• Strong discounts—as high as 30% off listed price—will drive shoppers to “trade up” in categories such as electronics, appliances and sporting goods, contributing over $2 billion in incremental spend this season

• The 2024 holiday season is expected to be the most mobile of all time, with a record $128.1 billion spent through mobile devices at 53.2% share over desktop, while also propelling usage of Buy Now, Pay Later services

• Consumers will discover and research products in new ways this season, with influencers driving people to shop 10 times more compared to social media overall and generative AI-powered chat bots seeing a 100% increase in traffic to retail sites

Adobe has released its forecast for the 2024 U.S. holiday shopping season, projecting a remarkable $240.8 billion in online sales from November 1 to December 31. This anticipated growth of 8.4% year-over-year (YoY) highlights significant trends in consumer behavior, mobile shopping, and the influence of social media on purchasing decisions.

Record E-commerce Spend in the U.S.

• Total Online Sales: Expected to reach $240.8 billion, a growth from $221.8 billion in 2023.
• Mobile Shopping: Predicted to account for $128.1 billion (53.2% of total online sales), growing 12.8% YoY.
• Cyber Week Sales: Projected at $40.6 billion, with Cyber Monday as the biggest shopping day at $13.2 billion.

Price Sensitivity and Strong Discounts

• Major Discounts: Retailers are expected to offer discounts up to 30% off.
• Top Categories for Discounts:
  • Electronics: 30% off
  • Toys: 27% off
  • TVs: 24% off
  • Sporting Goods: 20% off

These competitive pricing strategies are designed to attract price-sensitive consumers who have become accustomed to seeking out value after a period of persistent inflation.

Shoppers “Trading Up”

• Consumers are anticipated to shift back toward more expensive goods, with a 19% increase in the share of high-priced items compared to previous months.
• Significant increases are expected in:
  • Sporting Goods: 76% increase in high-priced items.
  • Electronics: 58% increase.
  • Appliances: 40% increase.

Best Times to Shop

• Thanksgiving Day: Best for toys, appliances, furniture, and sporting goods.
• Black Friday: Deepest discounts on TVs.
• Cyber Monday: Ideal for electronics and apparel.

Early discounts will begin mid-October, ramping up through November and lingering into December.

Influencer Impact on Shopping Behavior

Influencers are increasingly driving consumer purchases, converting shoppers 10 times more effectively than social media. Adobe's survey indicates 37% of Gen Z respondents have bought products based on influencer recommendations.

Additional Insights

• Top Sellers: Expect high demand for popular toys, gaming consoles, and electronic devices.
• Categories Driving Growth: Electronics, apparel, and furniture are leading e-commerce categories.
• Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL): Anticipated to drive $18.5 billion in online spend, with Cyber Monday projected to be the largest day for BNPL.

The 2024 holiday shopping season is set to break records, driven by strong discounts, mobile shopping trends, and the influential power of social media. As consumers navigate this season, they will enjoy significant savings while retailers adapt to changing shopping behaviors and preferences.

Latest Commerce Creator Lighting Survey by URLgenius & impact.com Identifies Creator and Brand Insights Poised To Shape The Season

In a strategic collaboration, URLgenius, an industry pioneer in intelligent app linking, and impact.com, the world’s leading partnership management platform, have unveiled key insights from their latest Commerce Creator Lightning Survey. The findings highlight new opportunities for brand marketers to connect with Commerce Creators, particularly in the face of evolving consumer shopping behaviors and economic uncertainties during the holiday season.

Consumer Behavior Amid Economic Uncertainty
Brian Klais, CEO and founder of URLgenius, emphasized the significant role Commerce Creators play in influencing consumer buying decisions and fostering brand loyalty during challenging economic times. "In this climate, Commerce Creators have a direct impact on audience buying decisions and brand loyalty, as shoppers become more selective with their spending," he stated. Notably, 51% of creators have already initiated their holiday campaigns, signaling that brands still have time to refine their partnerships for success in 2025.

Key Insights from the Commerce Creator Lightning Survey

1. Fierce Competition

   • 45% of creators identified rising competition for audience attention as their top challenge this holiday season.
   • Additional challenges include the pressure to produce fresh content (25%) and the struggle to maintain work-life balance (23%).

2. Compensation Balancing Act

   • 47% of brands prefer a flat-fee compensation model with performance bonuses, while nearly half of creators cited rate negotiation as their biggest challenge when collaborating with brands.
   • However, the survey revealed that the pay-per-post plus commission model emerged as the preferred compensation structure across all follower counts, creating a mutually beneficial scenario that shares both risks and rewards.

