Unilever revamps CMO role to prioritize digital and become 'future-fit'

Company vet Conny Braams, EVP of Unilever Middle Europe, is stepping up as the CPG giant's first chief digital and marketing officer.

By Peter Adams • Dec. 3, 2019

Ad-supported 'hyper casual' games show most installs worldwide

The number of free mobile games that are easy for users to download surged 170% since last year while downloads jumped 150%, AppsFlyer found.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 2, 2019

Explore the Trendline➔

Consumer Packaged Goods

If CPGs can adeptly adjust to emerging mandates, they have an opportunity to strengthen their brands.  

By Marketing Dive staff

AR/VR spending will soar 79% to $18.8B next year, study predicts

Retailers are expected to spend $1.5 billion on augmented and virtual reality products and services in 2020.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 2, 2019

American Express unveils in-app restaurant booking service

The service lets Platinum Card and Centurion members make reservations at more than 10,000 eateries worldwide.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 27, 2019

Digital Advertising Alliance debuts CCPA opt-out tools as regulation looms

The tools offer more privacy control than required by CCPA, as users can choose not to have their data sold across all participating third-party firms from a single site or app.

By Barry Levine , Peter Adams • Nov. 26, 2019

BMW pilots in-car food ordering with delivery app Olo

Nekter Juice Bar and Portillo's Hot Dogs are the first two brands to test orders through car infotainment systems.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 25, 2019

Adidas cuts out tech middlemen with in-app sneaker try-on

An iOS app update uses augmented reality to let shoppers virtually sample the brand's new Alphaedge 4D shoe line.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 25, 2019

Pinterest's new curated marketplace gives smaller merchants a holiday boost

@PinterestShop gathers hundreds of shoppable posts from 17 hand-picked businesses ahead of Small Business Saturday.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 25, 2019

Verizon will preload Snapchat on 5G phones to widen reach

The companies will develop AR technology and exclusive rewards offers for Snapchat users to draw buzz around the high-speed mobile service.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 22, 2019

PayPal buys rewards app Honey for $4B in e-commerce push

As the payment company's largest acquisition to date, the deal adds product discovery to its platforms and expands merchant services.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 21, 2019

Sonos snaps up privacy-focused voice startup Snips for $37.5M

By localizing the processing to individual devices instead of the cloud, Snips may limit user data collection while still providing personalized experiences.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 21, 2019

Chipotle rolls out Alexa voice ordering

Customers can reorder meals within seconds using the new feature that's part of Chipotle's larger digital sales platform, which is approaching $1 billion.

By Julie Littman • Nov. 21, 2019

Jostens debuts NFC-enabled class rings for school champions

The Champ DX Championship Ring preserves videos and photos that can be accessed via a free mobile app developed with Galatea.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 20, 2019

Adidas' AR activation drops shoppers into a trash-filled virtual ocean

Immersing app users in a littered ocean around the holidays highlights environmental issues and shows how the brand turns plastic waste into shoes.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 20, 2019

Behind the scenes: Data and technology bring food product R&D into the 21st century

With CPG companies under pressure to develop products faster and stretch their spending, Conagra, Mars Wrigley and Ferrara are rethinking the decades-old way of creating new items for consumers.

By Christopher Doering • Nov. 20, 2019

Snapchat's Discover tab extends ads up to 3 minutes

Xfinity and Nissan tested the new longer format that is unskippable ​in the first six seconds and then switches to being skippable for the rest.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 19, 2019

7-Eleven's delivery app now handles Alexa, Google Assistant orders

New convenience-minded features arrive months after the chain debuted delivery hot spots, mobile checkout and AR loyalty tie-ins.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 19, 2019

Microsoft will shutter Cortana voice app in several countries

At the end of January, the software giant will focus on integrating the virtual assistant with its suite of productivity apps.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 19, 2019

KFC's CTO started as an intern. Now he leads its tech strategy

Chris Caldwell has had a front-row seat to Yum Brands' modernization, from rolling out Microsoft Exchange Servers to AI-enabled drive-thrus.  

By Samantha Schwartz • Nov. 19, 2019

YouTube readies beauty influencer contest series with James Charles

Reality show competitions are another sign of YouTube's strategy shift to original, personality-driven content.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 18, 2019

Aveda taps AI for virtual hair color sampling

The Estée Lauder brand's mobile experience features 64 hair colors and a "color melt" effect for another 30 shades.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 18, 2019

Walmart links mobile Scan & Shop with printed holiday toy catalog

Browsers can scan pages with their smartphone and add items to their online cart or wish list.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 18, 2019

Google will restrict contextual data in real-time ad bids

Changes will reduce the possibility that advertisers can associate ad identifiers that track individuals with Google's context categories.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 18, 2019

Dunkin' launches 1st online pop-up shop for holidays

The Dunkin' Shop, which sells limited-edition products like an electric guitar and one-piece pajamas, quickly sold out of a few items. 

By Barry Levine • Nov. 15, 2019

TikTok opens door to social commerce with test of shoppable video links

Footage shows how links embedded in posts can go directly to an influencer's curated Amazon page.

By Peter Adams • Nov. 15, 2019