蘑菇AV

The insight: Amazon is trying to make a bigger name for itself in the luxury sphere鈥攁 strategy that could help soften the blow from tariffs. Our take: That designer brands and retailers are eager to partner with Amazon despite its mixed track record in luxury shows the state of the industry, which is under serious pressure as economic uncertainty saps even affluent consumers鈥� desire to shop. Amazon鈥檚 extensive reach鈥攖hree-quarters of US households are Prime users, per our forecast鈥攁nd ability to drive spending even in times of volatility are making it an increasingly valuable partner for any brand looking to drive sales in an unsettled environment.

Beauty. Photo credit: e.l.f. Beauty. The 鈥淪unhinged鈥� trailer debuted at the Tribeca Festival while the full special premiered on YouTube for wider reach. 鈥淭he YouTube Premiere allows us to create a digital live event accessible to anyone online, bringing our community deeper into our brand,鈥� said Rosebrook.

鈥淩eddit is where high-intent shoppers come not just to browse, but to engage in real conversations, especially when it comes to health, wellness, and 产别补耻迟测,鈥� said Mike Romoff, chief revenue officer at Reddit. 鈥淏y collaborating with CMX, we鈥檙e connecting that unique intent and authenticity with the scale and physical presence of CVS, creating a seamless path to purchase experience for shoppers.

While 2024 saw the rise of 鈥淪ephora kids鈥�, in 2025 more beauty brands may target Gen X consumers to grow sales amid a challenging economy.

The news: Gen Z is preparing an ambitious lineup of summer fun鈥攊ncluding domestic and international travel, shopping and dining, and vacation upgrades鈥攖o a degree that outstrips millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers, per a study by Bread Financial. Our take: Gen Zers invest in work/life balance and are willing to spend to maximize their R&R experiences. Brands should meet this generation with luxury-first options and seamless experiences to maximize their return on investment for the younger cohort willing to spend to make a good time a great one.

The promise of closed-loop attribution within RMNs has not been realized, as shoppers move between online and offline when researching and making purchases. Over 3 in 10 shoppers research online, but buy in-store, per 蘑菇AV and impact.com, making it difficult to track which ads influenced purchase.

On that basis, it鈥檚 no surprise that sales have dried up as the brand falls out of the public consciousness: Drunk Elephant鈥檚 social media mentions are down 72% in the past year, according to beauty insights platform Spate.

In a featured session, Rare Beauty CMO Katie Welch commented that she 鈥渨ould have never guessed that a 鈥榤akeup gal鈥� could be at South by Southwest,鈥� but the event is now an established venue for product launches, brand-relevant conference content, and in-person activations.

鈥淩eddit is a goldmine of consumer engagement, and health and beauty is a smart category fit,鈥� said Marzano. 鈥淚t鈥檒l be interesting to see how Reddit continues scaling ads without compromising user trust.".

Nico Le Bourgeois, head of US Shop operations, will now report to Mu Qing, a former ecommerce vice president at Douyin who now oversees TikTok鈥檚 global ecommerce business. He previously reported directly to Bob Kang, ByteDance鈥檚 ecommerce head. How we got here: There are a few potential reasons for the layering. ByteDance is unhappy with TikTok Shop鈥檚 US performance.

A new four-day format for Amazon鈥檚 tentpole event will shake up the playing field.

Essential goods categories will run out of steam, leading to a slowdown in ecommerce growth.

To understand how CMOs are transforming their influencer strategies, we interviewed marketing executives Sarah Crockett from DSW, Paul Deacon from Volition Beauty, Jessica Jensen from LinkedIn, Elizabeth Money from B脡IS, Isabel Romero from Metricool, Brit Starr from CreatorIQ, and Nick Tran from Farfetch.

The Ulta and Target partnership may not last: Ulta is pausing its expansion of Target shop-in-shops this year as it looks to 鈥渦nlock value鈥� from its existing locations.

And Chime and e.l.f.鈥檚 new game builds on the beauty company鈥檚 previous Roblox success (e.l.f. UP!), which had over 22 million visits and strong user engagement. Fortune Island will not only attempt to make learning about finances fun and engaging, but it could build relationships between both companies and young Roblox players.

Charlotte Tilbury takes aim at dupe culture: The brand鈥檚 latest campaign encourages shoppers to buy the real thing, even as retailers and manufacturers double down on cheaper alternatives.

Uncertainty creeps into US spending: Luxury companies can no longer rely on US consumers to pick up the slack as Chinese shoppers curb their spending. While LVMH noted that the American consumer cohort has stayed fairly resilient, particularly in the fashion and leather goods segment, shoppers are spending less locally.

Gen Zers and young millennials are the most likely to splurge on beauty in 2024鈥攂ut their path to purchase is anything but straightforward.