蘑菇AV

A young, culturally influential, and economically powerful group, Black consumers are shaping digital trends through high engagement with streaming and social media while shaping retail with their distinct shopping preferences.

The news: Netflix is deepening its investment in unscripted TV as it aims to expand its user base and gain ad-supported subscribers, per The Wall Street Journal. The streamer reportedly spoke with Spotify about partnering on live events, including live concerts and music awards shows. Our take: Netflix鈥檚 unscripted push is a strategic move that will solidify it as a destination for high-quality originals and reality programming alike, where ad inventory is ripe, costs are low, and audiences come from all walks of life.

The news: Anime is gaining popularity across the globe, per a recent Dentsu report highlighting anime viewership trends, proving that marketers who haven鈥檛 yet paid attention to the medium need to tap in. 50% of Gen Z watches anime weekly, with 14% watching daily. Millennials also tune in frequently, with nearly half (48%) watching daily or weekly. Our take: Savvy marketers will pay attention to anime as a prime chance to reach the demographics driving the future鈥攂ut going beyond a surface-level understanding of the medium will determine which marketers succeed and which fall behind.

The news: Faceless creators and VTubers are gaining momentum as brands look for cost-effective, scalable influencer marketing options. Networks like AffiliateNetwork are growing rapidly, with top earners bringing in $30K鈥�$40K monthly using AI-powered tactics. Creators run multiple accounts, post hundreds of videos, and rely on formats like AI-generated texting stories to deliver results. Our take: This shift marks a new phase in creator marketing鈥攐ne defined less by personality and more by production speed and performance. As AI tools improve and creator skepticism fades, brands will increasingly work with digital personas that deliver value at scale鈥攔egardless of whether there鈥檚 a human on camera.

US commerce media ad spending is projected to hit $118.4 billion by 2029, growing at a 15.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), per a May 蘑菇AV forecast.

Get the correct answers to our Big Question quiz in the eMarketer Retail Daily newsletter from Insider Intelligence.

Get the correct answers to our Big Question quiz in the eMarketer Daily newsletter from Insider Intelligence.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss what area of people's lives artificial general intelligence (AGI) will change the most, the argument for AI developers asking permission from society to build these models, and when AGI might actually get here. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, and Analysts Jacob Bourne and Grace Harmon. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

The news: Credit unions鈥攅specially smaller ones鈥攁re rapidly advancing their digital capabilities. Small credit unions have drastically reduced their innovation lag rate in just the past year. Our take: The progress made by credit unions shows that they are serious about appealing to younger customers. With digital expectations rising and innovation showing no signs of slowing down, credit unions will need to maintain this momentum to stay relevant and meet the evolving needs of future members.

The news: Consumers are increasingly taking brands鈥� values into account when they shop, according to a survey by the Kearney Consumer Institute. Our take: Brands can take solace in knowing that while consumers are increasingly using their spending to make a political statement, product quality, pricing, and reliability still matter. Cost concerns can outweigh dissatisfaction with retailers鈥� policies. But companies that stay true to their values have the opportunity to win lasting loyalty.

The trend: Pharma field teams saw 2.5 times more new patient starts if they used marketing content during healthcare provider visits, according to the Veeva Pulse Field Trends Report for Q1. The takeaway: Pharma marketing teams should focus on how the content they鈥檙e creating can boost field teams鈥� engagement with healthcare providers and advise reps on how and when to use materials.

The situation: A perfect storm of consumer pullbacks, rising prices from new tariffs, and the suspension of the de minimis tax exemption will drag US ecommerce sales growth this year to its weakest pace since the Great Recession in 2009. We expect US online sales to grow just 5.0% this year in our moderate tariff scenario, which reflects the current policy landscape. That鈥檚 a 3-percentage-point drop from last year. Looking ahead: We expect ecommerce growth to experience a modest rebound to 5.3% growth in 2026. But more headwinds are on the horizon. The tax-and-spending package known as the 鈥淥ne Big Beautiful Bill鈥� will close the de minimis loophole that lets most packages under $800 enter duty-free from countries outside China and Hong Kong. While that will eliminate the possibility of some workarounds, it could also reshape the economics of cross-border ecommerce鈥攁nd place even more strain on platforms, suppliers, and price-sensitive consumers alike.

