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Brands must build “machine trust” by 2026 or risk vanishing from AI-led discovery as CEEK warns creativity alone will no longer secure visibility.

Jaded London taps Verde Digital for an SEO overhaul as it chases GBP £100 million in revenue and ramps up global streetwear expansion.

Black Friday still delivered the peak online surge, but AI-driven search stretched shopping demand across a longer November window.

US holiday shoppers to rein in festive spending as 60% say financial strain will curb gift budgets, new national survey data shows.

Indosat’s mobile data traffic jumped about 15% over Indonesia’s year-end holidays as digital use surges beyond major cities and tourist hubs.

Tesco tops the UK’s Christmas social media league, outpacing rivals on engagement and EMV with a wide-reaching creator-led strategy.

Meta has bought Singapore AI start-up Manus, aiming to embed its autonomous general-purpose agent across consumer and business products.

iMessage-based social app Series tops 1m posts and 10,000 daily users as young people drift from public feeds to private chats.

Innovid adds Reddit, Meta optimisation and Google CM360 tools to Social Ads Manager, promising smoother cross-platform social campaigns.

ChatGPT tops Apple’s 2025 app charts in New Zealand, as AI tools, social media, streaming and mobile games dominate downloads.

New Zealand MPs unite across party lines to back under-16 social media curbs after a shocking ‘Worst Children’s Library’ exhibit at Parliament.

Gen Z is turning away from polished ads and backing creators, forcing brands to pivot towards social commerce and community-led influence.

Gen Z’s ‘Returniture’ habit of sending back bulky furniture bought online is soaring, leaving UK retailers to shoulder rising costs and complexity.

UK shoppers want AI for real-time delivery tracking and returns but demand transparency and human support for trust and control over choices.

By 2026, AI, social commerce and immersive physical retail experiences will transform how consumers interact with brands both online and in stores.

UK brands plan to boost influencer marketing budgets in 2026, focusing on micro-influencers and tech-driven campaigns for better engagement and ROI.

UK shoppers favour AI for delivery tracking and returns but insist it should support, not replace, human customer service roles in retail.

Australian retailers brace for a spike in cyber scams and sophisticated attacks exploiting the busy holiday shopping season, warns cybersecurity experts.

Msg1 introduces multilingual messaging to help creators monetise meaningful, direct conversations with global audiences beyond language barriers.

Young Australians are most at risk as holiday online shopping scams surge, with Gen Z and Millennials more likely to engage in risky cyber behaviours this season.