蘑菇AV

The situation: Amazon and Google, once bound by a symbiotic relationship in which Amazon funneled ad dollars into Google Search and Google indexed Amazon鈥檚 pages, are now veering toward open conflict as generative AI (genAI) blurs the lines between ecommerce, advertising, and search. Both companies are determined to own the entire journey from discovery to checkout, and that ambition is unraveling what remains of their former d茅tente. Our take: Amazon and Google are racing to define where and how consumers discover and buy products in the genAI era. If Amazon succeeds in walling off its marketplace data and steering shoppers to its own AI interfaces, the retail landscape could splinter into walled gardens where tech giants cooperate far less. That winner鈥憈akes鈥慳ll dynamic might suit the victors, but it risks degrading the overall consumer experience with fewer choices and less transparent pricing. At the same time, it could lead brands and retailers into a margin鈥憇apping race to the bottom inside whichever closed ecosystem proves most dominant.

PRO+ subscribers have access to Industry KPIs, our collection of more than 400 benchmarks in marketing and retail and ecommerce across a range of industries and countries. AIOs are eating into traditional search ad real estate. Last May, AIOs took up to 600 pixels of screen space on search results pages, per BrightEdge data.

Amazon, seen as playing catch-up in the AI race, also signed multiyear agreements with Cond茅 Nast and Hearst in July, specifically to power its AI shopping assistant Rufus, per Digiday. Our take: The Amazon鈥揟imes deal underscores the growing value of premium journalism in the AI era, setting a precedent for how tech companies can ethically license high-quality content.

The triopoly looks stronger, but it's digital that's getting bigger. Amazon, Google, and Meta now command 58.8% of total US ad dollars, up from 47.1% in 2020. But that's not an indication that the triopoly's control of the digital ad market is growing.

The news: Few US adults pay for news behind paywalls. A June 2025 Pew Research Center survey shows just 17% paid for any news last year. The vast majority (83%) avoid payment, citing the abundance of free alternatives. Our take: Advertising tied to paywalls narrows reach and shrinks scale. Brands should prioritize open, ad-supported platforms where audiences engage freely. Marketers who embrace paywall resistance鈥攆ocusing on easy access and relevant content鈥攚ill win attention and revenues in a fragmented media landscape. Those relying on strict gating risk losing audience share and diminishing ad impact as consumers stick to free, accessible alternatives.

Zooming out: The Latin American ecommerce giant posted mixed overall results:. Q2 revenues rose 37% YoY to $6.79 billion, beating the $6.66 billion estimate. GMV climbed 20.6% to $15.26 billion. Unique active buyers hit 71 million, up 24.6% YoY.

More retailers are turning to Instacart to power their ecommerce storefronts, with Costco Business Centres and Kohl鈥檚 Food Stores signing up for the company鈥檚 white-label services in the first half of 2025 alone. That鈥檚 up from 30 in all of 2024, and slightly more than a dozen in 2023.

The networks will act as supply-side platforms that link marketers with consumers across digital and video channels. Set to debut with the NFL season, FAN and SVN will give brands new ways to expand their reach through digital video and CTV placements aligned with major sports programming.

The news: Macy鈥檚 Media Network, the department store鈥檚 retail media arm, will test a partnership with Amazon Retail Ad Service鈥攖he ecommerce giant鈥檚 ad tech product for other retailers. The pilot will launch in early Q4, just ahead of the holiday season. Our take: Macy鈥檚 is the first major retailer to test Amazon鈥檚 ad product since its January debut, making this a high-profile proving ground. The pilot will show whether Amazon can drive incremental ad spend for retailers, and crucially, whether other chains are comfortable sharing data with a direct competitor. The results will have ripple effects across the ad tech ecosystem. If the partnership proves effective, Amazon Retail Ad Service could emerge as a meaningful threat to intermediaries like Criteo and Publicis, which have built strong businesses helping brands navigate retail media. It would also open another lucrative revenue stream for Amazon鈥檚 already fast-growing ad arm, strengthening its position at the center of digital commerce.

