The Top Three

🏆 THE INDUSTRY’S MOST IMPORTANT STORIES TODAY

🥇 RANK LENGTH MATTERS

🚀 Want better sales? Aim for the top 25, not the top 5: Research shows consumers are more likely to choose, pay more, and rate products higher when they’re ranked well in a longer list (like top 20), vs. a shorter ranking list (like top 5).

According to the study's researchers, people use lists to narrow down choices and pick the “best” option, so they judge based on rank. Rankings focus attention, making listed items feel more important, boosting their appeal and purchase likelihood. more

• Position matters: We favour products ranked in the Top 10 because we mentally categorize long lists into round-number tiers like the Top 10 or Top 25.

• Longer lists make ranking differences less significant: For example, the gap between 4th and 5th feels less noticeable in a Top 25 vs. a Top 10.

• More ranked items = more impressive top products: Beating 24 others feels more impressive than beating 9.

🥈 QR CODES FOR GOOGLE REVIEWS

⭐️ Google wants your biz to get more reviews: You can now create QR codes for customer reviews directly within your Google Business Profile. Customers can scan these QR codes to leave a review on Search or Maps. more

• To create these QR codes, go to your GBP and navigate to the reviews section.

• On desktop, you can find this by searching for your business and clicking “Ask for reviews” or by going to the reviews section and selecting “Get more reviews.”

• From there, you can generate a link or QR code directly within your profile, without needing a third-party generator.

🥉 BNPL > CREDIT CARDS?

🎶 BNPL killed the credit card score: For the first time ever, a new survey shows Gen Z used buy now, pay later more than credit cards over the holidays. more

• During the holiday period, 55% of Gen Z said they used BNPL, while 50% used credit cards, marking BNPL’s first-time lead over credit card usage in this demographic.

• For the full year, 45% of Gen Z used BNPL in 2024, compared to 50% using credit cards.

• Among all consumers, a third used BNPL in 2024, up 4% YoY, while credit card use dropped by 6% to 61% last year.

Today’s Other News

📰 EVERYTHING ELSE THAT MATTERS

Advertising 📣

• Google is expanding vehicle ads to include RVs and campers, letting dealerships advertise their inventory on the platform. Dealerships must hold a valid license in the states, territories, or provinces where the RVs and campers are located or sold.

• 🏆️ Fewer boomers, more zoomers: The Oscars viewership took a hit, drawing 18 million viewers, down 7% from last year’s 19.5 million. TV ad revenue also dipped 4% to $121.5 million, with 59 commercial airings compared to 64 the year before. more

  • While overall viewership declined, 18-49 viewers increased by 3% (3.92 rating), and younger 18-34 viewers hit a five-year high (3.17 rating).

• 🗣️ Alexa, play ad revenue: Amazon has unveiled Alexa+, an AI upgrade available beyond Echo devices, including car infotainment systems, connected TVs and more. Digiday reports today that marketers are eyeing ads. Currently a $19.99/month subscription (free for Prime members), Alexa+ could tap into a massive ad reach with 100M+ devices sold. Amazon, however, remains silent on plans.

Search & Google Merchant Center 🔍

• 👩‍💻 Users aren’t Googling much: A new report finds that 1 out of 3 active web users only conduct 1-20 Google searches per month. On average, American desktop users made 126 searches monthly last year, with a median of 53. more

  • When users are on Google, nearly 90% stick to Google.com.

  • 10% spend their time on Image Search,

  • Even fewer visit Maps (0.65% web, not apps), News (0.40%), or Shopping (0.25%).

• ⭕️ Gen Z doesn't Google… they circle: Circle to Search is gaining traction, with 10% of searches from younger users now starting with Google’s feature. more

  • Circle to Search launched last year and lets Android users circle, highlight, scribble or tap to get more information without switching apps.

• Google has updated the product analytics section in Merchant Center Next. “Organic conversions” are now called Purchases, and traffic can now be specified to PDPs instead of products, and labels. more

Product Updates 🆕 

• Google’s AI is now in Sheets. Gemini can now analyze data, answer questions, and provide insights, such as contextual trends, patterns, and correlations. It can also generate charts that you can insert as static images in your spreadsheet. more

Media Consumption 📈 

• 📰 The new newsroom?: A new report finds that news podcast listeners are more likely to use YouTube to watch videos, discover, and consume podcasts than non-news listeners. YouTube was the top platform for news podcast listeners, with 45% using it “most often,” versus 40% of non-news users. more

• 📱 We've hit peak screen time: eMarketer forecasts U.S. adults will spend 12 hours and 42 minutes per day on media in 2025, just two minutes more than last year, a mere 0.3% increase. Next year’s growth will be even smaller. more

  • Digital media time is up 11.6 minutes this year (2.5% growth), but traditional media’s 9.5-minute decline wipes out most of that gain.

  • While still growing, digital media is now expanding at record-low rates.

The Accidental Viral Campaign

AN INTERVIEW WITH TOD

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