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Our take: The contrast between PDD's rise鈥攄espite a slower Q3 due to competitive pressures鈥攁nd traditional ecommerce platforms' struggles points to a broader shift in Chinese consumer behavior. Pinduoduo has been able to outperform the field on account of its ultra-low prices, which is helping it attract more users.

Even an influx of new retail media networks (RMNs) will not chip away at the share of ad spending allocated to the top two powerhouses.

Retail media was the fastest-growing ad channel we tracked in the US in 2024. While that growth will slow slightly (from 20.4% to 20.2%) in 2025, it鈥檚 still primed for innovation鈥攁nd challenges. Here鈥檚 what our analysts and podcast guests had to say about retail media, with insights into what it means for 2025.

Whether you鈥檙e an established brand like Wendy鈥檚 or a young D2C building an audience, understanding the right mix between organic and paid social is key, especially as the line between the two blurs. 鈥淚 think paid is planned paid, and organic has opportunistic pay that could go along with it,鈥� said Jimmy Bennett, vice president and global head of brand engagements and partnerships at Wendy鈥檚.

Social commerce fuses social media with ecommerce, allowing purchases to be made directly within a social platform. Transactions can occur via desktop, tablet, or mobile device. It enables consumers to discover products, engage more with brands, and shop from them without switching platforms and disrupting the customer experience.

Ad spending will rebound in 2024, as mobile formats continue to dominate and areas like connected TV and retail media drive renewed growth.

One is they're expanding its Gulp radio network to 5,000 stores across its portfolio and that is just a really smart retail media move. We've seen a lot of retailers move into in-store audio. It's got a really low barrier to entry and it's just a really smart way for a lot of retailers to start experimenting with in-store retail media.

Faced with booming media rights costs and legalized gambling, broadcasters, streaming services, and leagues are navigating how to stay innovative, remain profitable, and keep sports accessible for everyone. Media rights costs for major sports have surged dramatically, posing a significant challenge for traditional broadcasters like NBC and Disney.

This is because Peacock鈥檚 sports programming features a mix of linear TV retransmissions and streaming exclusives, whereas Paramount鈥檚 sports programming is available on CBS. Max will lean on live sports to grow ad revenues. Max will generate $430 million in US CTV ad revenues in 2024, per our inaugural forecast. Max鈥檚 1.5% share of the CTV ad market is on par with that of Paramount+.

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

This article is part of 蘑菇AV鈥檚 client-only subscription Briefings鈥攄aily newsletters authored by industry analysts who are experts in marketing, advertising, media, and tech trends. To help you finish 2024 strong, and start 2025 off on the right foot, articles like this one鈥攄elivering the latest news and insights鈥攁re completely free through January 31, 2025.

NBCU will have to pay extra to keep the Macy鈥檚 parade: The retailer wants $60 million for a new Thanksgiving Day broadcast contract.

This article is part of 蘑菇AV鈥檚 client-only subscription Briefings鈥攄aily newsletters authored by industry analysts who are experts in marketing, advertising, media, and tech trends. To help you finish 2024 strong, and start 2025 off on the right foot, articles like this one鈥攄elivering the latest news and insights鈥攁re completely free through January 31, 2025.

Adding Best Buy into your retail media mix could help push online and in-store sales. Who cares? Consumer electronics companies. Other retailers should keep a close eye on Best Buy as well, since its retail media network could eat into ad sales on rival networks. This was originally featured in the eMarketer Daily newsletter. For more retail insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.