Commerce

Amazon unveiled three new interactive ad units for Prime Video, all of which are shoppable, ahead of its TV upfront debut.

In today’s newsletter: Closing arguments begin in the DOJ vs. Google Search antitrust trial; the sports betting ad bubble might be set to burst; and Etsy struggles to stand out among ecommerce competitors in audience scale and marketing spend.

Criteo split out its retail media segment revenue for the first time during its earnings report on Thursday.

This week, the AdExchanger Commerce Newsletter catches up with Shopify, which, in the past couple of years, quietly became one of the most important players in online advertising, despite rarely being thought of in the category.

In today’s newsletter: Online news revenue is being throttled around the web; Roblox is on a mission to build a $1 billion ad business; and TikTok is circumventing the Apple App Store’s 30% fee by directing users off iOS to purchase TikTok coins.

Roblox’s head of immersive media Ashley McCollum explains how the online gaming giant built its ad platform with demand for programmatic video in mind. And she previews Roblox’s ambitions to grow an ecommerce platform for real-world purchases.

Ibotta’s evolution since it was founded 13 years ago – it went public last week – is emblematic of the industry’s overall transition from third-party data marketplaces to first-party and retail media data.

In today’s newsletter: The marketing data ecosystem is key for fin tech; media buyers acknowledge YouTube as part of their TV strategies; and Threads will launch ads later this year.

American consumers are buying more and more online products directly from Chinese manufacturers. It’s an important change, though many online shoppers are unaware.

In today’s newsletter: The European Data Protection Board outlaws Meta’s “Pay or OK” model; Walmart sharpens its conquesting tools; and Roku seeks more ad supply.

Television commerce, or T-commerce, is similar to shoppable TV: both refer to buying something you see on television. But shoppable TV is far more nascent – and also has different implications on attribution.

US digital ad revenue grew at a slower rate in 2023 compared to 2022, hampered by inflation, climbing interest rates and advertising industry layoffs, according to the IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report released Tuesday.

A booze brand and a “headless commerce” platform walk into a meeting with the CFO. That might sound like the setup for a punchline, but it’s just how mar tech works these days.

In today’s newsletter: The FTC finalizes order barring Outlogic from selling location data; even Snap is sending publishers less referral traffic; Chase Bank’s advertising (and ad tech) opportunities.

Enjoy this weekly comic strip from AdExchanger.com that highlights the digital advertising ecosystem … 

In today’s newsletter: The quantum entanglements of Google’s and Reddit’s contracts could come under scrutiny; Meta’s ad revenue growth is healthy, though its ad platform’s a mess; and TikTok’s developing AI-generated creators for advertising.

In today’s newsletter: Shoppable TV needs a better reason to exist; Disney+ will roll out password-sharing bans worldwide this summer; and “Bluey” is a huge hit, but Disney doesn’t make much from it.

TV ad buying platform Cadent acquires AdTheorent, setting its sights on omnichannel. Also in this episode: The less-than-kosher attribution game that retail media networks are playing with brands.

Big streamers aren’t joining the JIC, which could spell trouble for the broadcaster-backed organization; Spotify raises prices again; Chase gets into retail media.

In today’s newsletter: AppLovin raises $144 million and buys video shopping app Flip; Google agrees to disclose that it collects data from Incognito users; and why Trader Joe’s is (and isn’t) the Shein of grocery stores.

In today’s newsletter: Yum Brands feasts on cross-brand customer data; YouTube’s focus has shifted away from services to software and APIs; and Walmart Connect announces updates to its DSP, including allowing conquesting in sponsored search listings.

DCO has been around for a long time, but it’s still popular with marketers. And although upcoming signal loss may challenge all the ways advertisers can optimize their ads, creative remains a key lever that brands can pull to improve performance.

In today’s newsletter: Google’s ad strength meter could push advertisers to adopt Google’s campaign preferences; Home Depot hosts an “InFront” to show off its RMN, Orange Apron Media; and the Privacy Sandbox rollout could do serious damage to the online ad industry.

In today’s newsletter: Criteo gets MRC accredited for display impressions and click metrics; Google Analytics and Google Ads now use the same definition for “conversions”; and how marketing mutated the beverage aisle.

The US ad market is set to grow this year, according to a Magna forecast released Thursday. Streaming and political advertising play outsized roles in that growth.

Retail media is built on its attribution quality, but real purchases can be gamed by programmatic metrics and create perverse incentives for RMNs to serve ads across low-quality inventory.

The third-party cookie actually stymied the development of digital advertising. Here’s what the cookie got wrong and what its inheritors need to get right.

In today’s newsletter: Brands risk having their organic sales counted as paid conversion conversions on multiple platforms; Facebook’s Project Ghostbusters spied on Snap, YouTube and Amazon; and DTC brands bow out of brick-and-mortar.

In today’s newsletter: Amazon’s DSP doesn’t compare to Google’s and TTD’s; US ad spend looks strong this year; European Commission will investigate Google, Apple and Meta under the EU’s DMA.

In today’s newsletter: The DOJ publishes its antitrust suit against Apple; Reddit’s stock pops on its IPO day, but its long-term prospects depend on Google; and Amazon’s hollowing out Twitch.