This year, Amazon extended its July Prime Day event from two to four days, giving consumers more time to shop, brands more opportunities to advertise, and Amazon more time to generate sales.
Ocado Ads has partnered with data collaboration platform Permutive to make its first-party purchase data available to select UK publishers.
The news: Brands are ramping up influencer investment and creator rates are skyrocketing following Unilever’s commitment to allocate half of its advertising budget on an “influencer-first” strategy. Numerous influencer and social agencies “unanimously” claimed a notable increase in client spend on influencer marketing since Unilever’s announcement, per sources cited by The Drum. Our take: Unilever has accelerated a trend that was already in motion, signaling the broader shift among advertisers toward influencer-led strategies that deliver consistent engagement and targeted reach among key demographics.
The situation: The US housing market is in rough shape, as homes aren’t selling, yet prices keep climbing. In June—typically the spring peak—existing-home sales fell 2.7% MoM, while the median price hit a record $435,300, per the National Association of Realtors (NAR). This spring marked the weakest selling season since 2012, with just 1.39 million contracts signed from April to June, per Redfin. That was down 9.7% from last year, which was also a weak sales season. Our take: With transactions stalled and prices still climbing, the housing market offers little short-term relief. For retailers tethered to homeownership and moving cycles, that’s a stubborn headwind—especially as tariff costs rise and consumers grow more selective about their discretionary spend. Retailers tied to housing can keep sales going by highlighting their affordable products as well as the long-term value of items like appliances and furniture.
Fandom has partnered with Experian and Audigent to enhance its AI-driven Helix platform, integrating over 2,400 syndicated audience segments to deliver deeper fan insights. The move empowers marketers to combine third-party data with first-party fan behavior, unlocking targeting based on motivations, not just demographics. Early results show significant brand lift in awareness and purchase intent. This partnership marks Fandom’s evolution into a data-rich media platform, aiming to help advertisers tap into emotional fandom signals across CTV, mobile, and digital. Despite criticism over ad clutter, the platform’s scale and Gen Z reach position it as a leader in culture-driven targeting.
emu’s attempts to tariff-proof its business are running into opposition from regulators and sellers alike. The company has been accused of failing to protect EU users from illegal products. Efforts to woo US sellers to its marketplace are also running aground as companies and merchants refuse to sell products on Temu for less than what they retail for on Amazon. For all its troubles, we expect Temu’s US ecommerce sales to rise 13.5% this year, which would be the second-fastest rate of growth among the companies we track—but a far cry from the triple-digit increases it enjoyed over the past few years. With governments increasingly unfavorable to its business tactics—and Amazon increasingly inclined to flex its market power—Temu will need a new playbook to navigate the current era of uncertainty and tariffs.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri clarified that using “link in bio” in post captions does not affect reach, aiming to dispel creator concerns that the algorithm punishes off-platform engagement. Despite his statement, creators remain skeptical, citing anecdotal dips in engagement when directing followers externally. As creators increasingly monetize through affiliate links, paid communities, and platforms like Substack, visibility control has become a high-stakes issue. Misinformation about Instagram’s algorithm leads to caution and second-guessing, creating friction for entrepreneurs growing businesses across multiple platforms. Real or perceived, lack of clarity undermines trust—and for creators, platform policies directly impact their bottom line.
The news: A US TikTok ban will take effect if a sale isn’t completed by the September 17 deadline, per comments from US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Lutnick said on CNBC that TikTok will “go dark” if China does not agree to sell to a US owner. He also noted that any deal would require the US gaining control over both the app and its algorithms. Our take: Whether or not a full TikTok ban comes to pass, Lutnick’s comments reinforce a troubling trend: Advertisers are increasingly wary of the platform’s stability, accelerating the shift toward cross-platform strategies.
The news: AI is growing in importance for small and medium-sized businesses, saving SMB marketers time and money, often with benefits outweighing risks like public backlash. AI helps US SMB marketers save about 13 hours per person per week and cut operating costs by about $4,700 per month on each team, per ActiveCampaign. Separately, Thryv found that 90% of US small businesses save 11 or more hours per week with AI. Our take: As AI saves companies time and money, it's crucial to have plans in place for how to use them. Marketers should use that time to test new creative strategies, reach out to new customers, and act on campaign analytics gathered by AI. AI-driven cost savings can be reinvested in higher-quality marketing content and expansion of product catalogs.
