PayPal’s revenues grew 7% YoY to $8.4 billion in Q3 2025, driven by the success of branded experiences, PSP, and Venmo, per its earnings report. While PayPal notched a successful quarter, storm clouds are on the horizon. Basket sizes are shrinking and average order value is sinking, per PayPal CFO Jamie Miller. Leaning into payment flexibility and desirable rewards like cash back can help payment providers earn loyalty from squeezed middle- class consumers.
PayPal deepened its commitment to agentic AI with two new partnerships, per press releases. PayPal’s been bullish on agentic technologies. To date, it’s struck partnerships with Perplexity, Google, and now ChatGPT for AI-led conversational commerce. A tie-up with AI-powered Rokt brought post-transaction ads to Venmo, PayPal, and Honey users. Fintechs, issuers, and payment rails cannot ignore the coming tide of agent-based payment methods. Striking early partnerships with major players allows all platforms to reorient for the future of ecommerce transactions.
Live shopping platform Whatnot raised $225 million in its most recent funding round, valuing the company at $11.5 billion, double its worth at the beginning of 2025. Platforms like Whatnot are introducing live shopping to a new generation of consumers who are more dialed into social video than channels like HSN and QVC. The company has generated $6 billion in gross merchandise value this year, more than twice last year’s amount. However, livestream commerce remains a tiny drop in the vast ocean of ecommerce, making it more useful as an engagement and community-building opportunity than as a sales driver.
Grubhub is partnering with Instacart to power its grocery ordering as the Wonder Group-owned platform works to better compete with DoorDash and Uber. Instacart will manage fulfillment and delivery through its 1,000-plus retail network, marking the first time its grocery experience is embedded in another app. The deal expands Instacart’s reach to Grubhub’s urban, suburban, and college users while helping Grubhub diversify into grocery and pharmacy delivery. As rivals deepen partnerships and retail media strategies, both companies aim to boost order volume and ad revenues, leveraging collaboration to counter intensifying competition in the delivery market.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, alleging that the companies “deceptively market” Tylenol to pregnant mothers despite knowing the pain medication increases the risk of autism and ADHD in children. The lawsuit comes just a few days after President Trump again warned pregnant mothers not to take Tylenol “unless absolutely necessary” and not to give young children the medication. Kenvue will now need to take action, given the unpredictable nature of when Trump will comment next, along with his administration’s efforts to relabel Tylenol. Efforts should emphasize direct consumer assurance of the drug’s safety, trusted expert validation, and physician-first communication.
Eli Lilly is already manufacturing its not-yet-approved GLP-1 pill for weight loss in anticipation of strong global demand next year. Lilly’s proactive approach puts them in the lead for now, but the GLP-1 and next generation obesity drug market is still in the early stages. Drugmakers need to focus on value-priced messaging and creating accessible weight loss drug brands.
OpenAI detailed new ChatGPT mental health safety measure results on Monday, alongside an internal analysis that shows potentially millions of users’ conversations indicate emotional reliance on the chatbot. Marketers should educate parents of teens and young adults about safe AI use, and emphasize best practices like clinician collaboration, backup safety measures, and transparent data policies to build credibility and trust.
Streaming ad revenues continued a growth trajectory in Q3 while national linear TV spend shrunk, per a recent MoffetNathanson Research forecast. A successful advertising strategy will understand the increasing need to invest in cross-platform campaigns in the digital age.
Spotify is boosting its visual offerings for the big screen with a revamped Apple TV app. Users can now watch music videos and video podcasts on their TVs and get AI DJ recommendations, smarter queue management, a redesigned UX built for tvOS, and remote control via Spotify Connect, per 9to5Mac. As Spotify expands its CTV and broader media consumption offerings, it’s making a bid to claim more space on the biggest screen in the home. CMOs should start building CTV campaigns that merge Spotify’s audio precision with the reach and impact of video.
