Channel Key LLC

06/08/2026

DoorDash is making a serious commerce media move. And it’s not just selling ad space inside a delivery app.

The company is building a broader media platform around purchase intent. Its new suite of tools spans ad formats, offsite reach, campaign automation, and measurement.

This is more than a delivery-app story.

It’s another sign that commerce media is expanding across platforms with transaction data, audience signals, and a clear path to purchase.

For brands, that creates more ways to reach shoppers when they’re ready to act.

But it also creates a harder question: which commerce media platforms actually deserve your budget?

Not every network will matter equally for every brand.

The opportunity isn’t chasing every new platform, but building a smarter media mix around where your customers actually are.

DoorDash’s announcement is worth watching because it shows where commerce media is headed.

Less about where ads can be placed. More about where purchase intent can be found, activated, and measured.

06/04/2026

A new EMARKETER forecast projects US AI ad spending will more than double by 2030.

That’s not surprising, but this is:

In 2026, more than 80% of AI advertising will appear NEXT to AI content, not inside AI conversations.

That suggests the biggest near-term opportunity may not be ads inside ChatGPT or Gemini.

It’s search-adjacent placements around AI Overviews, AI Mode, Copilot Search, and other AI-powered discovery experiences.

This is where you should pay attention.

Full report here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H05YDwM0

06/02/2026

Most brands are asking the wrong questions about agentic commerce.

Everyone wants to know:

❌ How do I show up in ChatGPT?
❌ How do I optimize for AI?
❌ Which AI platform will win?

This creates an opportunity to get ahead of your competitors.

Brands are racing to figure out how to win in a world where AI increasingly influences what products get discovered, considered, and purchased.

Getting there first requires asking the right questions.

We break them down here. And then provide the answers.

Check it out 👉

A VP of Ecommerce opens ChatGPT and types: "What are the best protein powders under $40 that ship in two days?" The results appear, but their brand isn't one of them. The product is competitively priced. Reviews are strong. Inventory is available. So why didn't it show up? That question is the start...

05/27/2026

Google is changing what it means to “Google it.”

The company just announced the biggest update to Search in 25 years, including a more intelligent search box, multimodal queries, AI follow-ups, information agents, and new agentic shopping experiences.

These changes are rolling out gradually. You may not see everything in your own Search experience yet.

But the direction is clear. Search is becoming less like a list of links and more like an answer engine built to understand exactly what someone wants.

This is where the ecommerce implications start to get interesting.

A customer might no longer search: “best carry-on luggage”

They might simply ask: “Find me a durable carry-on under $250 that fits Delta’s overhead bin, has quiet wheels, works for a 5-day trip, and goes on sale before July.”

For brands, this raises the bar.

Product data has to be clean. Content has to answer more specific questions.

Pricing, availability, reviews, specs, imagery, and fulfillment signals need to be consistent across every place a shopper might discover you.

Google Search is becoming more conversational, more personalized, and more agentic.

That means your ecommerce strategy has to evolve too.

Read the full announcement here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H05M3QM0.

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day, we honor and remember the courageous men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Wishing everyone a safe and meaningful holiday.

05/20/2026

Bye bye, Rufus.

Amazon just introduced Alexa for Shopping, a new AI shopping assistant that combines Rufus’s shopping expertise with Alexa+ personalization across the Amazon Shopping app and website.

And this feels like more than a simple rebrand.

Shoppers can now ask questions directly in the main Amazon search bar, compare products, get AI-generated shopping insights, track prices, automate purchases, and receive recommendations based on their shopping history and preferences.

Rufus always felt a bit off to the side.

This puts AI directly into the flow of how people already shop on Amazon, right where purchase decisions are happening.

That’s what makes this interesting for brands.

If more shoppers start relying on Amazon’s AI to compare options, narrow choices, or guide purchase decisions, what happens to traditional search behavior?

What happens to sponsored product visibility and how does conversational ad inventory evolve?

Amazon has some obvious advantages here.

It owns the catalog, reviews, fulfillment network, delivery visibility, and years of purchase behavior data.

