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With TikTok in limbo, Neptune is pitching itself as a mental-health-conscious, creator-first alternative, but it鈥檒l need more than good vibes to scale

TikTok-fueled impulse buying is redrawing the affiliate marketing landscape. As shoppers skip the research phase and rely on creator recommendations, brands are rethinking how they build trust, drive conversions, and stay ahead of trends.

That鈥檚 compared with the 22% dollar sales share and 24% unit share in the US, though US sales are growing faster. Numerator estimates that if just 10% of the US consumers who are less open to purchasing private label products shift to become heavy private label buyers, the cost to national brands would be $8.7 billion in lost sales. Implications for retailers and brands.

Latin America鈥檚 digital revolution is marching full steam ahead, with consumers spending more than a third of their day online. As social commerce and retail media propel the region鈥檚 digital economy to new heights, the runway for growth remains long.鈥�

Poshmark and ThredUp may benefit from rising merchant prices on TikTok Shop and Amazon, where many third-party sellers get their items from China. Hubs for online ad spending鈥攊ncluding Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok鈥攃ould see revenues decline if international companies like Temu and Shein reduce their budgets.

A lack of clarity around TikTok could divert money elsewhere. More than one-fourth of upfront digital video will be spent on channels outside of CTV in 2025. Some of that money was slated to go toward TikTok. Currently, TikTok is in limbo, with legal orders to find a US buyer or shut down stateside and a deadline that keeps getting extended.

In 2025, US digital gamers will spend nearly as much time playing as social network users spend on social platforms each day (1 hour, 48 minutes versus 1 hour, 51 minutes, respectively). But at $8.76 billion, US gaming ad revenues will account for just a fraction of the $102.66 billion that social networks garner in ad spending.

In the US, sales via social commerce are on track to exceed $100 billion by 2026, fueled by increasing buyers and spend-per-buyer, particularly on TikTok Shop. Amazon has partnered with social platforms, seeking to ease the path to purchase for products discovered on social that can be fulfilled by the company.

What do brands need to know about the next wave of digital growth?

A pending TikTok ban has marketing repercussions well beyond NIL. Like many influencers, college athletes often have their biggest followings on TikTok. Up to four-fifths of athletes鈥� NIL revenues can come from TikTok, according to athlete branding newsletter Paycheck Playbook.

LinkedIn is the top platform that has seen an increase in usage among B2B marketers globally, but others鈥攍ike YouTube, TikTok, and even Reddit鈥攁re also gaining. To reach B2B decision-makers, 64% plan to advertise on consumer channels. Video is appealing to today鈥檚 buyers. B2B buyers prefer quick, digestible content.

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of US Gen Zers find new media content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, per Toluna. The competition: Instagram has an opportunity to successfully move into the search space that鈥檚 dominated by Google, with other platforms closing in. Google may be reexamining its future as the default search provider as social platforms eat into its engagement.

Altman responded by clarifying that 鈥淥penAI鈥檚 mission is not for sale,鈥� adding that Musk 鈥渋s probably just trying to slow us down. He obviously is a competitor.鈥�. Meta is reportedly planning to add a social feed to its upcoming standalone AI assistant app, which will rival ChatGPT. When reports of this plan first came out, Altman stated on X that 鈥渕aybe [OpenAI will] do a social app.鈥�.

Substack is also investing in visual content鈥攊t launched a scrollable video feed, capitalizing on interest in short-form video and positioning itself as (another) TikTok alternative. A partner, not a replacement: Substack sees itself as a tool to support publishers, not to take them from other media organizations.

TikTok offers an account status page with information on whether specific videos have been flagged or downvoted. Reddit notifies users when content is removed, especially by automatic moderators, though its tools are less centralized than Meta鈥檚 or TikTok鈥檚.

On Netflix鈥檚 mobile app, it鈥檚 adding a vertical video feed, similar to those on TikTok or Reels, with buttons to start playing, save to watch later, or share with friends. Personalized feed: Netflix鈥檚 revamped suggestions system鈥擱esponsive Recommendations鈥攎ay be aimed to capitalize on the 45% of Gen Zers who frequently decide what to view based on an algorithm or a 鈥淔or You鈥� page, per Toluna.

US TikTok users and podcast listeners both spend roughly 50 minutes consuming each type of content daily, per our forecast. But unlike TikTok users, who scroll passively through endless video clips, podcast listeners consume just a handful of self-selected shows. That gives them time to develop a deeper relationship with the host鈥攁nd their guests. People also tend to trust podcast hosts.

Launched in 2022 as a full-service US agency, Creo will now operate globally, unifying talent, tools, and technology across OMG to enhance creator discovery, campaign planning, and measurable outcomes.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss how to increase basket size, how to break out of category while staying true to brand identity, and how to respond to TikTok trends without seeming like a brand responding to a TikTok trend. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Vice President and Principal Analyst Suzy Davidkhanian and the CMO of True Religion Brand Jeans Kristen D鈥橝rcy.

The news: Funding for US-based creator economy companies hit a four-year high in Q1 with $928 million in investments, per The Information, up about 140% YoY.

Teens don鈥檛 feel supported, but Big Tech is making changes: Younger users don鈥檛 trust tech companies鈥� commitment to mental health and safety. 64% of teens said major companies like Google, Apple, Meta, TikTok, and Microsoft don鈥檛 care about their well-being, per Common Sense Media. 62% aren鈥檛 confident their safety will be protected when profits are at stake.