The AI Platform Is Closer Than Some Rivals, but It Still Faces Barriers

US media habits show a split between heavy streaming and enduring live TV. Gaming, immersive tech, and short video add complexity, making the market both advanced and fragmented.

OpenAI introduced a wide swath of app integrations for ChatGPT, pushing the generative AI (genAI) chatbot toward super app status. Spotify, Booking.com, Zillow, Canva, Figma, and Expedia are now all part of the ChatGPT experience. Brands should start treating ChatGPT like a search engine, app store, and marketplace all in one. Marketers should create and tag their content so it can surface naturally in ChatGPT responses. Generative engine optimization (GEO) strategies include structuring content and product copy with mini headlines and using concrete language over abstract phrasing to boost appearances in output.

Bolt launched a super app, named SuperApp, that combines payments, banking, crypto trading, rewards, and shopping, per a press release. For the select few crypto-forward consumers, Bolt’s crypto reach across 40+ cryptocurrencies could be attractive but there’s not much differentiating it from fintechs that already offer crypto services, like PayPal or Cash App.

Consumers in Japan have been slow to embrace digital technology, but they are gradually warming to it. Recent data shows consumers are changing their online shopping and media consumption behavior.

Digital’s rapid adoption in recent years has made it the dominant medium with which people spend time in China, Japan, and South Korea, with consumption booming in India.

Social network user growth will be slow on a worldwide level, but 2025’s meager 2.9% increase will still equate to more than 115 million new users. Facebook remains in the lead in most countries and regions, even though its share of internet users is declining.

Government missteps turned into a viral ad for privacy, giving Signal a rare shot at user loyalty in a market crowded by data-hungry giants.

Luxury brands are grappling with downturns in the US and China, the largest markets for personal luxury goods, and will have to seize opportunities for growth from new markets and product innovation.

Mytheresa expands China presence in long-term bet on luxury growth: While the retailer is bullish on its ability to woo big spenders, the country’s economic crisis and booming daigou industry could weigh on its near-term prospects.

Like many other payment providers globally, Alibaba is opening up its walled garden to fight off antitrust scrutiny

As China’s retail media advertising market begins to mature, off-site channels—including WeChat and Douyin, TikTok's sister app in China—will increasingly drive growth.

Here are five charts that size social network usage on a worldwide level by platform and by country and region.

In the fourth of five reports in our “Payments Ecosystem” collection, we look at what’s influencing growth across P2P, remittance, bill pay, payroll, and B2B transactions—and what it means for payment providers.

Acquirers, networks, and issuers each play distinct roles in the payments purchasing chain. But those roles are shifting as providers adapt to the rise of software and value-added services, increased payment method choice, and cloud-based innovation.

No other market in the world comes close to China when it comes to ecommerce. Its highly competitive digital market has spurred retail innovations that are making their way around the world.

As the dust settles on luxury’s big post-pandemic rebound, high-end brands will have to become savvier and more flexible to meet evolving consumer demands.

Douyin, TikTok's Chinese sibling, is about to become China’s largest social platform. It's also crashing the country’s ecommerce party. Already the fourth largest online shopping platform by sales, its market share is rapidly approaching JD.com's.

Moving away from retail can help it overcome growth roadblocks, while a look to China could signal what’s coming for the space

The rise of shopping apps selling ultralow-cost goods from China is drawing more value-driven US consumers. But are their strategies sustainable over the long term?