AI moved between shoppers and the brands they trust.
Gig workers turned AI on the apps that deactivate them, and marketers rethought discovery as AI shaped shopping and email. Fad toys cooled and Snapchat changed how it reports usage.
// FieldThe New Consumer
// This week’s mix
- Pushback16
- Money2
- Adoption10
- Attention9
Stories in the trends to the right. One story can sit in more than one trend.
// What’s moving in The New Consumer
- 01AI middlemen take over shoppingGig workers used AI to contest deactivations on Uber and Instacart8 weeks11 → 18 stories10 pushbackSee the timeline →
- 02Hype fades for brands, toys and techLabubu demand cooled and Snapchat dropped daily user counts8 weeks7 → 7 stories3 pushback
- 03AI answers replace search and inbox discoveryAI now shapes shopping choices and the first read of B2B email8 weeks1 → 6 stories3 pushbackSee the timeline →
- 04Brands fight harder for shoppers' attentionBrand budgets got cut even as marketing and finance credit growth8 weeks5 → 6 stories0 pushbackSee the timeline →
// Stories behind it
The newest evidence.
- PushbackA YouTuber discovered that most videos contain inaudible...
- PushbackConcerns about fake reviews are costing sales as shoppers abandon purchases November 10
- PushbackLocation Anxiety and Frutiger Dreams
- AdoptionAI agents are taking on lower-funnel website tasks for consumers November 9
- AttentionMillennial optimism, meet WhimZ
// For members
Every trend’s claims, sources and contradictions, plus the stories that cut against what’s moving.