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OCTOBER 21, 2026 |
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In this edition: |
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TOP STORY |
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AI is becoming a bigger part of how consumers search, shop, connect, and make decisions. But growing adoption doesn’t automatically bring growing trust. As AI takes on a larger role across the customer journey, retailers and marketers have to navigate where consumers are comfortable relying on it, where skepticism remains, and how their own use of AI can strengthen or undermine the trust they’ve already earned. |
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IN THE NEWS |
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Best Buy makes gaming experiential. By helping customers play, discover, and connect, the retailer is looking for differentiation beyond price and selection. |
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Ulta rewards ChatGPT shoppers. A 10% bundle discount tests whether savings can persuade beauty shoppers to try third-party AI commerce. |
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Home retailers need new demand. High mortgage rates and rising prices are keeping consumers from moving, forcing brands to inspire existing homeowners to spend. |
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ANALYSIS |
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Small advertisers are flooding connected TV (CTV). Media data shows brands spending under $1 million per year on CTV platforms are increasing, opening TV advertising to buyers who could never afford it. That shift is reshaping performance marketing as AI disrupts traditional channels like search and social media. |
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"The environment is perfectly tailor-made for exactly this to happen," said Matt Collins, vice president of product marketing at MNTN, during EMARKETER's Future of Digital summit. "Digital infrastructure allows for precision of audience targeting and measurement, to be able to give advertisers a very clear read for budgets that are very deliberate." |
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PODCAST |
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Kristi Carlson, vice president of digital technology at Kendra Scott, joins us to explore the differences between customers shopping for themselves and those shopping for someone else, the signals that help retailers identify each shopper’s mission, and what happens when those signals don’t align. "Reimagining Retail" is made possible by Atmosphere TV. |
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EMARKETER EVENTS |
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Featured Event | November 10 | NYC |
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Meet up with EMARKETER and Viral Nation to learn how social, creators, and AI shape where shoppers discover brands and whom they trust. After new data from EMARKETER’s Peter Allen Clark and a conversation with Viral Nation’s Nicholas Spiro and Jessica King, stay for Q&A and networking over drinks. |
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Featured Event | On-Demand |
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Some 92% of consumers surveyed use multiple devices while watching TV. Are media plans keeping up? Watch this on-demand webinar for new Epsilon and Publicis research on changing viewing habits, why traditional audience data may fall short, and how marketers can reach consumers more effectively across channels. |
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QUIZ |
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True or false? Cyber Monday was the most popular day for online shopping during the 2025 winter holiday season. |
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©2026 EMARKETER, 685 Third Avenue 21st Floor, New York, NY 10017 |
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