LTK thinks the time is ripe for a social commerce foray: The app is integrating shopping just as Meta and TikTok cool off on commerce.

Social commerce experienced two years of exceptional growth amid the pandemic, and while growth in the number of social buyers is slowing, the amount of social commerce sales is still rising rapidly, said our analyst Jasmine Enberg on a "Behind the Numbers" podcast.

As Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram chase TikTok’s success in cornering short-form video, the race underscores just how important video has become as a marketing channel.

Zuck has a golden opportunity if he doesn't muck it up: Meta’s market valuation drops are tied to its metaverse aspirations. Its upcoming product releases need to be crowd pleasers.

On today's episode, we discuss how Amazon's Thursday Night Football debut went, whether TikTok might be the new search engine, if people want to buy things with emojis, how many folks will sign up to Netflix with ads, how many ads are too many, an explanation of whether Apple is the dark horse of search, how much the world doesn't recycle, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our director of reports editing Rahul Chadha and analysts Ross Benes and Evelyn Mitchell.

On today's episode, we discuss how social commerce is evolving, how many Americans buy things on social platforms, and the importance of native checkout. "In Other News," we talk about the significance of YouTube turning on the money hose for Shorts and how long TikTok can preserve its image as a fun app. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Jasmine Enberg.

Walmart has big plans to grow its ad business: Its ad tech platform is working with TikTok, Snap, and Roku to measure how social media and CTV advertising affect sales.

TikTok swoops in to fill the addressability drought: D2C brand spending increased 231%, but its lead won’t last forever.

A tech cold war intensifies: A federal order protecting US tech interests highlights anxiety over China surpassing the US as a global tech superpower. Some weaknesses are closer to home.

Digital trust is the confidence people have that a platform will protect their information and provide a safe environment for them to create and engage with content. Our sixth annual benchmark survey of US social media users reveals that trust in social media platforms has declined substantially this year in key areas including privacy, safety, and ad relevance.

User trust in the major social platforms is down this year, according to our sixth annual benchmark survey, especially in the areas of privacy, safety, and ad relevance. Trust affects ad engagement, and in a year when ad revenue growth is slowing for many platforms, it’s imperative that they stem the declines.

Pinterest’s new “Don’t Don’t Yourself” ad campaign highlights the platform as a site for genuineness and creativity, while hinting at the darker sides of other social media networks.

On today's episode, we discuss what to note about TikTok's ascent, how much time on social media is spent watching video, and the discrepancy between TV and connected TV ad spend. "In Other News," we talk about how Instagram Reels' engagement stacks up against TikTok's and whether ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) ad spending can overtake traditional TV ad spend by 2025. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Jasmine Enberg and Paul Verna.

The personal luxury goods sector is riding a wave of high demand in the US and China, buoyed by wealthier consumers who are relatively immune to the impact of price increases. But brands will need to appeal to the rising Gen Z consumer, as well as strengthen loyalty among their most important customers.

Meta seeks secrets: The social media behemoth is asking rivals for confidential information in its lawsuit to prove it isn’t a monopoly. The strategy could backfire, leading to more lawsuits or intensifying regulation.

TikTok's popularity has translated to explosive growth in TikTok’s ad revenues. This year, TikTok will net $5.96 billion—more than Twitter and Snapchat combined.

Reports that Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are abandoning some of their shopping features are not a reflection of the platforms’ overall commerce ambitions. But as social commerce buyer growth slows, brands should focus more on reengaging existing customers and less on direct buying capabilities like native checkout.

It’s not the fastest-growing channel, but paid search is still a vital component of the digital advertising ecosystem, especially as privacy changes and a potential recession put ad budgets in jeopardy.

Last week, Twitter finally announced a “share” button for its Android app. The feature’s already standard in iOS, making Twitter really, really late to its own game. It’s just the latest example of a social media platform chasing revenues from competitors. Apps aren’t above copying off a classmate’s paper to get ahead.

We’ve increased our forecast for US influencer marketing spend for next year from $4.6 billion to over $6 billion, following TikTok’s explosion.