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.
Affirm released a bevy of data regarding its user base and loans in a letter addressed to senators. Affirm’s data suggests a tiered system may be emerging in BNPL, where different providers are serving different slices of creditworthy customers. However, the income range of US adults seeking BNPL loans demonstrates widespread popularity of alternate credit, a key concern for issuers who risk losing credit card customers to these alternative loans. They need to address that risk with competitive, rewards-eligible card-linked installment loans.
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.
AI scribe tools that transcribe doctors’ notes save doctors only a minimal amount of time, according to a recent UCLA Health study. Healthcare AI scribe developers already face high provider churn due to a crowded market and the ease of switching between competing products. They must now prove their product's value extends beyond time savings (modest or significant) to include areas like improving patient care, enhancing the patient experience to drive retention, or ensuring more accurate clinical notes for billing and coding.
EHR giant Epic is being sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who alleges the company blocks competition and restricts access to patient health data. The lawsuit adds to recent public and private sector signals that call for hospitals and patients to have better access to health data. While Paxton might have political motives outside of the health tech realm the lawsuit’s outcome could open the market to more Big Tech and digital health/AI players to create solutions that strengthen consumers’ and providers’ ability to access and share medical data across entities.
The majority (61%) of clinicians are very concerned about medical misinformation online, per an Inlightened survey in October. Clinicians see misinformation as a growing threat, but many need help stepping into the digital conversation.
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.
42% of consumers discuss sporting events with friends or family after seeing out-of-home (OOH) ads, according to a September report from The Harris Poll.
On today’s podcast, we will cover a few of the takes from our Top Trends to Watch in 2026 report. Our analysts (or bakers) will compete in a Great British Bake Off style episode discussing if the micro-drama craze will mint a new generation of creators with dual support from social networks and entertainment studios, and why AI’s content takeover will shake consumer trust in the internet. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Analyst Jacob Bourne and Principal Analyst Max Willens. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
New tools let creators link to brand sites in Shorts ads, driving fast conversions during peak shopping season.
Universal Ads announced Thursday an expansion of its Universal Audience Network in partnership with third-party publishers, including Samsung Ads, Cox Media, Philo, Vevo, and Telly. New partnerships enable marketers to scale campaigns with simplicity as Universal Audience Network maintains an over 90% household reach across premium video. Universal Ads is tackling one of streaming’s biggest pain points—fragmentation—by consolidating access to the streaming and connected TV (CTV) ecosystem.
New York has enacted the first US laws requiring disclosure and consent for AI-generated performers and posthumous likenesses in advertising and entertainment. The measures mandate clear labeling when synthetic or digitally altered performers appear onscreen and require approval from estates before deceased individuals’ likenesses are used commercially. The laws sharpen a state–federal divide: President Trump has warned states against AI rules that could hinder US competitiveness, favoring a single national framework instead. For media companies, New York’s move creates immediate compliance obligations—and a preview of regulatory uncertainty ahead.
Lululemon athletica’s CEO Calvin McDonald will relinquish his role on January 31, 2026 to an as-yet-unnamed successor. Whoever that person is will face the task of restoring the brand’s authority in a category it once dominated—particularly in North America, where sales have been stagnant or negative for seven straight quarters. Whoever takes the helm at lululemon should look to refocus the brand on its athleisure roots. The company needs to make sure that its core product lines are resonating with consumers before devoting significant resources into other categories like footwear, where it faces a tougher path to building credibility amid entrenched competition.
Marketing leaders are reallocating spending toward social, prioritizing user engagement, and reducing focus on traditional SEO tactics. The shift reflects marketers’ desire for speed, flexibility, and clear ROI signals. But it also shows the growing need to balance long-term brand building with short-term, engagement-driven wins. Brands should rebalance—not replace—channel mix by defining engagement benchmarks and KPIs that tie directly to brand lift, evaluating influencer impact beyond vanity metrics, and protecting core SEO efforts that support long-term discoverability.
Shopify has introduced 150 updates, headlined by two major tools aimed at expanding reach and boosting conversions: an “agentic storefront” that lets consumers buy products directly through AI platforms like ChatGPT and a new Shopify Product Network that helps merchants fill product gaps via cross-store recommendations. The agentic storefront should give merchants an early advantage in AI-powered commerce, while the Product Network should boost conversions, and create new revenue streams without adding inventory or operational burdens.
Over half (52%) of senior data and technology executives worldwide use generative AI to boost internal productivity, according to a June survey from MIT Technology Review Insights.
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.
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.
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.