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# Shopper attention is splintering across AI, comments and streamers.
- URL: https://adjacent.media/trends/brands-fight-harder-for-shoppers-attention/
- Published: 2026-11-09T11:14:56.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-11T11:17:43.000Z
- Description: Retail marketers are rethinking discovery as AI shapes purchases, comment sections draw engagement, and fads like Labubu fade. Brand budgets still face cuts despite agreement that brand drives growth.
- Author: Jonathan Greene
- Tags: #trend, theme-consumer

[The New Consumer](https://adjacent.media/fields/the-new-consumer/)/Trends/Brands fight harder for shoppers' attention

// TrendThe New ConsumerTracked since Apr 10, 2026 · 69 stories

// This week

6

stories, up from 5 the week before.

- Adoption**3**
- Attention**3**

// Every week since Aug 3

## Coverage spans AI shopping, social feeds and fading fads.

63AUG 1012AUG 2463SEP 736SEP 2126OCT 5510OCT 1956NOV 2

PushbackBuild-outMoneyAdoptionAttentionChoose a week to see its stories

// Week of Aug 3

## What moved it.

All 6Pushback 3Attention 3

1. Attention · Extends[Welcome To The Post-Influencers Era.](https://adjacent.media/signals/influencer-marketings-credibility-crisis-accelerates/)Substack  
Aug 8
2. Pushback · Extends[BMW Spider-Man Dashboard Ads Spark Owner Backlash](https://adjacent.media/signals/bmws-in-car-ads-trigger-consumer-revolt-over-owned-hardware/)Bmwblog  
Aug 7
3. Pushback · Extends[BMW Owners Angry Over Spider-Man Ads Appearing on Dashboard Screens](https://adjacent.media/signals/bmws-in-car-ads-spark-owner-backlash-over-privacy-and-personalization/)MacRumors  
Aug 7
4. Attention · Extends[The attention crisis and the rise of influencer marketing](https://adjacent.media/signals/attention-scarcity-makes-trust-the-new-brand-moat/)Substack  
Aug 5
5. Attention · Extends[1440’s Tim Huelskamp: AI Content Explosion Creates Greater Demand for Human Curation, not Less](https://adjacent.media/signals/ai-abundance-makes-human-curation-more-valuable-not-less/)Beet  
Aug 5
6. Pushback · Extends[Why High Ratings Don’t Mean High Attention: TVision’s Bid to Rewire Ad Buying](https://adjacent.media/signals/why-tv-ratings-no-longer-predict-ad-effectiveness/)Beet  
Aug 5

// Week of Aug 10

## What moved it.

All 3Adoption 1Attention 2

1. Attention · Confirms[Pause for Effect: Philo Bets on User-Initiated Ads as CTV’s Attention Antidote](https://adjacent.media/signals/philos-pause-time-ads-turn-interruptions-into-opt-in-moments/)Beet  
Aug 12
2. Attention · Extends[Attention up for auction](https://adjacent.media/signals/why-winning-bidders-always-overpay-for-attention/)Seths  
Aug 11
3. Adoption · Extends[Sources: as Spotify tests a skip ahead button that lets some Premium users skip publisher-sold podcast ads and filler content, audio networks raise concerns (Max Tani/Semafor)](https://adjacent.media/signals/spotifys-skip-button-tests-publisher-sold-podcast-ads/)Semafor  
Aug 10

// Week of Aug 17

## What moved it.

All 1Attention 1

1. Attention · Extends[Clicks Are Down 42%, LinkedIn Reach Down 47% But You’re Raging At The Wrong Target via @sejournal, @gregjarboe](https://adjacent.media/signals/linkedin-reach-plummets-47-but-organic-decline-isnt-the-real-problem/)Searchenginejournal  
Aug 20

// Week of Aug 24

## What moved it.

All 2Money 1Attention 1

1. Money · Extends[Apple Maps Ads Are Here, and There's No Way to Turn Them Off](https://adjacent.media/signals/apple-maps-joins-search-ads-market-locks-out-opt-out/)MacRumors  
Aug 26
2. Attention · Extends[How brands sell to lonely girls](https://adjacent.media/signals/how-brands-sell-to-lonely-girls/)Thecuriousbrain  
Aug 25

