The Beecommercer Daily Buzz
Date: Friday, August 22, 2025 Brought to you by: beecommercer.com
Good morning and welcome to your Friday briefing. We're ending the week with a bombshell story that redraws the lines of competition in retail media. At the same time, new data shows the double-edged sword of generative AI's impact on e-commerce and the open web.
Here’s the essential news to wrap up your week.
The Amazon Ecosystem Expands... To Selling Ads For Competitors
Amazon to Sell Macy's Media Network Ads: In a landmark deal, advertisers will soon be able to buy ad inventory on Macy's properties through Amazon's ad platform. This partnership marks a major evolution in retail media, where the industry's largest player is now providing its technology and services to a direct competitor.
Context is Key: Amazon Continues to Gain Market Share: This move comes as a new J.P. Morgan report states that Amazon continues to gain share in the U.S. e-commerce market. Amazon's growing dominance is so significant that it can now profitably sell its advertising infrastructure to other major retailers looking to keep pace.
The Two Faces of Generative AI's Impact
The Upside: AI is Boosting E-commerce: New data from Adobe confirms that generative AI is having a positive impact on e-commerce, with AI-powered shopping experiences driving engagement and sales. This trend is being seen as a key growth driver across the industry.
The Downside: AI Search is Harming the Open Web: However, the rise of AI-powered search is creating serious challenges. New reports show that news sites are seeing their traffic shrink, with Google's AI Overviews being a likely cause. This is having a ripple effect, as experts warn that the reduction in ad supply from the open web could lead to a "reckoning" for the programmatic advertising industry.
Holiday Prep & Platform Updates
Meta Pushes AI Ad Tools for the Holidays: With Q4 on the horizon, Meta is encouraging advertisers to use its AI-powered tools to boost holiday sales. The platform is highlighting its Advantage+ suite to help businesses optimize campaigns for the crucial shopping season.
Meta Rolls Out Ad Billing Changes: In a practical update, Meta has announced changes to its ad billing and payment processes, aiming to streamline the experience for advertisers.
Google Ads "Asset Studio" Enters Beta: Google is testing a new creative tool called Asset Studio, which will allow advertisers to quickly generate and edit creative assets for their campaigns directly within Google Ads.
Judge Halts $100M Google Ads Settlement: A federal judge has paused a $100 million settlement related to a Google Ads lawsuit right before the finish line, leaving the outcome uncertain for now.
Strategic Insights & Global Watch
Strategy Question: Should Small Brands Go All-In on TikTok?: An "Ask an SEO" column in Search Engine Journal tackles the tough question of whether small brands with limited resources should focus all their efforts on TikTok for audience growth, weighing the pros and cons.
TikTok Halts Gambling Ads in the Philippines: Following a directive from the local government, TikTok will halt all real-money gambling ads in the Philippines starting today, August 22nd.
The Future of Programmatic: A new opinion piece argues that programmatic advertising isn't dead; rather, its evolution is "just getting started," suggesting a more sophisticated, AI-driven future for the industry.
Final Buzz
What a week to end on. The lines between competitor and collaborator are blurring as Amazon becomes an ad-tech provider for other retailers. At the same time, the disruption from AI is creating both new opportunities in e-commerce and existential threats to the open web. The key takeaway is that the ground is shifting faster than ever.
Have a great weekend.
The Beecommercer Team