3. Unease of the Unknown

   • Both brands and creators depend on measurable outcomes to gauge success but are concerned about factors beyond their control.
   • Brands prioritize sales figures and engagement metrics, with 41% reporting difficulty in measuring campaign effectiveness as a common challenge.
   • On the creator side, 64% expressed concern over the impact of shifting social media algorithms on their income and business stability.

4. Creative Differences

   • More than half of the brands surveyed indicated a preference for strong creative control, while 35% of creators preferred complete creative freedom to maintain authenticity for their audience.
   • Balancing brand safety with creator authenticity is essential for fostering trust in these partnerships.
   • Additionally, 40% of brands prioritized brand fit when selecting creator partners, reinforcing the importance of long-term relationships over merely follower counts.

Cristy Garcia, Chief Marketing Officer of impact.com, remarked on the timely engagement between brands and creators, noting, "September is not over, and we’re already seeing half of creators actively share holiday content. Brands should be engaging with influencers now to leverage a cost-effective and ROI-driven channel that aligns with how today’s buyer makes purchases." She emphasized the potential for brands and creators to build stronger connections through authentic content, including trusted reviews and recommendations, ultimately driving consumer conversions.

5 percent now considering a trades career, up 12 percent year-over-year, as home services professionals report their jobs are ‘increasingly Instagrammable’

Thumbtack, a technology company dedicated to helping millions care for their homes, has released its second annual Future of Skilled Trades Report. This report, which analyzes data from Gen Z, their parents, and home service professionals, reveals key insights into the rising interest in skilled trades and how social media is influencing career choices.

Gen Z's Shift Toward Skilled Trades
The report indicates that two out of three Gen Zers attribute their increased interest in skilled trades to social media, a figure that rises to three out of four among those with a college degree. Social media platforms are now the second-biggest influence on this generation's career decisions, surpassing traditional sources like teachers and family. This trend has led to the emergence of the #NoFilterWorkforce, where authentic portrayals of on-the-job experiences resonate strongly with young people.

Marco Zappacosta, co-founder and CEO of Thumbtack, notes, “Gen Zers are looking for careers that allow them to work and earn money right away, while pursuing a career they enjoy and learning new skills—all qualities that the skilled trades deliver on.” He emphasizes that this interest is vital for addressing the industry’s talent shortage as seasoned professionals retire.

Key Findings on Gen Z and Skilled Trades

1. Growing Interest

   • 55% of Gen Z is now considering a career in skilled trades, marking a 12-point increase from last year. This interest climbs to 72% among those with a college degree.
   • The increasing popularity of “day-in-the-life” stories shared on social media, particularly on TikTok and Instagram, has contributed to this trend. In fact, 77% of Gen Z have noticed heightened attention to skilled trades on social media in the past year.

2. Gender Parity in Interest

   • There’s a nearly equal interest in skilled trades among Gen Z women (52%) and men (57%), indicating a significant cultural shift from previous generations.

3. Parental Perspectives

   • While 80% of parents believe that learning a skilled trade offers a better path to economic security than attending college, 77% still encourage their children to pursue four-year degrees.

4. Skilled Trades Professionals' Satisfaction

   • An impressive 89% of skilled trades professionals report high job satisfaction, significantly higher than traditional careers like law and medicine, which are the only professions more respected than skilled trades among Gen Z.

5. Social Media’s Influence on the Trades

   • 60% of skilled trades professionals believe their work is becoming more ‘Instagrammable,’ reflecting a major cultural shift in the industry.

Real Stories, Real Opportunities
Jack Marquardt, an owner of Electric Avenue and a member of Thumbtack’s Pro Advisory Board, shared his experience, saying, “After serving in the military, college felt routine, and I quickly saw myself headed down a path where I’d be sitting in an office doing the same thing day after day. Instead of going into debt, I completed an electrical apprenticeship and got paid throughout the four-year process.” He highlights the benefits of skilled trades, such as flexibility and the ability to provide essential services that enhance people's lives.

Addressing the Workforce Challenge
Thumbtack’s report also reveals that finding and hiring young workers is the top concern for home service professionals. The company aims to spotlight these challenges and assist the hundreds of thousands of businesses on its platform to thrive sustainably in an evolving industry.

The Future of Skilled Trades Report underscores the transformative potential of social media in shaping Gen Z’s career aspirations and highlights a crucial opportunity for the skilled trades industry. With a growing interest in trade careers, this generation may well redefine the workforce landscape, fostering a future where skilled trades are not just respected but actively sought after.

