If you’re panicking that you’ve left Christmas planning too late, don’t worry - a few weeks or a month out is when the majority start to think about it. As for the 1% who start to organize things “a day before”...we respect your game.
Scroll down to read about 2010s nostalgia, a second country banning social media for kids, and a breakthrough for wine tasting.
Stats to power your week
🚚 In 2013, some argued the appeal of same-day delivery would never go beyond the big cities. But the share of US shoppers saying it’s a key online purchase driver keeps climbing (from 15% in 2020 to 27% today), likely fueled by food delivery apps expanding into new categories. GWI USA
𝕏 @grok is this true? The in-built AI on X is seeing rising engagement, up from 6% in 2024 to 17% today. Curiosity around AI-driven chat inside social apps is clearly turning into a consistent behavior; and seeing conversations happen in public is probably helping normalize it for a broader range of people. GWI Core
🛡️ M&S said its profits plunged after an April cyberattack - just one in a string of hits on UK retailers this year, and companies are taking heed. There’s been 17% year-on-year growth in UK business professionals saying strengthening security is a key growth initiative. GWI Work
📲 We’ve seen a 19% year-on-year rise in Brits saying they pay for a subscription to a social media service, which is a promising sign for Meta’s £3.99 subscriptions for Facebook and Instagram in this market. It’s proof that some scrollers are ready to trade ads for agency. GWI Core
What’s on our radar
In April, the world was stunned by the upgrade of ChatGPT’s new image-generating model, leading to a brief craze of “Ghiblification” everywhere. Google’s new Nano Banana Pro model feels like another big shift, with Riley Goodside as ever at the forefront of what’s possible. If it’s easier than ever to make quality images, does the challenge then become thinking of quality ideas?
Even as tech improves, AI has to carve out cultural acceptance. Hot girls are apparently using AI now, but fierce debate is swirling around the use of AI to generate voice lines in the game Arc Raiders. It frees up time and resources for the studio that made it, but simply using the AI was enough to land it with a low score from one established publisher.
Likewise, a survey by music sample clearing platform Tracklib highlights broad scepticism about AI among music producers, though this was an opt-in survey likely to attract respondents with the strongest feelings.
As Australia’s ban on social media for under-16s approaches, Malaysia looks to be following suit.
Waymo’s self-driving cars have largely been limited to cities so far, but the latest approved areas for testing in California could open up much longer journeys and road trips. It might get a lot easier to sort out some transport back from a trip to the vineyards of Napa County...
Chart of the week
You could write a very crude summary of the 2020s so far as “first a pandemic, then an AI boom”. As far as the consumer perspective is concerned, this is pretty accurate. And we’ve just hit a significant milestone - consumers are now as concerned about AI as they are about infectious diseases.
Worry about AI had a big spike after the initial release of ChatGPT, and after seeming to plateau for a while, it jumped up again - potentially due to the increasing sophistication of image and video generating tools in 2025.
It seems unlikely that concerns about AI will become as existential as infectious disease was during a pandemic, but if you want a chart that encapsulates the decade reaching its halfway point, this is as good as any.
🔥 Hot take
Punchy perspectives, with data that nudges the narrative
“Rich people like coupons too”
Popular culture sometimes plays up a stereotype of coupons being used by less well-off, frugal consumers. But 1 in 5 high earners use coupons regularly, making it as popular for them as they are for low earners. We see the same pattern with special offers, and a classic study from the 1980s produced similar results. You might not need to save money, but it won’t stop you.
So why is this? Maybe the pleasure of finding a good deal is more important than the utility of money saved. Maybe coupons are a means to try lots of different brands, and variety-seeking is more concentrated among the wealthy. Throw in a pinch of social kudos from looking like a savvy shopper, and it’s a reminder of Rory Sutherland’s classic line: “to economists, price is a number; to consumers, price is a feeling.”
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