蘑菇AV

Cross-border sales are booming in Western Europe despite a slowdown in adoption. As China鈥檚 ecommerce giants eye European expansion, local retailers face a competitive threat鈥攁nd a substantial opportunity.

Our first-ever worldwide forecast for retail media ad spending shows enduring momentum and lots of good news for Amazon and other ecommerce platforms around the world.

France will see stronger growth in digital ad spending than both Germany and the UK this year. Most industries aren鈥檛 contributing to that growth, though, with only travel and retail seeing any significant investments.

Cost, lack of third-party verification, limited on-site ad space, and limited activation options are some of the top challenges brands and advertisers in the US, France, Germany, and the UK face when using retail media networks (RMNs), according to an August 2023 DoubleVerify study.

Platform maturity can speed up adoption, as seen in China's dominance, which is fueled by the close integration of digital payments and ecommerce. Despite having a smaller market share, the US is gaining ground thanks to delivery services, supermarkets, and bargain stores, which suggests that brands are pursuing niche but highly motivated consumers.

Amazon will capture more than half (51.1%) of all retail ecommerce sales in Germany this year, according to our forecast. Canada will have the second-highest share of Amazon ecommerce sales among the countries we track, at 41.5%, followed by the US, UK, Japan, and Mexico.

The news: Amazon announced its Prime Day event will run from July 8 at 12:01 a.m. PDT through July 11, starting eight days earlier than last year and lasting twice as long as previous events. Our take: Amazon recognizes that while consumers have grown more selective about when and where they spend, many will still jump at the chance to save if they find compelling offers. By extending Prime Day鈥檚 duration, adding tech-driven shopping tools, and broadening its footprint across countries and third-party sites, Amazon is turning the event into an inescapable, large-scale retail moment. Even in a margin-squeezed environment, the visibility and sales potential of Prime Day may be too significant for sellers to pass up.

Zoom鈥檚 and Beyond Presence's AI avatars promise hands-free attendance, though the potential for deepfake misuse looms large.