Building a shopping-native AI assistant is very different from trying to layer commerce onto a general-purpose AI tool.

But the bigger story is what happens if shopper behavior actually starts to shift.

05/14/2026

CTV works, but proving it convincingly has been the hard part.

Brands spend heavily on streaming ads, then try to measure impact with panel data, surveys, and brand lift studies.

It’s expensive, slow, and not always enough to unlock bigger budgets.

Amazon has owned the strongest commerce-to-media attribution advantage for years through its DSP and shopper data ecosystem.

Walmart has been in CTV for a while. What’s changing now is the positioning.

With Vizio and Walmart Connect, the company is tightening the connection between ad exposure and purchase behavior.

One stat stood out: 44% of buyers reached through Walmart Connect CTV campaigns were new-to-brand.

Walmart is also simplifying access with Connect Select, making CTV easier to buy for advertisers without enterprise-scale media teams.

The bigger shift: retail media spent years competing for performance budgets.

CTV may be how it starts competing for brand budgets too.

And whoever builds the most credible closed-loop measurement case will have a major advantage.

05/13/2026

Retail media is having its upfront moment.

Albertsons, Home Depot, DoorDash, and JPMorgan are reportedly coming together this September for an event modeled after TV upfronts.

The comparison makes sense at first glance.

TV upfronts were built around limited premium inventory and fixed opportunities. Either commit early or miss out.

But retail media grew up differently. One of its biggest strengths has been flexibility.

Budgets can shift based on inventory levels, competitor promotions, demand signals, and performance in real time. That’s part of what made the channel so attractive in the first place.

So the bigger question is whether retail media needs TV-style planning rituals to mature.

Or whether maturity looks more like standardization, stronger measurement, and clearer full-funnel storytelling for brands.

Because if retail media wants larger brand budgets, proving incrementality matters more than borrowing TV’s playbook.

Interesting read from WSJ on where this may be headed ➡️

As retail media networks overtake television in ad revenue, they are also taking a page from the way TV pitches itself to marketers.

05/08/2026

Sometimes Amazon drops a big change quietly.

Amazon has opened Premium A+ Content to all brand-registered sellers on Seller Central, no prerequisites required.

Previously, you needed an approved Brand Story and least 5 published Basic A+ Content modules.

Now you can go straight to Premium A+ without either.

This is great because Premium A+ Content unlocks a whole new level of storytelling and shopper experience, including:

✔️ Video modules to bring your product and brand story to life

✔️ Interactive hotspots that let shoppers explore product details on hover

✔️ Carousel galleries to showcase multiple features without cluttering the page

✔️ Wider format imagery for a more immersive, premium feel

And the performance data backs it up:

➡️ Premium A+ Content lifts sales up to 20%

➡️ Return rates drop 10-15% when shoppers have richer product information

➡️ Ad efficiency improves 10-20% because better-converting listings make every PPC dollar go further

Better content doesn’t just improve conversion. It makes every part of your Amazon growth engine work harder.

05/05/2026

FBA deadlines for Prime Day 2026 are coming up fast.

And it’s not just inventory. The entire timeline is tighter this year.

Here’s what’s changing:

✔️ Earlier timing
The event is moving to late June (compared to July 8-11 in 2025).

✔️ Earlier deal submission deadline
Recommended deals must be submitted by May 26, 2026.

✔️ New fee structure
Best Deals and Lightning Deals now use a hybrid model: fixed upfront fee plus a variable fee tied to promotional sales.

✔️ FBA inventory deadlines
May 27 for AWD and minimal shipment splits. June 5 for Amazon-optimized shipment splits.

✔️ Price Discounts badging confirmed
Price Discounts are eligible for Prime Day badging in 2026, but only if you select the Event period during setup.

Check out the full Guide to Prime Day Marketing & Advertising here:

Note: Amazon hasn't officially announced Prime Day 2026 dates. This guide will be updated once the dates are confirmed.Prime Day 2026 is arriving earlier than usual, and the planning window is shorter than expected. Amazon last held a June Prime Day in 2021, but the event has run in July every year....