15% of gambling fans like to test their forecasting skills on everything from politics to pop culture, having bet on a non-sports event in the past six months; and sites like Polymarket channel that curiosity. A recent standout wager? “Will any of the Louvre heist robbers be arrested by October 24?”. Sadly for optimists, the answer was no.
Scroll down to read about Black Friday shoppers, the “For You Page,” and female leaders.
Stats to power your week
💎 Daniel Langer, CEO of consulting firm Équité, believes luxury promotions quietly chip away at long-term value. And for many labels, the data’s on his side: while 63% of consumers say that designer brands who regularly hold sales are just as high-end as others, that confidence drops to 50% among Barbour’s fashion buyers. GWI Luxury
🔐 Google’s cookie replacement plan has crumbled. Marketers are relieved, critics are annoyed, and the majority of consumers arguably don’t care. Just 1 in 5 regularly decline cookies on websites, and less than a third say they worry about how companies use their data. GWI Core
🦷 With teeth rumored to have become “Britain’s biggest class divide,” it’s worth looking at how that story plays out in a country without universal healthcare. In the US, 49% of high earners say they’ve seen a dentist in the last year, compared to 27% of low earners. Maybe we should stop calling them “routine check-ups”. GWI USA
🛍 Black Friday shoppers get sharper every year. Two of the top lessons learnt by last year’s buyers are to start monitoring prices earlier (35%) and to purchase some items at pre-Black Friday sales (20%). So, the old trick of bumping prices up before slashing them won’t fly in 2025. GWI Zeitgeist
👂 Compared to other 16-34 year olds, those with a hearing condition are 52% more likely to say they’ve bought concert tickets in the last six months (29% do). And the community’s love of live music is finally getting noticed - from pioneering deaf raves to Big Ocean, a deaf K-pop band that’s winning fans across the globe. GWI Core
What’s on our radar
Electric vehicles’ highway is getting a little bumpy - tariffs and weak demand have seen some brands slam it into reverse. And in the world of luxury, carmakers are going hyperpersonal - think tattooed seats and customer-designed vehicles.
The idea of “travel therapy” is having a moment. Recent research shows that annual vacations for 9 consecutive years can increase longevity by roughly 20%, and Sweden just became the first destination doctors can prescribe.
UK traffic to porn sites has fallen by a third after the region’s new age verification rules, which shows just how sensitive consumers are to friction online.
From drone racing and choreographed drone light shows (whichare booming) to robot–human races, the age of tech as spectacle has arrived.
In a world chasing the next viral bite, weird is wonderful - just ask Tyra Banks, who’s heating things up (literally) with her Smize & Dream “hot ice cream.” Elsewhere, pickle-inspired desserts are trending. We’re also seeing an unusual ingredient surge in beauty and personal care, with many turning towards quirky raw materials like onion shampoo, beef tallow moisturizer, salmon-sperm facials.
Stablecoin payment volume has ballooned in the wake of new US cryptocurrency legislation. Meanwhile, Japan just got its first yen-pegged stablecoin - a small but telling step for a country still deeply attached to cash and cards.
Chart of the week
Encouraging in-app shopping remains a challenge across social media. When we compare how many people use each app monthly to how many use its shopping feature, the gap is wide - as you’d expect. But on TikTok, it’s noticeably smaller.
That’s because TikTok blends content and commerce seamlessly. Its “For You Page” makes shopping feel like part of the entertainment. And because the app is built for discovery, its algorithm naturally surfaces new products alongside viral videos - turning trends into transactions.
The bottom line is: it’s not just about how many people you reach, but how many you move. And TikTok’s knack for turning passive scrollers into curious shoppers makes it a standout space for brands leaning into creator content.
🔥 Hot take
Punchy perspectives, with data that nudges the narrative
“Forget Venus and Mars - the boardroom is its own planet”
Japan just celebrated its first female leader, about a year after Mexico; and one of the questions that crops up when we see this sort of progress is: do women lead differently to men?
Research suggests that, while women are generally more likely to adopt empathetic leadership styles than men, those gender differences practically disappear at the top. Compared to other women, those in C-suite positions are less likely to think that people in today’s society should be “empathetic” (-10%), and more likely to say they should be “reserved” (+32%) or “dominant” (+39%). More importantly, they’re better aligned with male executives on these points than other women.
As political scientist Rosie Campbell points out, the processes required to reach board-level roles are so demanding that the men and women who make it through tend to share more in common than not.
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