// Week of Aug 31

## What moved it.

All 6Pushback 2Adoption 2Attention 2

1. Adoption · Extends[Businesses in China are experimenting with ways to package and market AI tokens to ordinary consumers, including as credit card rewards and telecom plan bundles (Kinling Lo/Rest of World)](https://adjacent.media/signals/chinese-companies-bundle-ai-tokens-into-everyday-consumer-products/)Rest of World  
Sep 6
2. Attention · Extends[Short Videos, Big Self-Control Problems](https://adjacent.media/signals/short-form-video-design-weaponizes-addiction-mechanics/)Marginalrevolution  
Sep 6
3. Adoption · Extends[Chinese banks and carriers have turned AI tokens into rewards, monthly plans and collateral](https://adjacent.media/signals/chinese-banks-package-ai-tokens-as-credit-card-rewards/)Thenextweb  
Sep 6
4. Attention · Extends[What happens to trust when attention becomes more valuable than the truth?](https://adjacent.media/signals/when-attention-outbids-truth-trust-becomes-worthless/)Thenextweb  
Sep 3
5. Pushback · Extends[JD Power says 35% of passenger screens have never been used](https://adjacent.media/signals/one-third-of-car-passenger-screens-go-completely-unused/)Thenextweb  
Sep 3
6. Pushback · Extends[Car owners want tech they can ignore](https://adjacent.media/signals/drivers-reject-complex-car-technology-they-cant-control/)The Verge  
Sep 1

// Week of Sep 7

## What moved it.

All 3Attention 3

1. Attention · Extends[Risks for Clicks: Why Online Influencers Push Shock Content](https://adjacent.media/signals/influencers-weaponize-shock-to-win-the-algorithm/)The New York Times  
Sep 13
2. Attention · Extends[How to Lure the Spendy and the Thrifty? Bring On the ‘Barbell.’](https://adjacent.media/signals/restaurant-chains-split-the-difference-with-budget-and-premium-tiers/)The New York Times  
Sep 12
3. Attention · Extends[The coming product retention crisis](https://adjacent.media/signals/why-product-teams-are-about-to-face-a-retention-reckoning/)Substack  
Sep 8

// Week of Sep 14

## What moved it.

All 3Pushback 1Adoption 1Attention 1

1. Pushback · Extends[At DraftKings, AI Targets the Gamblers Likeliest to Lose](https://adjacent.media/signals/draftkings-uses-ai-to-target-vulnerable-gamblers/)The New York Times  
Sep 19
2. Adoption · Extends[Meta's personal AI agent Muse climbs to No. 1 among free apps on Apple's US App Store, ahead of ChatGPT; Muse launched on September 8 (Georgia Hennessy/Business Insider)](https://adjacent.media/signals/metas-muse-hits-no-1-app-store-slot-over-chatgpt/)Business Insider  
Sep 19
3. Attention · Extends[CTV’s Awareness-Only Era Is Over: Brands Now Chasing Performance on the Big Screen](https://adjacent.media/signals/connected-tv-shifts-from-brand-awareness-to-direct-performance/)Beet  
Sep 14

// Week of Sep 21

## What moved it.

All 6Adoption 2Attention 4

1. Attention · Extends[Does H&M’s Margin Gamble Signal the End of Cheap Fast-Fashion?](https://adjacent.media/signals/h-ms-margin-strategy-signals-mass-retails-exit-from-discount-wars/)Substack  
Sep 27
2. Attention · Extends[Out-Of-Home’s Moment: Why Physical Presence Has Become One Of Advertising’s Most Valuable Assets](https://adjacent.media/signals/out-of-home-advertising-outperforms-digital-as-attention-economy-saturates/)Beet  
Sep 24
3. Adoption · Extends[Meta’s New Muse AI Agent App Overtakes ChatGPT as Top iPhone App](https://adjacent.media/signals/metas-muse-ai-dethrones-chatgpt-as-top-free-iphone-app/)9to5Mac  
Sep 23
4. Adoption · Extends[Apple’s 48-speaker Broadcast Venue Drumrolls Retail’s Sonic Turn](https://adjacent.media/signals/apples-48-speaker-venues-signal-retails-shift-to-sonic-branding/)Substack  
Sep 23
5. Attention · Confirms[Persistent Ads in iOS Settings](https://adjacent.media/signals/apple-embeds-ads-deep-within-iphone-settings-app/)Mjtsai  
Sep 23
6. Attention · Extends[Trust Becomes Advertising’s Most Valuable Currency in AI Era](https://adjacent.media/signals/trust-becomes-advertisings-scarcest-resource/)Beet  
Sep 23