US ad spend with financial media will reach over $600 millions this year, according to 蘑菇AV forecasts, but still represent a small fraction of the commerce media landscape. "This is a really nascent space. There aren't many players that make up this cohort of financial media networks (FMNs), and they represent a really diverse array of types of financial companies," said our analyst Sarah Marzano during a recent episode of "Behind the Numbers."

Home Depot is sharpening its pitch to non-endemic advertisers with a new partnership with Yahoo DSP. Non-endemic advertising could be a lucrative opportunity for RMNs鈥攂ut it comes with its own set of challenges. Retailers have to clearly articulate what advantages they offer compared with the rest of the (very crowded) field, while measuring the impact of non-incremental ads is more difficult given the absence of closed-loop attribution. Companies should also follow Home Depot鈥檚 lead in being strategic about the types of non-endemic advertisers they allow onto their platform. While the temptation might be to cast as wide a net as possible, limiting ad buys to brands in complementary categories will maximize effectiveness and minimize the confusion for shoppers.

The news: Paramount struck a $7.7 billion, 7-year agreement with UFC in its first big move after closing its merger with Skydance. The deal will see all 43 live annual UFC events streamed exclusively in the US on Paramount+, while select UFC events will be simultaneously aired on CBS. Our take: With its UFC deal, Paramount is taking the first step toward regaining audience share and ad spend post-Skydance merger, banking on live sports鈥� steady draw for viewers and marketers.

Amazon鈥檚 bundling of shopping, delivery, and streaming continues to pay off鈥攅specially in price-sensitive markets. Netflix鈥檚 decline may be incremental but also suggests saturation or diminishing value perception as users gravitate toward platforms offering broader ecosystems, cheaper access, or local content. Yes, but: Netflix鈥檚 dip in Brazil鈥攊ts No. 2 market behind the US鈥攎ay be temporary.

VideoAmp has extended its partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery in a multi-year deal aimed at advancing flexible ad measurement. WBD will leverage VideoAmp鈥檚 tools across digital, linear, and cross-platform campaigns during the 2025 upfronts, reinforcing its 鈥渕easurement agnostic鈥� stance. This comes as marketers prioritize attribution and precision, particularly in CTV environments. The deal reflects broader trends: 71% of global marketers view advanced measurement as a top opportunity, and currency innovation is becoming essential. With recent leadership changes and ongoing partnerships with major networks, VideoAmp is positioning itself as a key player in the evolving ad currency ecosystem.

New tariffs and policy uncertainty are raising prices, stalling guidance, and pushing shoppers toward discount channels, especially in ecommerce and essential goods. Tech companies face rising regulatory and tariff pressure.

This deck provides an overview of the travel sector in ecommerce, including forecasts for sales growth, digital ad spending, and KPIs. It also highlights consumer shopping behaviors, research trends, what鈥檚 changed since last year, and the influence of technology on purchase decisions.鈥�

Amazon鈥檚 share of ecommerce channel ad spending will decline by about a point this year and next year, then slide a bit further in 2025, to 75.1%. Competitors鈥� off-site growth will drive this shift.

Turbulence in trade relations is changing how China鈥檚 ecommerce platforms do business in the US, with spillover effects on US retail and advertising.

Despite uncertainty related to the economy and tariffs, US social network ad spending is expected to grow. AI offerings, social commerce, and lower-funnel investments will drive outlays.

The news: Linear TV鈥攁lready struggling amid the rise of digital鈥攊s at risk as US leaders across parties push for a crackdown on the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical ad market. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pursuing policies that would require advertisers to disclose drug side effects more transparently or risk losing the ability to deduct ad spending from their taxes, per Bloomberg. Our take: Restrictions on pharma advertising would isolate linear TV from omnichannel budgets and put it at a greater disadvantage against more data-rich platforms, accelerating the shift to digital.

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

Their emerging duopoly is redefining how viewers shop, stream, and spend. Retail giants square off on CTV: Walmart will stop licensing Roku鈥檚 OS for its Onn TVs and will now use Vizio SmartCast to better enable a future where shoppers buy directly from smart TVs. Walmart bought Vizio for $2.3 billion in 2024.

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