designed to drive mobile app installs by linking CTV ad exposure to in-app behavior. Using AI, real-time engagement signals, and partnerships with attribution platforms like AppsFlyer and Adjust, Samsung enables advertisers to target high-intent users and dynamically optimize campaigns. Early results show up to 150% gains in Day 7 ROAS. The product leverages Samsung’s massive device footprint and runs on premium inventory, including Samsung TV Plus. While starting with gaming, Mobile Conversion will soon extend to verticals like retail and finance—making CTV a legitimate player in the performance marketing toolkit.

The rest of the year is top-of-mind for leaders in marketing and retail, which they expect to be challenging but riddled with opportunities to stand out from competition.

DoorDash is strengthening its media network through new ad products and the acquisition of tech company Symbiosys, aiming to help brands reach consumers both on and off its platform.

The news: Reddit published a report Thursday highlighting its increasing relevance for advertisers as social media users gain trust in the platform for purchase decisions. Reddit routinely delivers promising ad results. Adding Reddit to ad campaigns leads to $6.94 higher incremental ROAS across channels. Our take: Despite lingering brand hesitancy to adopt Reddit as a core advertising channel, the platform is increasingly becoming a reliable source that promises high returns—making it a key part of an effective campaign for advertisers who know how to navigate it.

Advertisers’ push for a unified strategy across retail media, loyalty programs, and merchandising is raising the bar on data and transparency. Paul Lentz, executive director and head of strategic development at CVS Media Exchange, shares how new collaborations—from The Trade Desk to social platforms—can help brands see every ad dollar’s impact.