Skail.ai is set to redefine the future of business communication with the launch of its proprietary AI Digital Clone technology. This groundbreaking platform enhances how professionals connect with clients and colleagues by crafting personalized, human-like messages that reflect the user's unique tone, knowledge, and personality. By integrating AI seamlessly into business, Skail empowers professionals to boost productivity and nurture relationships without sacrificing the personal touch.

Skail.ai is set to transform the landscape of business communication with its innovative AI Digital Clone technology. This cutting-edge platform empowers professionals to enhance their interactions with clients and colleagues by generating personalized, human-like messages that capture their unique tone, knowledge, and personality.

Making Business Personal with AI
In an era where automation often leads to a lack of personal connection, Skail.ai adopts a different philosophy. Utilizing a proprietary AI model, the platform learns and mimics the user's voice, style, and preferences. This allows professionals to send authentic messages that resonate deeply with recipients.

Matt Osborn, CEO and Founder of Skail, states, “We designed Skail to help professionals scale their communications while maintaining the human touch. Our AI doesn't just automate tasks—it helps individuals stay true to themselves while increasing their reach, allowing for more frequent and meaningful interactions.”

Core Values: Data Privacy and Security
A standout feature of Skail.ai is its commitment to data privacy. The platform ensures complete confidentiality for its users by securing their data and never sharing it with third parties. Unlike many competitors, Skail does not utilize customer data to train its models, ensuring that personal information remains private and protected.

Key Features of Skail.ai

• Personalized AI Digital Clones: The AI adapts to the user’s voice, tone, and style, creating messages that feel genuine and tailored.

• Scalable Communications: Users can generate thoughtful, customized messages at scale, enhancing productivity without losing authenticity.

• Privacy First: Skail’s proprietary model guarantees that user data is never shared or used to train external systems, prioritizing user confidentiality.

• Seamless Integration: The platform integrates effortlessly with popular CRMs and email systems, streamlining communication efforts for professionals.

Skail.ai is poised to redefine how professionals engage in business communications, combining advanced AI technology with a commitment to maintaining the human touch. By focusing on personalization and privacy, Skail empowers users to enhance their productivity and build meaningful relationships in the digital age.

Honcho has unveiled a suite of new artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed to streamline the process of creating and launching business websites. Aimed at startup and small business owners lacking technical, creative, or marketing expertise, these enhanced tools make establishing an online presence more accessible than ever.

Eliminating Barriers for Small Business Owners
“Our goal with these AI-enhanced tools is to remove the barriers many small business owners face when trying to establish an online presence - namely creative and technical skills,” said Matt Abrahams, CEO of Honcho. The platform enables users to create and launch a professional website in just minutes, without any prior experience.

How It Works
AI technology plays a pivotal role in simplifying the website creation process. Users need only input minimal information, such as their business name and industry, and the AI automatically generates a customized website that includes text, images, and optimized design elements.

“Most small business owners just want a fully functioning website up and running … and fast,” added Abrahams. “Using our platform, business owners can begin marketing their business and, in turn, start adding to their bottom line much faster.”

Honcho's Proven Track Record
Honcho is a well-established Australian business service with over 800,000 clients and a strong presence in the website-building sector. The prototype version of the newly launched site has been in stealth mode in Australia for two years while the company refined its operations. While the company has not disclosed specific numbers, it is understood that thousands of clients have successfully utilized Honcho’s website-building services.

Product Evolution
The journey began with the launch of a minimum viable product called 'Instant Website' on September 18, 2022, prior to AI becoming a dominant force in technology. The second version, released in February 2024, introduced a range of new features, including business and domain name generators, automatic AI text generation, and access to a free photo library. The latest version, launched in September 2024, features a completely redesigned interface tailored for the global market.

Looking Ahead
Honcho has ambitious plans for the future, with more AI-powered features set to launch soon. “We are not an AI company. We are service-focused specialists helping business owners globally to design, create, and launch professional websites for their business—fast and simply,” noted Abrahams. “AI is another technology that adds value to our robust ecosystem, similar to many of the other technology tools we incorporate.”

With its new AI tools, Honcho is positioned to revolutionize the website creation process for small businesses, enabling them to establish an online presence quickly and efficiently. By focusing on user-friendly solutions, Honcho empowers entrepreneurs to succeed in the digital landscape.