Paramount+ is entering a new stage—less about rapid subscriber growth and more about profitability. We forecast US monthly viewers will rise to 103.5 million by 2029, but subscription revenue growth will decelerate to 6.4% by 2026. Advertising, however, is on the upswing, with revenues expected to hit $611.5 million by 2027 as hybrid tiers gain traction. Yet the departure of Taylor Sheridan, the creative force behind Yellowstone and Tulsa King, leaves a gap in Paramount’s prestige pipeline.
Streaming music is gaining momentum as radio starts to lose share in the ad-supported audio listening market. Fifteen percent of audio listening time goes to ad-supported streaming audio, per Nielsen’s The Record report, up 36.4% YoY. Radio’s share dropped 5 percentage points YoY to 62%. Marketers should diversify audio spend by incrementally shifting dollars from radio to streaming to follow the ears as listening time shifts platforms. Test creative formats like interactive audio—including shoppable ads or tap-to-engage spots—to boost engagement and brand recall.
Amazon cut 14,000 corporate roles on Tuesday, calling the cuts an effort toward “reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, and shifting resources to ensure we’re investing in our biggest bets,” per Bloomberg. Affected divisions include gaming, cloud computing, logistics, and others. It’s been a challenging year for the workforce with rising inflation and a softening labor market—to say nothing of AI. Whether a company is looking to avoid layoffs or streamline operations, they should experiment with multiple AI tools to find the right solutions for specific roles and companies, even if that means learning that AI isn’t right for them.
"In this world of filters and celebrities and influencers, what I'm seeing is that people are wanting something that feels real," said Patrick Buchanan, SVP of marketing at Lulus on a recent episode of “Behind the Numbers.” "When they hear stories that feel like their own or see people who look like they're in a similar life stage, you see people relating to that."
The FBI arrested the CEO of Evolve Bank & Trust on child pornography charges, per Banking Dive, amid the bank’s deep compliance crisis. A spokesperson told Banking Dive that Hartheimer’s role has been terminated. Evolve’s precarious situation, made more so by the sudden departure of its CEO, underscores how weak internal controls and poor partner oversight can ripple through the business. One lesson is clear: Reforming internal culture, board oversight, and fintech-integration strategies are foundational to banks that want to offer these services.
The P&C insurance sector is pivoting from being driven by premium-driven growth to focusing on operational discipline and digital transformation, according to a Deloitte report. To succeed in 2026 and beyond, insurers should optimize their operations, partner effectively to upgrade their technology, and bring innovative products and services to market–either on their own or working with insurtechs.
Elon Musk’s X has lost another key figure in its advertising business, with ad chief John Nitti announcing his departure last week after joining just ten months ago, per the Financial Times. Another key loss signals that X’s ad strategy remains turbulent—and until its AI-powered ad focus proves valuable, ad investment should be executed with an air of caution.
Recent announcements from Amazon signal its intention to lean on international markets to power growth. The retailer expects to quadruple ecommerce exports from India by 2030 to $80 billion. It is also investing $2.8 billion in Belgium and the Netherlands, and recently launched ultra-fast delivery in the UAE. To achieve international success, Amazon must continue strengthening its local logistics network. Expanding fulfillment capabilities allows it to offer its trademark delivery speed, enabling it to appeal to more shoppers. That makes it a more valuable channel for external vendors, helping to increase product selection (and revenues from third-party seller services) and keep the company’s flywheel turning.
Retailers are accelerating “Holiday Cyber Creep,” launching deep discounts earlier than ever as competition for consumers’ limited holiday budgets intensifies. Ulta, Lowe’s, Best Buy, and Walmart have all unveiled October and early November promotions, extending the traditional Cyber Five into a months-long event. While early deals aim to capture cautious Gen Z and value-conscious shoppers, a new AlixPartners report warns that constant promotions are dulling their impact. That's forcing retailers to shift focus from nonstop discounts to standout experiences and personalized service to sustain engagement through the holiday season.