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This is the first installment of our 鈥淯碍 Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淯碍 Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.鈥�

This is the first installment of our 鈥淯碍 Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淯碍 Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淯碍 Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.鈥嬧��

Brand loyalty membership is rebounding in the UK as shoppers turn to loyalty programs for savings. Supermarkets are driving innovation, but there is space for brands and retailers of all sizes to boost revenues and forge stronger customer connections.

The news: Ulta Beauty acquired upscale UK beauty retailer Space NK for an undisclosed amount, the company said, as it turns to new markets to offset slowing US growth. Our take: The US beauty market is becoming increasingly saturated as more retailers lean on the category to boost sluggish sales. While expanding to new markets comes with its own set of challenges, Ulta鈥檚 decision to rely on acquisitions and distribution partnerships will help smooth its path.

The news: Amazon has partnered with delivery firm Gopuff to bring ultra-fast delivery to several UK markets, including Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, London, and Manchester. Our take: Amazon鈥檚 focus is crystal clear: Get orders to shoppers鈥� doors as fast as possible. In the US, it has pushed next-day delivery as the new standard鈥攅ven as it rapidly expands same-day service. In some cases, delivery happens within hours (for example, a Prime Day order we placed at 6 am today arrived at our door by noon.) To extend that promise beyond urban hubs, Amazon is investing over $4 billion through 2026 to triple the size of its rural delivery network. By year-end, it expects to bring same- or next-day delivery to more than 4,000 smaller cities and rural communities. Speed isn鈥檛 just a perk. It is the key component within Amazon鈥檚 growth strategy. The faster the company delivers, the more frequently consumers turn to Amazon for their everyday needs鈥攁nd the harder it becomes for competitors to keep up.

TikTok鈥檚 2024 revenues in the UK, Europe, and Latin America surged 38% to $6.3 billion, more than doubling 2022 levels, per filings cited by Forbes. The growth underscores TikTok鈥檚 strength outside the US, where a divest-or-ban standoff continues. Yet regulatory scrutiny in Europe looms large, with over $1 billion reserved for fines, ongoing probes across multiple countries, and potential penalties under the EU鈥檚 Digital Services Act. TikTok鈥檚 UK penetration tops 32%, with ad revenues projected to triple by 2027. Still, layoffs in trust and safety roles and a pivot to AI moderation could test regulators and user trust.

The news: Eli Lilly is hiking the UK price of its diabetes and weight loss drug Mounjaro by as much as 170% starting next month, depending on the dose size. The drugmaker also said it鈥檚 been working on raising prices of its medications in Europe and other developed countries. Our take: Drug pricing is so complicated that it could benefit pharma manufacturers, because it will be hard to know whether they鈥檙e truly equalizing prices or just finding ways around the Trump administration鈥檚 demands that other drugmakers could copy.

The news: The UK鈥檚 Online Safety Act triggered an immediate surge in virtual private network (VPN) downloads, reflecting public resistance to mandatory age checks, per Wired. Proton VPN reported a 1,400% spike in UK sign-ups after the law took effect, per PCMag, and NordVPN saw purchases jump 1,000%. Our take: Age-check laws, though designed to protect minors, are reshaping how all users interact with content鈥攁nd how marketers can access these users. VPN adoption is both a privacy signal and a marketing blind spot. Brands that respect digital autonomy while adapting strategy will be best positioned to reach鈥攁nd keep鈥攖heir audience.

The findings: One quarter of Gen Zers in the UK have multiple bank accounts but only use one regularly, according to a recent study by Intuit Credit Karma. What this means for banks: Account-opening incentives are working, and FIs should continue to offer them to boost customer acquisition. However, they should also add parameters that require customers to remain active banking users or keep accounts for a certain period of time in order to qualify. The real win for banks is converting customers into primary users following the sign-up bonus. This requires a shift in strategy from acquisition to engagement. Banks must build a digital experience so valuable that Gen Zers use their accounts regularly even after the initial bonus has been spent. This means focusing on things that matter to them: Superior digital experience: A seamless, intuitive, and fast app is nonnegotiable. Clunky interfaces or slow load times will send them straight to a competitor. Personalized value: Offer tools that help them manage their money better, such as AI-powered insights, easy budgeting features, and integrated saving goals.

TikTok is laying off hundreds of UK staff as it shifts moderation to AI, with more than 85% of takedowns now automated. The cuts, part of a global restructuring, come as the UK鈥檚 Online Safety Act pressures platforms to strengthen oversight. Industry peers are also pivoting鈥擬eta and X have scaled back fact-checking while Reddit, Pinterest, and Snapchat adopt varying models of control. Yet user sentiment runs counter: Most want more human oversight, not less, with strong demand for fact-checkers, privacy, and quality control. The divergence raises brand-safety questions as advertisers weigh cost efficiencies against consumer trust.

The news: British fintech Revolut is reportedly considering acquiring a US bank to rapidly obtain a US banking license, enabling faster expansion, per The Financial Times. It will likely target a low-cost, nationally chartered bank. Our take: Revolut鈥檚 potential acquisition of a US bank reflects a growing trend of successful fintechs becoming banks themselves through strategic acquisition rather than merely being disruptors. PYMNTS reported that multiple fintechs鈥攊ncluding Wise, Circle, and Ripple鈥攁lso recently applied for banking licenses with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. This means banks must lean into what differentiates them from the growing competition beyond charters and insured deposits, like long-standing reputations, excellent customer service, and customer-centric products and services.