蘑菇AV

Online fashion sales are stable and growing slowly, but they lag wider ecommerce. Consumers are concerned about sustainability, but price is a bigger priority.

The news: A Sprout Social report found that 41% of Gen Z turns to social platforms first for finding information, ahead of search engines (32%), AI chatbots (11%), and friends and family (9%). In an exclusive conversation with 蘑菇AV, Thomas Markland, founder of creator company HYDP, discussed the shift and the need for brands to adopt a social-first strategy. Our take: As social media users, especially younger generations, increasingly turn to social for product discovery, brands that are willing to adapt and are strategic with their creator partnerships stand to gain most.

H&M moves to diversify sourcing amid tariff threat: The move will enable it to stay competitive with Zara and minimize tariffs鈥� impact on its bottom line

Google AI Overviews could face aggressive regulatory measures in UK: A CMA investigation adds to a slew of regulatory challenges that are chipping away at Google鈥檚 dominance in search and advertising.

The news: Women鈥檚 sports is continuing to grow in relevance, reaching new milestones in 2024, per research from the charity Women鈥檚 Sport Trust. Leagues like the Women鈥檚 National Basketball Association (WNBA) grew significantly across social media in the 2024 season, reaching a single-season record of nearly 2 billion video views across WNBA social media platforms鈥攎ore than quadruple the previous season. Our take: As more brands invest in women鈥檚 sports and viewership spikes, advertisers must recognize women鈥檚 sports not as a niche category only relevant for select moments, but as a critical part of a comprehensive sports marketing campaign.

Online fashion sales growth in France is stabilizing as global competitors capture market share and social platforms become more influential.

TV networks rely on Netflix for distribution: A deal between Netflix and French broadcaster TF1 is a clear sign of how video power dynamics have shifted.

The market will return to growth in 2025, but retailers face ongoing disruption from ultra-fast-fashion players and TikTok Shop.

A new poll finds consumers in the US and UK are almost evenly split鈥擥en Z is upbeat, Gen X is gloomy鈥攁mid a cost-of-living crunch and rapid tech gains. The results remind brand marketers that price, value, and purpose now collide at every purchase decision.

The news: Amazon will bring inventory from Roku to its demand-side platform (DSP), the two announced at Cannes Lions, starting in Q4 2025. Our take: Amazon鈥檚 Roku partnership is a well-timed announcement to convince advertisers to stick with their CTV ecosystems even amid tightening budgets.

Lloyds, NatWest, and Truist are redefining banking with generative AI. Lloyds moves beyond individual use cases to rethink processes entirely, aiming for a customer-facing AI agent by late summer 2025. NatWest shifted to reimagining entire customer experiences, empowering all 70,000 employees with AI tools to rapidly explore new possibilities. Truist focuses on "knowledge extraction," a low-risk, high-reward use case demonstrating immediate value. Continuous experimentation and adaptable strategies are crucial for AI implementation, requiring agile learning, boundary-pushing, and prioritizing employee buy-in for customer-focused solutions.

The news: Ad quality has a big impact on whether gamers will stay in the game or walk away from a session. Over half (52%) of gamers in the US, the UK, Germany, and Japan would quit playing if they encountered multiple disruptive ad features, per Deloitte鈥檚 Quality Drives Value: A Look into Mobile Gaming Ads survey. Our take: Prioritizing features like rewards and skip options can help players feel in control and properly compensated for their time, helping mobile gamers to stay engaged, click through, and return. Poorly timed or deceptive ads, on the other hand, risk alienating gamers and increasing churn.

The trend: Gen Z is turning to social media for job and career guidance in the UK, but typical pharma company content isn鈥檛 engaging them. The takeaway: Pharma and biotech companies need to embrace social media as serious recruiting channels to connect with Gen Z, and create unpolished, everyday snapshot-type videos with real employees. Social teams should track video trends on TikTok like 鈥渄ay in the life鈥� or 鈥減ut a finger down鈥� and enlist employees to replicate them.

The news: The UK economy contracted by the most in 18 months in April due to the twin pressures of tariffs and tax increases. Our take: The UK economy鈥檚 contraction in April sets the stage for another year of tepid growth. Despite a highly publicized (and yet to be finalized) trade deal with the US, macroeconomic uncertainties are set to weigh heavily on corporate and consumer sentiment, while rising household and business expenses will limit investment and consumer spending.

Total media time is decreasing in all three countries. The decline is slightly less pronounced in France and Germany, where relatively strong traditional media usage and steady growth in digital time help balance the drop.

The US-China trade war drives Shein to diversify its sourcing: Shein and Reliance Retail plan to start international sales of India-made Shein-branded clothes within six to 12 months.

The news: Tesla stock rebounded about 5% Friday after a 14.3% crash during a public social media feud between President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk over the 鈥淏ig Beautiful Bill.鈥� The EV giant lost $152.4 billion in market value Thursday鈥攊ts biggest one-day decline ever, per The Wall Street Journal. Our take: The Musk-Trump quarrel could drag on or it could end as abruptly as it started. Its effects on Tesla鈥檚 stock are a reminder that Musk is the company鈥檚 de facto spokesperson and that his persona is inseparable from Tesla鈥檚 brand. The Big Beautiful Bill, paired with cautious US consumer spending and economic uncertainty, could slow Tesla鈥檚 EV adoption just when the company can least afford it.

Social users around the world engage with and make purchase decisions from creator content in similar ways. Localizing creator strategies is key, but marketers can apply the same best practices across many geographies.