Klarna launched the Agentic Product Protocol, an open standard that makes products on the internet discoverable and understandable by AI agents, per a press release. All payment providers need to meet consumer demand for AI-powered commerce that allows them to save time and money on shopping. However, to speed up adoption of agent-driven checkout, platforms need to ensure safety and privacy with AI agent transactions: 65.5% of US consumers still have misgivings about agent-led payments, per Omnisend.
PayPal filed to form PayPal Bank with the FDIC and Utah Department of Financial Institutions. Banks and credit unions should anticipate expanded interest-bearing offerings from PayPal Pay Later if its license is approved. And PayPal has a built-in advantage because its buy button and credit underwriting can all happen during the checkout process—whereas banks and credit unions have to rely on consumers applying for a loan well before they intend to complete a transaction. Credit unions should emphasize their competitive interest rates to consumers choosing between their loan products or a PayPal loan.
Visa will offer stablecoin settlement in Circle’s USDC for its US network, per a press release. Visa and Mastercard are investing in crypto to preserve their dominance in the US payment ecosystem. Crypto-based payments have been slow to catch on in the US—we forecast just 1.8% of US adults will transact with crypto this year. It’s unclear which components of crypto will enter the mainstream, so a strategy like Visa’s, where it invests in everything from stablecoin-issuing sandboxes and crypto settlement to cards that transact over traditional rails but pay out rewards in crypto, could position it to maintain its edge wherever crypto catches on.
The global transition to electric vehicles is losing momentum as both policymakers and automakers scale back ambitions. The EU is retreating from its 2035 combustion-engine phaseout, while Ford is pausing F-150 Lightning production and redirecting resources toward hybrids after steep EV losses. Demand has softened as incentives expire in the US and Europe and regulatory pressure eases under the Trump administration. With affordability and range anxiety still major consumer hurdles, EV share is projected to slip to 6% next year, signaling a far slower transition than industry leaders once expected.
Looma raised $10 million in Series B funding and a $3 million credit facility to expand its network of 7,000 in-store screens, which now reaches 27 million shoppers monthly across major grocers such as Kroger and H-E-B. Its recent rollout to 600 Kroger wine and spirits departments followed a multiyear test that boosted category sales and delivered strong returns for featured brands. Although in-store retail media is scaling more slowly than expected, grocery remains a key proving ground, with most retailers planning activations. Success will hinge on solutions that pair broad reach with measurable sales lift—an area where Looma’s early results stand out.
The FDA sent warning letters to four major retailers that continued to sell baby formula linked to a botulism outbreak after the products were recalled in early November. As retailers move deeper into health and wellness, their daily operations need to support the image they’re trying to build.
Prominent clinicians and healthcare experts report a growing trend of bad actors using AI to impersonate them online and push unsafe products or unreliable medical information, according to a recent New York Times article. AI deepfakes may further discourage doctors from having their images and voices online. Social platforms must reassure healthcare creators about how they detect AI-driven scammers, enforce impersonation policies, and respond swiftly to deepfake reports.
Digital health company Noom is rolling out a new program that will combine microdoses of GLP-1 medications with at-home testing. With brand-name GLP-1 prices dropping, telehealth players in the weight loss drug space need a new strategy to attract and retain members. The GLP-1 microdosing wave gives them that opportunity, opening access to far more patients beyond those who are overweight and obese. With similar capabilities now offered by D2C healthcare companies like Hims, Noom, Ro, and WeightWatchers, differentiation will hinge on cost and accessible coaching/support—especially guidance through untested areas like microdosing weight loss drugs.
The average cost of ad-free streaming has risen from $9 to $16 per month since 2020, a 78% increase in five years, according to an October analysis from The Verge.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed lawsuits this week against Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, and TCL, stating that they secretly record users’ viewing activity through automated content recognition (ACR) software embedded in their connected TVs (CTVs), per Newsweek. If Texas wins, TV makers could face stricter limits on ACR data collection, forcing them to pause or redesign how they track viewing behavior across apps. The cases could establish new disclosure and consent standards for smart devices. For advertisers, it could upend existing data pipelines that rely on opaque tracking and may face state-level scrutiny.
