Ad spending will surge in 2026 as AI-driven gains and a packed events calendar offset mounting economic strain. Social will lead the way as Meta overtakes Google in net revenues and the wider ad industry closes in on the half-trillion-dollar milestone.

Finance and health apps top day-30 retention, suggesting habit-driven experiences drive growth, per our Industry KPI data.

Social platforms want a bigger role in search ad budgets, but user habits lag behind. As search expands beyond traditional engines, these platforms must turn occasional behavior into intent-driven activity to grab ad dollars.

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss what if Apple delivers on its vision of Apple Intelligence? What if Abercrombie evolves beyond retail into a lifestyle brand? What if Google starts paying for the content its AI uses? Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Vice President of Content Suzy Davidkhanian, and Principal Analysts Nate Elliott and Yory Wurmser. Listen anywhere, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

As Apple celebrates its 50th anniversary, we dive into how the company has grown as leader in marketing, retail, and services—and what’s next.

OOH revenues hit $9.5 billion in 2025, representing 19 quarters of growth as DOOH fuels scale and measurable impact beyond screens.

As ecommerce gains concentrate among a few dominant players, smaller retailers have an opening if they can carve out share in an increasingly uneven market.

Its MotionVFX acquisition strengthens Creator Studio for in-house teams and agencies and ramps up competition.

The retailer is betting that a first-party model will help it avoid Temu’s mistakes—and make inroads against Amazon.

Apple undercuts rivals at the right moment: Component shortages squeeze Windows manufacturers as Apple courts first-time Mac buyers with the Neo. Read online

To capture a share of limited holiday gains, retailers and brands must zero in on pockets of opportunity across mobile commerce, social platforms, and consumer adoption of AI for shopping.

Square’s deep bench of partners offers SMBs more integrated tools to push their businesses forward.

Apple isn’t abandoning AI-powered health guidance, but it’s likely holding back until the tech is useful enough to deliver real value.

In 2026, economic uncertainty is quietly reshaping consumer payment behavior, driving shifts across cards, cash, BNPL, and emerging alternatives as households adapt how they manage spending and access liquidity.

Studies link higher AFib detection to watch wearers, strengthening wearables’ medical case.

Apple scales App Store ads for performance: More search placements turn high-intent discovery into a larger, more competitive acquisition channel.

AI was everywhere at CES 2026, from robots to toilets and toys. The race to define the next computing interface is on, agentic ad tech is emerging, and health wearables are pushing further into physiological data. Best in show: Lego’s Smart Brick.

Trust in consumer banking varies widely in 2026. Primary banks still anchor core products. But confidence differs by generation, product, and channel, with honesty, transparency, and security shaping how consumers evaluate financial providers.

Apple Card, tech spending, and mobile banking are highlights.