Last month, Atlantic writer Ian Bogost posed the incendiary question, “Is the age of social media ending?” No, according to our analysts. But it’s definitely changing, which presents an opportunity to reach younger consumers.

Another eventful year is on tap for retailers as inflation forces consumers to prioritize basics, supply chain snarls continue, and customer loyalty wanes. Retailers that cut costs or add new revenue streams—and provide frictionless customer experiences—will prevail.

TikTok is Gen Z’s No. 2 social commerce destination and is almost as popular as Facebook among millennial social buyers, per Klarna.

Though year-over-year growth of social buyers is slowing slightly following a two-year surge, US social commerce sales will continue to climb through 2025. We take a look at what’s driving this growth, which platforms are emerging as leaders, and what social buyers really want.

TikTok’s downgrade to about $10 billion for 2022 puts revenue estimates more in line with our own, which have TikTok at $9.89 billion in ad revenues this year, up from $3.88 billion in 2021.

We expect 2023 to usher in changes in ad spending, audience, and commerce that will create a new crop of digital leaders.

Though the ad industry has had a notoriously difficult year, search advertising is well positioned to grow in the years to come. On the consumer side, however, search behaviors are shifting, which could spell danger for those who don’t innovate.

On today's episode, we discuss why TikTok downgraded its revenue expectations, what concerns us the most about the company, and how big of a digital ad player it can actually become. "In Other News," we talk about YouTube letting folks buy products in Shorts and whether people want to buy things in WhatsApp messages. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Debra Aho Williamson.

TikTok. BeReal. Gen Z. Authenticity. That might seem like a grab bag of buzzwords, but it’s the marketing strategy behind clothing retail American Eagle Outfitters.

Better audience targeting with the launch of Audience Insights could help protect the TikTok from the current ad decline.

Marketing budgets, though under scrutiny, are expected to rise in 2023. That’s especially true for influencer marketing due to Instagram’s entrenchment and TikTok’s ascent with users.

Big Tech’s real estate addiction cured by downturn: Companies are reversing their office expansion plans to cut costs. Long-term, the move makes more financial sense than layoffs given the rise of remote work.

TikTok tests in-app ecommerce in the US: The platform hopes its shopping initiatives will offset lower-than-expected ad revenues, and help it gain ground against Meta.

Insider Intelligence spoke with Dr. Sophia Yen, co-founder and CEO of Pandia Health, a service that provides online access to birth control, about the unique challenges the telemedicine company has faced on TikTok.

Next year, for the first time, more than half of US social network users will buy via social platforms.

New advertising forecasts for Netflix and Disney+ shed light on streaming advertising’s evolution.

Popularity with Gen Z isn’t enough to stop a US reorg at TikTok: With ad sales slowdown looming, the company is shuffling leadership and hoping social commerce moves pay off.

On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss the total market for US retail social commerce sales, whether Instagram is in trouble when it comes to social commerce, and what kind of a threat TikTok poses. Then for "Red-Hot Retail," our analysts give us four of their very specific—and potentially risky—predictions about the future of TikTok’s US retail strategy. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sky Canaves and Jasmine Enberg.

On today's episode, we discuss what's behind Meta's revenue decline for a second consecutive quarter, what to make of things one year after the Meta rebrand, and the state of the company's metaverse initiative. "In Other News," we talk about whether being an influencer is sustainable and the chances that TikTok will become the first true super app in the West. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Debra Aho Williamson.