The news: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to remove all 16 members of a task force that advises the government on preventive health services due to the committee being perceived as too “woke,” according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Our take: A complete overhaul of another important panel of medical experts could reduce patient access to critical preventive care while confusing doctors about which guidelines to rely on—especially if Kennedy chooses replacements based on politics and like-minded beliefs rather than health expertise.
President Donald Trump said the US will set a global “baseline” tariff in the 15%–20% range, up from the 10% rate he outlined in April. Our take: Steep tariffs are the new normal. Consumers currently face an average effective tariff of 18.2%—17.3% after adjusting for spending shifts—the highest since the 1930s, per Yale Budget Lab.
Tariffs could reshape the fashion calendar as brands rethink their merchandising strategies to limit exposure. While Vince’s decision to lengthen its spring season was borne out of necessity, it could herald a larger shift in how fashion brands approach their calendars—particularly as tariffs force tougher decisions about what and how much inventory to bring in. Companies can either go faster—taking a page from the fast-fashion industry and launching new styles quickly and often—or slower, à la Vince, depending upon their customers’ preferences.
The news: Z.ai’s new open-source GLM-4.5 model is undercutting DeepSeek and US rivals in cost and efficiency and intensifying global AI competition. Our take: For marketers, open-source tools like Z.ai offer affordable alternatives to costly AI platforms, levelling the playing field for smaller agencies looking to compete. But Z.ai (formerly Zhipu) is on the US Entity List due to its Beijing ties after OpenAI flagged its rapid progress. With this in mind, companies piloting open-source options should do so cautiously and consult with compliance teams before integrating.
The news: Employees are underreporting their generative AI (genAI) use and feel company initiatives add to their workload without benefiting them directly. 45% of US employees have used AI at work without telling their supervisors, per Gusto, with Gen Zers and tech workers being the top culprits. Our take: Offer incentives for AI use and encourage disclosure through establishing clear policies to help maximize AI initiatives and build a culture of honesty. Setting up company-specific prompts for employee use and offering free access to vetted tools will help motivate workers to use the right tools in the right way, protecting company data and maximizing AI use to increase productivity. Our take: Offer incentives for AI use and encourage disclosure through establishing clear policies to help maximize AI initiatives and build a culture of honesty. Setting up company-specific prompts for employee use and offering free access to vetted tools will help motivate workers to use the right tools in the right way, protecting company data and maximizing AI use to increase productivity.
58% of US adults have viewed a search result page that included an AI-generated summary, per a March Pew Research Center survey.
The contrast: At a time when many big box retailers are struggling, Tractor Supply Co. bucked the trend by delivering its strongest sales growth in two years—up 4.5% YoY to $4.44 billion—driven in part by solid momentum in big-ticket purchases. That performance stands in stark contrast to peers like Target and Home Depot, which have seen consumers pull back on discretionary and high-priced items. Our take: Tractor Supply’s formula is simple: high-quality experience + strong loyalty program + scale = growth. It delights shoppers, rewards them, and keeps expanding its footprint. That approach is helping it outrun the macro headwinds—and its largely US-sourced assortment leaves it better insulated from tariff and supply shocks than many other merchants.
The volatile macroeconomic environment is causing most shoppers to be more cautious with their spending, but it’s also driving a subset to spend more in search of comfort. Roughly 2 in 5 shoppers (38%) say that the current stress of economic uncertainty is making them spend more, according to a June LendingTree survey. Consumers may be choosing to spend more of their money on essentials, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be swayed to spend a little extra on the occasional indulgence—particularly if there’s an element of novelty, or if the purchase offers a sense of emotional comfort. While the Labubu craze is likely to fizzle out as quickly as it started, shoppers will remain as eager as ever to splurge on small luxuries that bring them satisfaction.
The news: Fiserv’s organic revenues grew 8% in Q2, per its earnings release. Our take: Fiserv’s Clover faces a stacked market with Shift4, Square, and Toast all offering competitive POS solutions for SMBs.