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JULY 15, 2026 |
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In this edition: |
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TOP STORY |
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AI research has moved from novelty to habit in the shopping journey, and it's changing more than where consumers start looking. It's changing who wins. |
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Some 63.1% of US consumers have used AI for product research, up from 49% a year earlier, according to a February 2026 Envision Horizons survey of 1,035 US adults. A third now use it weekly or more. |
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Consumers still start most searches on familiar ground, Google (49.2%) and Amazon (34.3%), but AI is embedded across both, through Google AI Overviews, Amazon Rufus (now named "Alexa for Shopping"), and a growing field of standalone assistants. What happens in their purchasing journey next has changed. |
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IN THE NEWS |
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Inflation cooled in June, but consumer pressure persists. CPI declined 0.4% MoM, while the annual rate of inflation fell to 3.5% from 4.2% in May. |
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DoorDash partners with Shopify to expand commerce reach. DoorDash’s Shopify integration illustrates the company’s ambitions beyond restaurant delivery. |
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Chipotle’s Mexico launch shows the risk of exporting a familiar formula. The move is part of a broader push to offset a rough stretch in the US. |
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EMARKETER EVENTS |
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Featured Event, July 20, NYC |
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Reframing Brand Safety in News Environments |
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Is your brand safety strategy leaving performance on the table? Join us at our NYC offices for a special evening of conversations with Al Jazeera, Dow Jones, and The Associated Press on advertisers’ sentiment toward the news, risk management in practice, and how AI is reshaping the landscape. |
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Featured Event, September 15, NYC |
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The Future of Digital |
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A first look at The Future of Digital forecast. Insights from Gotham FC, LG Electronics, Colgate-Palmolive, SharkNinja, Digitas North America, VML, and more. It’s our biggest summit of the year and you won’t want to miss it. Check out the line-up and we’ll see you at City Winery NYC on Sept. 15. |
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ANALYSIS |
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The internet of things (IoT) now reaches consumers at dozens of daily touchpoints beyond phones and computers. IoT devices like connected cars, wearables, and smart home speakers generate behavioral data and create moments where marketing messages can reach engaged audiences. For marketers, understanding where IoT devices fit into consumer routines, and what opportunities they create, is essential for planning media and commerce strategies in 2026. |
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PODCAST |
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We discuss how consumers decide what’s worth buying, how uncertainty influences the way people make decisions, and why being a smart shopper is becoming part of our identity. |
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