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Summer is on the way, and the advertising landscape has already changed significantly since the start of the year. We checked in on data surrounding the biggest trends, including AI search (which is happening whether consumers want it or not), a TikTok ban (no one knows but be prepared), retail media (it鈥檚 exploding), and more.

Retail media networks are rolling out more advanced targeting capabilities as advertisers seek to more accurately and effectively reach their audiences. Here are two recent examples.

With the rise of digital ad channels like connected TV and retail media, there鈥檚 a lot of emphasis on making every ad and consumer touchpoint shoppable. Ad formats with direct calls to action help drive conversions and increase ROI. But brand equity can get left out of the conversation when we focus on performance marketing in isolation. Every ad should perform and provide some sort of measurable impact, but each ad is also vital for telling a brand鈥檚 story, even at the bottom of the funnel where marketers are more focused on driving conversions.

Walmart Connect now offers an ad certification program that helps advertisers understand how the retail media network operates and the types of ad formats it offers.

From retailers drawing shoppers in-store by leaning on creator content to the emergence of livestream ecommerce influencers and the potential consolidation of retail media networks, our analyst-led predictions offer a glimpse into the future of shopping and advertising. We explore each, weighing the arguments for and against their likelihood in shaping the year ahead.

The Hershey Co. found a way to apply retail media data from Reese鈥檚 Peanut Butter Cups to other consumer packaged goods ads. The company learned that shoppers were buying shapes of Reese鈥檚 Cups based on their chocolate to peanut butter ratio, so it made two new products鈥攐ne for peanut butter lovers and one for chocolate lovers, said Vinny Rinaldi, US head of media at The Hershey Co.

Brands need to align internal goals and present a united front when working with a retail media network on strategies. In turn, retailers should give more access to performance data and enable brands to optimize via self-service options. To expand audience reach beyond bottom-of-funnel retail channels, collaborations between brands, retailers, and media companies will play an even bigger role going forward.

Total media ad spending in the US will pass the $350 billion mark this year, but growth is slow at just 3.8%, according to our forecast. 鈥淭hat is not great compared to almost anything in recent memory; however, there is a U-shape to this line,鈥� our analyst Ethan Cramer-Flood said during our 鈥淯S Digital Ad Spend Outlook鈥� webinar. Connected TV and retail media will prove to be bright spots, but social media could be a challenge.

Instacart has had a busy few months. Besides scrapping its plans to go public, the company has cut its valuation a few times, trimmed its workforce, and explored other cost-cutting measures. That being said, Instacart has also made investments to bolster its business, including new technologies for merchants and expanded retail media offerings.

As retail media evolves, ad placements off-site and in-store will help grocery advertisers reach shoppers in new and more engaging ways, but consumers may not be in a spending mood as credit card balances grow and savings accounts shrink. If Amazon can get grocery right, it may be able to fight off losing share to Walmart. But if the Kroger-Albertsons merger goes through, it could change everything.

Kroger Precision Marketing, Kroger鈥檚 retail media network, has partnered with Yahoo Advertising to enable advertisers using Yahoo鈥檚 DSP to leverage Kroger鈥檚 first-party data to reach a more targeted audience.

Walmart lags behind Amazon in total ecommerce sales, retail media ad dollars, and retail subscriptions. But there may be ways for it to minimize the gap in certain areas, namely search and AI capabilities.

Walmart expands in-store retail media opportunities: The big-box retailer is giving advertisers more opportunities to reach physical shoppers with digital screens, audio ads, and sampling.

The retail space is changing rapidly as marketers experiment with things like retail media, generative AI, and social commerce. In this discussion, Zia Daniell Wigder, Chief Content Officer, Insider Intelligence, talks about the trends on her radar and what she learned at Shoptalk.

Ahead of his keynote session at this year鈥檚 CommerceNext event on June 11-13, Lockton shared how Tractor Supply leverages its physical and digital channels to connect with the retailer鈥檚 varied audience and how its retail media enables advertisers to target a hard-to-reach rural audience via digital channels.

Walmart鈥檚 fledgling retail media business made big gains in Q4: Ad spending on the platform rose 31% YoY thanks in part to the ads鈥� growing effectiveness.

All eyes are on streaming. Last year, non-pay TV viewers surpassed traditional pay TV viewers in the US, per our forecast. Years of streaming platform proliferation are over, yielding to consolidation and fragmented ad measurement. Bundles between streaming platforms and partnerships with retail media platforms are forming, leaving media buyers with a headache over how to strategize.

JPMorgan Chase launched its Chase Media Solutions ad unit earlier this month. The venture looks a lot like a retail media network (RMN), with one important distinction鈥擟hase is not a retailer. But because it鈥檚 monetizing purchase data, Chase Media Solutions operates a lot like an RMN.

Retail media is traditionally dominated by, well, retailers. But as access to customer insights becomes increasingly important for advertisers amid cookie deprecation and mounting privacy laws, other industries are hopping on retail media鈥檚 bandwagon.

Amazon is growing into an advertising titan: The company鈥檚 ad revenues jumped 26% in Q3 thanks to football and a strong hold on retail media.

It鈥檚 December, which means marketers should already have plans in place for 2024. The next year will be punctuated by increasing retail media and connected TV (CTV) ad spend, creator economy evolution, and even more AI. Here are five charts to prepare you for what鈥檚 ahead.

If TikTok gets banned (and it鈥檚 a very big 鈥渋f鈥�), advertisers need to know where consumers will go. Instagram and YouTube would be likely beneficiaries, but OTT TV like Netflix could also see gains. Advertisers may even branch out to other categories entirely, like retail media. Here are five charts showing what could happen.

Amazon Prime Video will introduce ads to its streaming content starting on January 29. The move will leverage Amazon鈥檚 existing ad business and first-party retail media data to deliver ads on video content, something the company already does on Freevee and Fire TV. Here are five charts to prepare advertisers for this change.

The rise of in-store retail media鈥攖hrough the digitization of surfaces in physical retail鈥攚ill transform the store experience, the financial fortunes of retailers, and the advertising opportunities for brands.

Deciding how to target customers when they engage in an array of digital channels both online and in-store is the essence of an omnichannel strategy. It鈥檚 no easy task, but, luckily, omnichannel connections, in-store retail media opportunities, and experiential and experimental tools can help advertisers build a more robust customer profile and target shoppers where they are.