The trend: Consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands and other companies are expanding their size offerings to stay relevant with increasingly cost-conscious shoppers, per The Wall Street Journal. Our take: Offering more packaging options is a smart way for CPG brands to stay competitive in a value-focused environment. Offering more pack sizes is a smart move given consumers鈥� razor-sharp focus on value. But execution matters. If consumers perceive downsized offerings as shrinkflation rather than value, the strategy could backfire. Brands that use size variety to attract new shoppers, price with precision, and win at the shelf will be best positioned to turn flexibility into both loyalty and margin.

The insight: Food delivery has become an ingrained habit, with more consumers turning to the service multiple times per day. Our take: With more restaurant spending being funneled through platforms like DoorDash and Uber Eats, operators are having to rethink their acquisition strategy. Companies previously reluctant to sign on to their marketplaces鈥攍ike Olive Garden and Domino鈥檚鈥攁re changing their tune as it becomes clear that consumers鈥� affinity for delivery is not a pandemic blip. At the same time, DoorDash and its competitors are aiming higher. For them, food delivery is merely the first stepping stone toward becoming a one-stop shop for all of consumers鈥� needs, from restaurant meals to groceries to pet and home improvement supplies. That鈥檚 an ambitious goal, and one that is not yet reflected in shoppers鈥� behavior鈥攂ut that could change as people become more accustomed to spending time on delivery apps.

The news: Google is launching Offerwall, a new Ad Manager tool that lets users unlock publisher content through ads, surveys, or payments鈥攑art of a broader effort to mend relationships with publishers facing traffic loss from AI Overviews and eroding ad share. Publishers say Google pays less than rivals like PubMatic and Magnite, and AI-driven zero-click searches have dropped site traffic significantly. Our take: With a DOJ remedies trial looming and ChatGPT traffic rising fast, Google鈥檚 publisher outreach isn鈥檛 just damage control鈥攊t鈥檚 existential. If AI is to remain useful and ethical, supporting the content it鈥檚 trained on is a must.

The news: Credit card delinquencies have sunk to their lowest levels in two years, within striking distance of pre-pandemic levels, per data from VantageScore鈥檚 Credit Gauge. Our take: Fewer issuers are tightening their credit card lending standards, but those looking to gain sign ups face troubled waters鈥攃onsumer demand for credit cards fell in April by the most since the early days of the pandemic, per the Federal Reserve鈥檚 Senior Loan Officer Survey.

The news: Changes to Amex鈥檚 and Chase鈥檚 credit card welcome offers do away with guaranteed points for new cardholders, per CNET. Our take: Amex and Chase are trying to maximize their marketing appeal while also limiting their rewards costs.

The news: Wegmans added Instacart鈥檚 Caper Carts鈥擜I-powered smart carts鈥攖o a store in Syracuse, New York. Our take: Wegmans has staked its brand on exceptional customer service.

The news: Amazon is shutting down its standalone free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) platform Freevee in August. All Freevee content鈥攊ncluding original series and live TV鈥攚ill migrate to Prime Video. Advertisers take heed: As streaming giants consolidate, ad buyers might see fewer platforms but more fragmented audiences. This centralization of inventory boosts scale but narrows options for niche targeting. Our take: Amazon and its rivals are bundling content into fewer apps to boost ad revenue and reduce churn. But for advertisers, viewer behavior is splintering as audiences jump between services each month, chasing new shows, deals, and lower costs.

The news: Gander Social is an upcoming Canadian social platform built on the decentralized AT Protocol, similar to Bluesky. Gander rejects algorithmic feeds, ad surveillance, and dark UX patterns, per Metricool. As an alternative to networks like X, Meta鈥檚 Threads, and Bluesky, it offers user-controlled content, privacy by design, and community-first tools鈥攈osted entirely within Canada. It will be available as a closed beta in August. Our take: As algorithmic fatigue and platform distrust grow, demand is rising for community-driven, ad-light spaces. Marketers should watch Gander as a testbed for the next wave of privacy-first, hyper-local platforms.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands calibrate their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.鈥