New Synchronoss Personal Cloud Adds Features Such as Memories and Built-In AI Functionality to Make it Even Easier for Subscribers to Optimize Digital Content

Synchronoss Technologies, Inc., a global leader in personal cloud platforms, has announced the release of the latest version of its carrier-grade Synchronoss Personal Cloud platform. This new version offers a tailored white-label solution, allowing service providers to enable subscribers to manage, back up, and optimize their digital content across various devices.

Key Features of the Enhanced Synchronoss Personal Cloud
The latest Synchronoss Personal Cloud introduces several enhanced features designed to boost user engagement and awareness:

• Memories: An AI-curated personalization feature that presents users' content in a movie format, making it easy to enjoy and share with family and friends.

• AI-Enhanced Genius with One-Click Editing: This functionality allows users to edit and optimize their photos using a variety of AI filters and transformations with just one click.

• Improved Backups: Significant enhancements have been made to backup processes and notification management, ensuring a more reliable user experience.

• Tip Cards: New in-app communication tiles enable carriers to provide relevant tips to subscribers, promoting awareness and adoption of the platform’s new features.

Focus on User Experience
“The newest version of Synchronoss Personal Cloud enables our service provider partners to deliver robust cloud solutions with enhanced user experiences aimed specifically at improving engagement,” said Jeff Miller, President and CEO of Synchronoss. “With the introduction of the Memories and AI-Enhanced Genius features, subscribers can effortlessly curate, share, and optimize their digital content—all within an intuitive and consistent interface. We are very proud to announce these new capabilities and are excited for subscriber feedback based on the user experience testing we have conducted.”

Global Reach and Scalability
As a white-label solution delivered through leading communications service providers, telecom carriers, and mobile operators, the Synchronoss Personal Cloud currently supports over 10 million mobile and broadband subscribers worldwide. The platform's flexibility and scalability enable operators and service providers to rapidly launch and offer personal cloud solutions across tiered plans, value-added bundles, and premium features. This approach effectively minimizes churn and increases average revenue per user (ARPU).

With the launch of the enhanced Synchronoss Personal Cloud platform, Synchronoss Technologies continues to solidify its position as a leader in the personal cloud space. The new features are designed to improve user engagement and satisfaction, providing service providers with the tools necessary to offer exceptional digital experiences to their subscribers.

PAIR Empowers Brands to Vet and Evaluate Creator Pairings At Scale, Driving Greater ROI

Pearpop, a leading creator marketing company, has launched PAIR, an innovative AI-powered creator review platform designed to help brands discover and activate the perfect creators for their social media campaigns. With over 27 million paid social media creators in the U.S. alone, the demand for effective creator marketing solutions has never been higher.

Revolutionizing Creator Pairings
The PAIR platform aims to streamline the reviewing and vetting process of creators, moving beyond traditional methods that often rely on subjective evaluations. Pearpop’s solution adheres to rigorous brand safety standards while utilizing objective data to identify creators uniquely suited to each brand, maximizing the ROI of creator programs.

Brands can define their ideal creator partners based on various criteria, including follower count, engagement rate, age, location, content genre, tonality, and audience profile. PAIR leverages a proprietary blend of first-party and third-party data to systematically review and display ideal creator pairings, enabling brands to efficiently power large-scale creator campaigns and affiliate programs.

Enhanced Efficiency and Reliability
With PAIR, brands can rapidly vet and evaluate a larger number of creators than ever before, ensuring more accurate and reliable brand-perfect pairings. Following this initial vetting, Pearpop’s Creator Management team conducts detailed manual screenings to ensure all shortlisted creators meet high standards for production quality, brand safety, and tonality while excluding any potential category conflicts or problematic content.

Success Stories
Marie-Laure De Veyt, Microsoft’s Senior Influencer and Innovation Marketing Lead, praised Pearpop’s technology, noting that it has significantly impacted Microsoft’s marketing efforts. Earlier this year, Microsoft utilized Pearpop to analyze thousands of creators, resulting in a data-driven shortlist of 60 qualified creators. This led to the selection of 29 creators for a successful campaign promoting Microsoft 365 and Surface, generating 142 million impressions and over 1.4 million direct clicks at a highly efficient cost of $0.70 per click.

Industry Transformation
“PAIR represents a pivotal shift in how brands will approach creator marketing moving forward – this is our industry’s ‘Moneyball Moment,’” said Cole Mason, Pearpop Co-Founder and CEO. “PAIR offers a completely new level of data intelligence for the creator marketing space, providing marketers with unprecedented insight, control, and confidence for making brand-right creator pairings.”

