Stripe launched its Agentic Commerce Suite, enabling affiliated merchants to service agentic checkout, per a press release. Merchants will be able to upload their inventories to databases that are scannable by AI agents without updating their own tech stack. Gen Z and millennials shoppers are becoming more comfortable using AI agents to shop for discretionary and essential shopping hauls. Merchants that make it easy for consumers to transfer repeat purchases to programmable agentic purchases stand to score great volume opportunities as shoppers look for a low-touch restock experience.

PayPal will power stablecoin payouts for US creators on YouTube, per Fortune. US creators can receive PYUSD payments instead of direct deposit. While PayPal’s stablecoin payments are exclusive to US creators for now, the benefits of crypto are more likely to be felt by international creatives, who could be served by lower fees and faster transaction times facilitated. If US adoption is favorable, PayPal has a viable growth plan moving forward.

Pharma TV advertising spending totaled $5.4 billion through November, surpassing 2024’s full-year spending of $5.1 billion, according to iSpot.tv data. Pharma advertisers are increasingly reallocating budgets to more targeted digital channels, but linear TV will remain.

Q3 consumer spending looked steady, but the gains were fueled mainly by higher-income shoppers, revealing a split landscape that bolstered value and essentials retailers while squeezing brands dependent on discretionary and big-ticket projects.

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.

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.

Amazon's recent business moves, examining corporate layoffs, AI-powered shopping features, and new smart glasses technology for delivery workers paint an interesting view of its immediate future and what it could mean for consumers.

On today’s EMARKETER Miniseries—A Blueprint to Better Measurement—we explore the appeal of Amazon not just as a sales platform but also as an advertiser, how Amazon Ads defines omnichannel metrics, and a few examples of campaigns that have performed particularly well. EMARKETER Principal Analyst Sky Canaves speaks with Kolby Capelouto, Head of Sales for Durables at Amazon Ads. Listen everywhere you find podcasts, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Digital video keeps expanding as more viewers shift to streaming and mobile gains ground. Growth spans every generation, even as cord-cutting accelerates and reshapes how audiences spend time on the biggest screen in the home.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.