Pinterest Announces New CTV Show
Pinterest is launching a new TV-like series on Roku TV, which will feature a range of well-known creators partnering with Pinners to help bring their Pinterest boards to life.
As you can see in the preview, the new “Bring My Pinterest to Life” series will look to turn people’s Pin ideas into real-life experiences and items, which they can then incorporate into their life.
As per Pinterest:
“Across six episodes, Creators, Drew Michael Scott, Caroline Vazzana, and Tay BeepBoop Nakamoto will work with real people to turn their Pinterest boards into real spaces and transformations. Each episode follows a deeply personal ‘inspiration to realization’ journey, led by creator hosts who bring the ideas, products, and brands to life in an emotionally resonant, shoppable format.”
Google Bets on AI-Based Shopping With New AI Agents for Retailers
Google unveiled a set of tools for retailers that helps them roll out AI agents, aiming to make it easier for brands to reach their customers who are shopping with the technology.
The new retail AI agents, which help shoppers find their desired items, provide customer support and let people order food at restaurants, are part of what Alphabet-owned Google calls Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience.
Major retailers, including home improvement giant Lowe’s, the grocer Kroger and pizza chain Papa Johns say they are already using Google’s tools to help prepare for the incoming wave of AI-assisted shopping and ordering.
YouTube adds new search filters to hide Shorts from result
YouTube is rolling out a simplified and reorganised set of search filters designed to make its search experience more intuitive. According to Google, the changes focus on streamlining options, removing filters that were not working as intended, and addressing features that had prompted user complaints.
As part of the update, YouTube has added a new Shorts filter under the Type menu, allowing users to hide Shorts from search results entirely. This makes it easier to surface longer-form videos without short-form clips appearing in the results.
The platform has also renamed the Sort by menu to Prioritize, while the View Count option has been replaced with Popularity. Unlike view count alone, the new Popularity filter considers additional signals such as watch time to rank videos more effectively.
In-game advertising in India set to cross $1.2 billion by 2030 as gamer base nears 724 million
India’s video games and e-sports market has emerged as one of the fastest-growing globally, powered by mobile-first consumption and a monetisation model that increasingly favours in-game advertising over direct player spending. According to PwC’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2025–29: India perspective, the sector generated $2.7 billion in revenues in 2024, registering a sharp 43.9% year-on-year growth, up from 16.8% in 2023. While overall growth is expected to moderate, the market is still projected to reach $4.0 billion by 2029. App-based social and casual gaming continues to dominate revenues, but in-game and in-app advertising is emerging as the fastest-scaling monetisation engine, reflecting a clear preference among Indian gamers for free-to-play, ad-supported experiences.
That shift is already visible in the numbers. In-app and in-game advertising revenues are projected to grow from $584 million in 2024 to $1.1 billion by 2029, far outpacing the growth of app-based gaming revenues. At the same time, India’s e-sports market, though still nascent, is expanding at a double-digit CAGR, driven by sponsorships, media rights, and mobile-first competitive formats. As gaming consolidates into live-service platforms and esports evolves into year-round ecosystems, in-game advertising is no longer an experimental add-on. It is becoming a core revenue pillar, forcing publishers, platforms, and brands to rethink how advertising can scale through immersion, value exchange, and measurable engagement without compromising the player experience.
Over 60% of consumers express high trust in GenAI results
Generative AI (GenAI) is rapidly becoming a part of everyday life for Indian consumers, influencing how they shop, research products, and make purchase decisions. According to BCG’s report, “Consumers Trust AI to Buy Better. Brands Need to Move Quickly”, the use of GenAI for shopping has grown 35% between February and November 2025, making shopping-related applications the third most common use of GenAI.
“Adoption of generative AI in India has moved well beyond early experimentation. Awareness now stands at 94%, while usage has increased to 62%, placing India among the highest-adoption markets globally. Its application spans professional and consumer decision-making, with 63% of users relying on these tools at work and 64% using them to research brands and products as part of the purchase journey. This has important implications for brands. GenAI is now playing a significant role across consumer discovery, evaluation, and decision-making. With adoption extending across personal and professional decisions, brands in India will need to ensure they are effectively represented in AI-enabled journeys through clear value propositions, high-quality data, and responsible AI practices,” said Kanika Sanghi, Partner and Director, BCG.
The report draws on a survey of more than 9,000 consumers across nine countries—Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, the UK, and the US—highlighting how GenAI tools are becoming trusted companions in consumers’ daily lives and purchasing decisions.
Walmart teams up with Google’s Gemini for AI-assisted shopping
Walmart on Sunday debuted plans for a new consumer experience directly in Google’s AI chatbot Gemini, adding to its list of AI initiatives with external partners.
The plan will allow Gemini users to discover Walmart and Sam’s Club merchandise when conducting research, with Gemini automatically including in-store and online products in response to queries when relevant. If Gemini users decide they want to buy a product, the transactions are then completed within Walmart’s checkout environment.
The experience will first launch within Gemini in the U.S., then internationally.
37% of consumers start searches with AI instead of Google
Traditional search frustrations are pushing users toward AI first, forcing brands to stay visible and credible in both places.
Consumers are increasingly using AI tools — not Google — as their first source of information. This is driven by frustration with traditional search and rising expectations that AI will play a much larger role this year, according to a new report from Eight Oh Two, an SEO and PPC marketing agency.
Why we care. AI isn’t replacing search, but it’s reshaping where search begins, how people discover brands, and which options they consider. A hybrid journey is emerging: AI delivers the first answer, and traditional search confirms it. Brands now need consistency across both or risk losing credibility when users cross-check. As more consumers turn to AI, visibility, trust, and clarity will matter more than ever.
AI as the starting point. More than one-third of consumers (37%) said they begin their searches with AI tools rather than traditional search engines, according to the study. Instead of scanning ads and blue links, users want one clear answer they can act on right away.
Google Announces AI Mode Checkout Protocol, Business Agent
Google announced tools that let shoppers complete purchases directly within AI Mode and chat with branded AI agents in Search results.
Users can purchase from eligible product listings on Google. Retailers are still the seller of record, while the checkout happens on Google surfaces instead of the retailer’s website.
Universal Commerce Protocol Powers AI Mode Checkout
Google launched the Universal Commerce Protocol, an open standard for what it calls “agentic commerce.” The protocol will power checkout on eligible Google product listings in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app.
Google developed UCP with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart. More than 20 additional companies endorsed it, including Adyen, American Express, Best Buy, Mastercard, Stripe, The Home Depot, and Visa.
From the BC Web Wise stable
Do check out the latest success story where Chandrabhan, Marketing Head, JK Lakshmi Cement speaks about the 10-year partnership with BC Web Wise, showcasing how consistent brand communication translated into powerful business and digital growth.
