Ecommerce everywhere, TikTok and social video, and generative AI are the top three trends that retail marketers worldwide are watching this year, according to a November 2023 MediaOcean survey conducted by TechValidate.

TikTok World unleashes a slew of updates: The video platform taps creators and AI to court new ad dollars and keep apace with Meta.

Time spent on social media is plateauing. Longer videos could keep users around longer while providing more monetization opportunities for platforms. But some short-form creators won’t be receptive to the shift.

Gen Z spends significantly on beauty products online while favoring in-store shopping for apparel. For groceries, this tech-savvy generation relies heavily on search engines and social media to discover new products. Additionally, the trend toward low- and no-alcohol beverages is gaining momentum, as many Gen Zers embrace initiatives like Dry January.

The creator economy is maturing. While brand deals are still the No. 1 revenue stream for creators, more are going directly to consumers to monetize.

Dupe culture goes mainstream: Target and e.l.f. Beauty are among the companies benefiting from Gen Zers’ affinity for cheaper versions of premium products.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the main ways that LinkedIn has changed, whether TikTok can steal significant Gen Z market share from them, and whether daily games is the right fit for the employment-focused social media platform. "In Other News," we talk about how marketers are preparing themselves for a potential TikTok ban and which of TikTok's new initiatives has the most potential. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Jasmine Enberg and Minda Smiley.

In the last of five reports in our “Payments Ecosystem” collection, we look at what’s influencing retail sales growth across in-store, online, and social commerce channels—and what it means for payment providers.

97% of US TikTok shoppers also shopped at Amazon in the past five months, according to February 2024 data from Earnest Analytics.

“Creator is in their name. So let them create.” That was the advice Sophie Jamison, CEO of Lightning Media, shared at the recent EMARKETER Summit. Jamison warned against giving creators too much direction and was optimistic about the future of social media marketing, even if TikTok goes away.

Major players like TikTok, Meta, and Google unveiled new partnerships, AI innovations, and streamlining solutions. Here are three key developments you may have missed.

Brazil is Latin America’s largest retail ecommerce market by total sales volume and will be this year’s third-fastest-growing digital economy worldwide. Understanding the nuances of how and where Brazil’s diverse consumer base spends its money online is key for brands and retailers to thrive in this highly competitive ecommerce market.

Total media ad spending growth has stabilized, and digital ad spending is set for an extended period of low double-digit annual increases. Amazon, TikTok, and Instagram will be the main growth drivers this year.

Financial institutions that have relied on the platform to reach young consumers must come up with a Plan B—or face losing brand awareness.

Instacart and Uber team up to keep DoorDash at bay: Instacart hopes the deal will protect its grocery business and widen consumer appeal, while Uber looks for new customers.

LinkedIn is at a turning point: Users are more engaged than ever, ad revenues are rising, and creators are inking deals on the platform. And LinkedIn’s appeal among both B2B and B2C marketers is growing.

“There's a big change in the luxury market. The consumers are still there, but they're being more selective about what they buy and when they buy it,” our analyst Sky Canaves said on an episode of the “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast. Expanding into new markets and raising prices isn’t always an option for luxury brands, but there are other areas of opportunity. Here are three ways luxury brands can fuel discovery, spark engagement, and develop loyalty.

For August, a digitally native direct-to-consumer brand of period care products, TikTok gives more than it takes down. For example, in January 2020, its launch video was immediately removed by the platform. “I still get videos taken down for what the app believes is graphic content,” said August co-founder Nadya Okamoto. Still, Okamoto credits TikTok for helping her cultivate a community of nearly 4.5 million followers across her personal and brand TikTok accounts, as well as allowing her to open a dialogue for authentic marketing.

Social video is getting an additional boost in daily time spent this year. It’s mostly coming from a less expected place—Meta—even as TikTok continues to dominate in total time spent.

51% of US teens and parents think teens spend the right amount of time on smartphones, while 64% think they spend the right amount of time on social media, according to October 2023 data from Pew Research Center.