// Week of Sep 28

## What moved it.

All 2Attention 2

1. Attention · Extends[Silicon Valley’s Marketing Arms Race](https://adjacent.media/signals/tech-giants-turn-product-launches-into-marketing-spectacles/)Substack  
Oct 1
2. Attention · Extends[Big Spenders & Pricing Games Mask Low Income Traffic Decline At Restaurants](https://adjacent.media/signals/restaurant-spending-held-up-by-high-spenders-as-traffic-collapses/)Substack  
Sep 29

// Week of Oct 5

## What moved it.

All 6Pushback 2Adoption 1Attention 3

1. Attention · Extends[Ella Langley spent a record 24 weeks at No. 1\. Most U.S. music fans didn’t know her name—signaling a major cultural shift](https://adjacent.media/signals/country-star-ella-langley-topped-charts-while-remaining-unknown-to-most-americans/)Fortune  
Oct 10
2. Pushback · Extends[Dunking on Dating App Profiles Is Content Gold. People Are Getting Sick of It](https://adjacent.media/signals/dating-app-critique-videos-are-burning-out-their-audience/)Wired  
Oct 10
3. Pushback · Extends[$5 meals, $6 combos, and fewer visits: McDonald’s barrage of deals isn’t winning customers back](https://adjacent.media/signals/mcdonalds-discount-blitz-fails-to-reverse-traffic-decline/)Fortune  
Oct 8
4. Attention · Extends[The end of short-form content](https://adjacent.media/signals/the-reckoning-for-short-form-social-media-begins/)Substack  
Oct 5
5. Attention · Extends[Can thrift shops save us from Shein?](https://adjacent.media/signals/thrift-stores-emerge-as-antidote-to-algorithmic-fast-fashion/)Vox  
Oct 5
6. Adoption · Extends[The Growing Business of Getting Ready](https://adjacent.media/signals/beauty-brands-optimize-products-for-tiktoks-get-ready-with-me-format/)Businessoffashion  
Oct 5

// Week of Oct 12

## What moved it.

All 5Pushback 1Adoption 1Attention 3

1. Adoption · Extends[Influencer marketers are leaning into FOMO to cut through the noise](https://adjacent.media/signals/influencers-weaponize-scarcity-and-urgency-to-break-through-algorithm-fatigue/)Business Insider  
Oct 17
2. Attention · Extends[AI reputation management: what gets said about you inside ChatGPT, Perplexity & Google Gemini](https://adjacent.media/signals/ai-chatbots-are-becoming-the-new-reputation-manager/)Thenextweb  
Oct 14
3. Pushback · Extends[Stay 30 Days, Get $4 Million! Fake Challenge Videos Are a New Headache for Hotels](https://adjacent.media/signals/fake-hotel-stay-challenges-drain-front-desk-resources/)Financial Times  
Oct 13
4. Attention · Extends[Is AI Face the New Instagram Face?](https://adjacent.media/signals/ai-face-filters-are-reshaping-cosmetic-surgery-expectations/)Vogue  
Oct 13
5. Attention · Extends[Big CPG’s awkward era.](https://adjacent.media/signals/black-friday-deals-fail-to-build-loyalty-for-big-cpg-brands/)Substack  
Oct 12