Pearpop's Broader Offerings
In addition to PAIR, Pearpop provides several key offerings to enhance creator marketing:

• Affiliate Marketing Programs: The Pearpop Affiliate Portal enables brands to vet and manage creator affiliates at scale, integrating with major affiliate platforms like TikTok Seller Center.

• Integrated Paid Media: The “Boost Mode” feature allows brands to transform authentic creator content into high-performing paid ads effortlessly.

• Evergreen Creator Rosters: Brands can build and manage scalable rosters of creator talent for ongoing collaboration and community engagement.

• Social Media Management: Pearpop Social Studio partners with brands to accelerate organic social growth, leveraging the authentic power of creators.

Since its launch in October 2020, Pearpop has rapidly emerged as a leader in creator marketing solutions, growing over 500% since Spring 2023. With a diverse community of over 225,000 creators, Pearpop is committed to helping creators earn a living while unlocking the value of every social media user. The company has gained the trust of numerous blue-chip brands, including Microsoft, Amazon, Activision, and Netflix, and boasts notable celebrity investors such as Ashton Kutcher, Guy Oseary, and Mark Cuban.

New “misinformation solution” protects advertisers, identifying reputable news sources on YouTube while also isolating high risk stories and sources

Pixability, a leader in AI-driven contextual targeting and brand safety for YouTube and connected TV (CTV), has announced a groundbreaking brand safety solution specifically for news content, in collaboration with Ad Fontes, an authority in rating news sources for bias and reliability. This new offering addresses the pressing issue of misinformation by protecting advertisers on reputable news channels on YouTube.

Addressing the Misinformation Challenge
In an era where false and misleading information is prevalent across digital platforms, Pixability’s new solution tackles two critical challenges for advertisers:

1. Identifying Reputable News Sources: The solution focuses on identifying trustworthy news sources that maintain proper journalistic standards without extreme bias.
2. Screening Sensitive News Stories: It screens these reputable channels for high-risk and sensitive news stories that may not align with certain advertisers' brand values.

Combining Pixability’s robust brand safety technology, which includes both tech and human monitoring, with Ad Fontes’ comprehensive news ratings system ensures marketers can run their ads in a trusted news environment.

Supporting Trustworthy Journalism
“At a time when false and misleading information is rampant across all platforms, it’s important we identify and provide support for sources of news that are trustworthy and not expressing extreme bias,” said Vanessa Otero, founder and CEO of Ad Fontes. She emphasized the vastness of YouTube's content landscape, which presents both opportunities and challenges for advertisers looking to engage with high-quality journalism.

The new solution enables advertisers to select channels that adhere to recognized journalistic practices, including thorough fact-checking. Additionally, Pixability’s technology allows for real-time monitoring of sensitive news topics, isolating potentially inappropriate stories even from reputable sources.

Industry Recognition
David George, CEO of Pixability, expressed excitement about the partnership with Ad Fontes, highlighting the pressing need to support reputable news sources. “We’ve seen a pattern of brands and agencies avoiding news content altogether due to a lack of effective brand suitability solutions tailored for news sites. We are proud to address this issue specifically on YouTube,” he stated.

Industry leaders are also recognizing the importance of this new solution. AJ Brown, COO of the Brand Safety Institute, remarked, “Brands play a critical role in safeguarding the future of reliable, quality journalism. The decision to invest in news calls for nuanced buying options that go beyond traditional brand suitability risk categorization, allowing marketers to support quality journalism through targeted ad buys.”

The Value of News Content for Advertisers
Pixability’s insights team revealed that approximately 40% of YouTube advertisers currently opt to avoid news content. This trend not only undermines funding for reputable news sources but also limits advertisers' engagement opportunities in vital areas of interest.

Furthermore, data released by Pixability shows the compelling value of news content for advertisers:

• Advertisers across various sectors, including food & beverage, automotive, entertainment, and travel, experience engagement rates that are 24%-44% better when utilizing news content compared to average content categories on YouTube.
• The desirable 18-24 age demographic shows the highest likelihood of engaging with advertisements featured in news content.
• Reputable news channels on YouTube maintain a staggering 99% favorability rating from audiences.

With the launch of this brand safety solution, Pixability and Ad Fontes are setting a new standard for responsible advertising in the digital age, enabling brands to support quality journalism while mitigating risks associated with misinformation. As the landscape of digital content continues to evolve, this partnership underscores the necessity of providing advertisers with the tools needed to engage effectively with audiences in a trustworthy environment.