Samsung Ads announced an integration with Amazon Publisher Cloud that connects Samsung’s advertising system with Amazon’s in-depth ad data tools. Ad campaigns can now deliver broader reach and more relevant messaging by pairing Samsung’s Smart TV audience data with Amazon’s streaming, shopping, and browsing insights. As the CTV and Smart TV spaces rapidly expand, advertisers still struggle to reach viewers with the same level of targeting and measurement available on digital platforms. Brands operating within Samsung’s ad ecosystem can now tap into Amazon’s advanced audience insights to more precisely reach consumers who may have previously overlooked their ads.
Instagram is making a connected TV (CTV) play with IG for TV, which lets users watch Reels content on a big screen. It’s testing the app on Amazon Fire TV devices in the US and will expand to more devices and countries soon, per a blog post. Users can watch full portrait videos and view captions, likes, and share stats. Marketers should diversify short-form content for the big screen by crafting videos with clearer framing, readable text, and storytelling that can translate to TV viewing. Track how short-form assets drive awareness and conversion with Meta’s Ad Manager assets.
Social media is a crucial retail channel for brands, but gaining trust—and attention—may depend on clear product data and crafting a mix of both user-generated content (UGC) and brand-created content. UGC is the most trusted type of social media content for 31% of US adults, per Signs.com’s The Social Media Sweet Spot report. Among Gen Zers, brand-created photos and content are the most trusted. As marketers optimize for user attention and trust, efforts can converge with generative engine optimization (GEO) strategies: UGC provides authenticity and specificity, while structured product data adds discoverability in AI-driven environments.
45% of creators prioritize working with high-quality brands above all else when evaluating brand deals, according to a July survey from Ipsos and Publicis Media.
UK digital bank Starling is exploring an acquisition of another UK lender, per the Financial Times—in addition to a US bank. The move could help it expand quickly into corporate lending. Starling is not the only foreign neobank with US plans. Revolut, which competes with Starling globally, has held talks with investment bankers about buying a bank to secure a US license. Brazil’s Nubank applied for a US bank charter in October. But barriers to entry are rising as US challenger banks mature. Given the challenges ahead, quickly growing its loan book will be crucial to Starling’s profit plans.
Consumers are moderately satisfied with how their primary financial institution (FI) supports them throughout life events, according to a recent Jack Henry study. But satisfaction varies greatly by the type of event and its impact on the consumer. FI sales strategies can’t be built around products. Instead, they should facilitate financial journeys based on life events, as we explore in our June 2025 report, Future-Proofing Banking Through Customer-Centric Journeys.
"Consumers are conditioned to spend even when they're feeling pressured. Nearly a third of consumers were prepared and ready to take on debt this season to make their holiday purchases,” said our analyst Zak Stambor on a recent episode of “Behind the Numbers.”
Falling mortgage rates have reignited refinancing activity, particularly among borrowers with recently originated loans. Refinance volume rose 88% YoY, per Mortgage Bankers Association data from earlier this month. Traditional lenders should take a similar tack with enhancing the digital mortgage experience and focus on retaining existing mortgage customers as falling rates tempt them to refinance with competitors. The combination of personalized advice and a better digital experience could keep customers within a bank’s ecosystem.
Temu’s new Shopify integration lets merchants manage listings, inventory, and fulfillment across more than 30 markets, positioning the platform to broaden its assortment and mitigate the impact of tightening global trade rules and de minimis closures. As governments introduce new barriers and regulators increase scrutiny in the US and EU, Temu is evolving from a low-cost disruptor into a more traditional marketplace. The move highlights how its next phase of growth depends on attracting and retaining sellers, streamlining cross-border operations, and competing on service and trust against established players like Amazon and Walmart.
Albertsons Media Collective debuted an offsite ad capability that allows shoppers to add products, recipes, coupons, or other offers to their shopping carts. The format is currently available for display ads and shoppable content and will roll out to connected TV (CTV) and social media next year. Albertsons’ new click-to-cart functionality is one of several initiatives aimed at promoting “frictionless commerce,” which is designed to reduce the time between inspiration and purchase. A speedier, simpler path to purchase isn’t only useful for shoppers—it’s also a major selling point for CPG advertisers as they determine where to allocate their retail media budgets.