ChatGPT is closing 2025 as the most downloaded iPhone app in the US, vaulting past entrenched social platforms, search, and shopping apps, per TechCrunch. Google Gemini was the only other AI app in the top 10, landing in the final slot. This is the first time an AI assistant has outranked every social and utility app in the US. AI assistants are the new entry point for mobile discovery, and brands should optimize content, creative, and ad journeys for users who start—and often finish—inside conversational interfaces.
Retailers are investing in AI to improve operations and customer service. From design trend predictions to intelligent assistance, AI is moving from back-office functions to visible, customer-facing applications. Retailers that don’t explore AI risk losing out on positive outcomes, from efficiency gains and cost reductions to stronger personalization and customer loyalty. The winners will be those that use AI to solve real consumer pain points such as finding matching makeup shades or suggesting recipes based on nutrition goals.
TikTok grabbed the lead in Cyber Five advertising traffic this year, passing the 50% mark, per Industry KPI data from MikMak, showing it was the main discovery channel for early holiday shoppers. TikTok’s major swing past Meta this year shows that it is proving more effective at routing users from content into product pages and retail websites where purchases take place. Despite TikTok’s ad traffic advantage, Meta had an edge in facilitating purchases. Meta posted a 6.8% conversion rate over the Cyber Five, compared with TikTok’s 1.06%. These trends suggest advertisers would benefit from using two strategies during the rest of the holiday season: using TikTok to spur demand and lure shoppers, but looking to Meta to convert that interest into sales.
The heat on Temu parent PDD Holdings is growing, at home and abroad. The company is being investigated by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) over reports of fraudulent deliveries, per Bloomberg, while Temu’s Dublin headquarters were raided last week by the EU over concerns that the company breached foreign subsidy rules. PDD is losing goodwill in many of the markets it operates in—including in China, its most important. Employees reportedly got into fistfights with SAMR investigators at the company’s Shanghai offices, leading to multiple arrests. Such confrontations are highly unlikely to endear PDD to the powerful regulator, which has the ability to instigate sweeping probes into the company’s business practices.
Affirm expanded its partnership with Shopify, bringing Shop Pay installments to the UK, per a press release. PayPal and Klarna’s deep entrenchment in the UK will make it difficult for other BNPL contenders to make advances. Powering Shop Pay installments could help Affirm accelerate its foray into the country thanks to Shopify’s established network of merchants and brand recognition.
SoFi debuted the SoFi Smart Card, a charge card aimed at rewarding consumers in essential categories, per a press release. SoFi’s latest product meets the needs of everyday consumers while offering competitive cash back in a necessary category. Issuers should expand rewards on essential categories like groceries and gas to stop middle- and working-class cardholders from switching to neobank competitors—offering card products that assist with affordability.
Klarna sealed a research partnership with Stripe-owned Privy to develop a crypto wallet for Klarna users, per a press release. Klarna’s jump into crypto could help pad its margins and keep users more enmeshed in its growing ecosystem of financial services. But fintechs dabbling in stablecoins now still need to overcome the overwhelming inertia facing stablecoin payments. Consumers just aren’t interested in crypto payments, and unless they see immediate, concrete benefits for making the switch, KlarnaUSD and other proprietary stablecoins—like PayPalUSD—will have limited addressable markets.
Hims & Hers is officially bringing its subscription weight loss program to the UK. But rising prices of some GLP-1 medications in the UK may lower the incentive for consumers to sign up for a membership with a telehealth company offering prescriptions.
Millennials accounted for nearly half (46%) of all patient bookings on Zocdoc’s platform this year, per Zocdoc’s just-released annual report on consumer booking behaviors. Healthcare providers need to ensure that their online business profiles are updated, lean into digital tools for pre- and post-visit communication, and create social media content that offers information and guidance on caring for loved ones.
Eli Lilly’s next generation weight loss drug delivered significant weight reductions in new study data, outperforming its currently approved Zepbound. Lilly’s results signal a new phase for obesity drugs where weight loss can reach up to 30%, but side effects and clinical risks also rose alongside the results.
WunderKIND Ads announced an integration with Yahoo DSP Thursday that will unlock scalable access to Wunderkind’s connected TV (CTV) pause ad inventory through private marketplace (PMP) deals. Wunderkind’s and Yahoo DSP’s integration delivered a 12.6% lift in purchase intent for what the announcement refers to as a “leading luxury retailer”; an almost 10% lift in brand favorability; and a 28% more cost-effective CPC than the retailer’s holiday average. Those using Yahoo DSP can now take advantage of Wunderkind’s high-performing pause ads, unlocking scalable access to formats proven to lift purchase intent, strengthen brand perception, and drive more efficient results.
YouTube TV will offer over 10 new, genre-specific subscription bundles in 2026, with one option focused on sports, per a company announcement. YouTube TV Sports Plan will give users access to major sports networks and broadcasters that the pay TV provider offers, including NBC Sports Network, all ESPN networks and ESPN Unlimited, and FS1. Advertisers who thrive will rely on an omnichannel approach that keeps track of where viewers are watching while simultaneously accounting for the enduring relevance of linear to reach sports audiences.
AI is drastically changing the digital advertising landscape, and connected TV (CTV) is no exception. In a conversation with EMARKETER, Martin Kristiseter, CEO of media company Digital Remedy, shared his insights on how AI is evolving as a critical copilot for CTV advertising. Using AI tools to handle complexity while leveraging human insight for overall storytelling will help advertisers strike the right balance.
Podcast advertisers are relying on contextual targeting tactics but leaving demographic tactics—and reach improvements—off the table. Contextual targeting accounted for 95.5% of podcast ad campaigns with declared targeting parameters in Q2, per NumberEight’s Global Podcast Advertising Compass report. This imbalance suggests podcast ad buyers are prioritizing simplicity—at a cost. Marketers should focus on building campaigns with depth, not just category alignment, to increase incremental reach, reduce resource waste, and better match ads with listener intent.
Disney will invest $1 billion in OpenAI and allow Sora users to create short-form videos featuring more than 200 Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars characters. User-generated material opens a new potential spigot of low-cost content for Disney+, which is under increased pressure to compete with YouTube. The move marks a major shift for a conglomerate that has historically held its IP close to the chest.
Solo dining is contributing more to restaurant spending as consumers carve out room for experiences despite rising financial stress. Solo diners now account for nearly half (47%) of quick-service restaurant (QSR) orders, up from 31% in 2021, according to Yum Brands, while a Toast report found a 22% spike in single diner reservations in Q3. The uptick in solo dining is a rare bright spot for the restaurant industry, which is otherwise struggling to find ways to engage consumers.
Instagram is offering users increased control over the inputs that shape their Reels feed by adding algorithm control options. Reels users can see a summary of what content Instagram thinks they like and directly choose which topics they want to see more or less of. Brands should lean into Instagram’s growing focus on interest-signaling by aligning creative with the topics users care about most. Focus on making every ad placement fit within curated feed experiences to reduce ad clutter and boost relevance.
Retail media’s early free-for-all is giving way to a more deliberate approach. At last week’s EMARKETER Summit, leaders from Kellanova and Every Man Jack described how marketers are sharpening their focus, rethinking measurement, and preparing for an AI-driven discovery landscape.