// Week of Oct 19

## What moved it.

All 10Pushback 2Adoption 3Attention 5

1. Attention · Extends[The experience economy keeps defying expectations. Maybe we’ve been looking at it all wrong](https://adjacent.media/signals/why-the-experience-economy-keeps-surprising-forecasters/)Fortune  
Oct 25
2. Attention · Extends[They Just Booked the Hotel Room — But They’re Already Looking for a Better Deal](https://adjacent.media/signals/post-booking-price-hunting-becomes-standard-consumer-behavior/)Financial Times  
Oct 24
3. Adoption · Extends[She used Facebook Marketplace to sell seafood in South Carolina. A viral review led to 300 orders overnight.](https://adjacent.media/signals/viral-review-turns-facebook-marketplace-into-seafood-business-launchpad/)Business Insider  
Oct 23
4. Attention · Extends[Predictions 2027: Consumers Rebel Against Invisible Influence](https://adjacent.media/signals/consumers-will-punish-brands-for-obvious-manipulation/)Forrester  
Oct 23
5. Attention · Confirms[The relentless math of bandwagoning](https://adjacent.media/signals/why-bandwagons-matter-more-than-taste/)Seths  
Oct 23
6. Pushback · Confirms[Two Thirds of Consumers are Avoiding Ads, But They’re Not Anti-Brand](https://adjacent.media/signals/consumers-block-ads-not-brands/)Beet  
Oct 22
7. Adoption · Extends[Why the AI boom is creating a hunger for human connection](https://adjacent.media/signals/ai-restaurants-spark-demand-for-human-centered-dining/)Substack  
Oct 22
8. Pushback · Extends[Meet Prometheus, a Gift Link Search Engine](https://adjacent.media/signals/gift-link-search-engine-exposes-paywall-workaround-at-scale/)Kottke  
Oct 22
9. Attention · Extends[The influencer is dead. The Age of Experience is here.](https://adjacent.media/signals/experience-economy-replaces-influencer-marketing-as-creator-business-model/)Substack  
Oct 20
10. Adoption · Extends[Roku’s Caitlin McDonough: Sports Fandom is Growing at the Edges](https://adjacent.media/signals/sports-streaming-finds-growth-in-highlights-not-just-live-games/)Beet  
Oct 20

// Week of Oct 26

## What moved it.

All 5Adoption 2Attention 3

1. Adoption · Extends[Why the 2026 midterms could mark a turning point for influencers in political campaigns](https://adjacent.media/signals/political-campaigns-hire-influencers-to-target-swing-voters-in-2026/)Digiday  
Oct 29
2. Attention · Extends[Are media operators growing more pessimistic?](https://adjacent.media/signals/creators-face-shrinking-audiences-and-revenue-streams/)Substack  
Oct 28
3. Attention · Extends[Watch out, YouTube — Instagram goes from short-form to 90-minute videos](https://adjacent.media/signals/instagram-abandons-short-form-video-dominance-for-long-form-content/)TechCrunch  
Oct 27
4. Attention · Extends[The winners and losers of the weight-loss economy](https://adjacent.media/signals/glp-1-users-are-reshaping-consumer-spending-patterns/)Financial Times  
Oct 27
5. Adoption · Extends[AI Agents Are Taking Over My Inbox, My Comments, and My Job](https://adjacent.media/signals/ai-agents-now-handle-email-moderation-and-knowledge-work/)Substack  
Oct 26

// Week of Nov 2 · selected

## What moved it.

All 6Adoption 3Attention 3

1. Adoption · Extends[Labubu craze loses steam](https://adjacent.media/signals/pop-marts-labubu-craze-collapses-as-overseas-sales-plummet-70/)CNBC  
Nov 8
2. Attention · Extends[As AI shapes more shopping decisions, retail marketers must rethink discovery, trust, and visibility November 5](https://adjacent.media/signals/ai-search-is-stealing-retails-moment-of-discovery/)Emarketer  
Nov 8
3. Attention · Extends[Marketing and finance agree that brand drives growth. So why does the budget still get cut?](https://adjacent.media/signals/why-brand-investment-shrinks-when-growth-slows/)Musebyclios  
Nov 8
4. Attention · Confirms[The comments section is becoming social media’s hottest real estate](https://adjacent.media/signals/comments-sections-emerge-as-social-medias-new-engagement-battleground/)Business Insider  
Nov 7
5. Adoption · Extends[Just Eat builds a commerce media network around AI and purchase intent November 5](https://adjacent.media/signals/just-eat-launches-commerce-media-network-across-europe/)Emarketer  
Nov 6
6. Adoption · Extends[Double 11 Looming, Chinese Shoppers Ask Strangers to Vet Their Carts](https://adjacent.media/signals/chinese-shoppers-crowdsource-shopping-cart-approval-before-double-11/)Sixthtone  
Nov 5

// Where it connects

Same stories, other trends[AI middlemen take over shopping →](https://adjacent.media/trends/ai-is-changing-who-controls-shopping-and-apps/)[Brands seek an edge that AI cannot copy →](https://adjacent.media/trends/brands-seek-an-edge-that-ai-cannot-copy/)[Struggling brands fade or sell off →](https://adjacent.media/trends/struggling-brands-fade-or-sell-off/)