What’s Driving US Advertising and What Signals It Brings to Our Region

Meta Grows, TikTok Declines

Advertising investments in Facebook and Instagram platforms grew 12% year-over-year. The growth driver is Reels, which now account for over a fifth of all impressions on Instagram.

Meta announced that ads will soon come to WhatsApp. This is a communication channel with enormous reach, WhatsApp is one of the most used messaging apps. If ads on WhatsApp can be integrated similarly to Messenger or Instagram, it opens new space for e-shops to reach customers directly in an environment where they spend a lot of time and are open to conversations with brands.

TikTok is weakening in the US and the median advertiser reduced spend by 20%. However, this is not due to declining platform effectiveness, but a consequence of political uncertainty. Discussions about restricting or banning TikTok are ongoing in the United States, so many brands prefer to diversify budgets to Snapchat or Pinterest.

At the same time, 36% of advertisers increased their TikTok investments by an average of over 100%.

The platform thus maintains a strong position with brands willing to risk uncertain developments in exchange for high reach among young audiences.

Search: Performance Max Strengthens Position

Google and Microsoft Search campaigns grew double-digit. Interesting is the Shopping Ads development – clicks grew 18%, partly because some global players (Temu, Shein, Amazon) limited their presence in auctions due to tariffs.

Performance Max strengthened its position – it accounts for nearly 60% of shopping spend and achieves comparable ROAS to standard Shopping campaigns. This is confirmation that this campaign type is Google’s long-term priority and will become increasingly important.

Source: Tinuiti

Amazon and Walmart Show the Way in Commerce Media

Amazon Sponsored Products, the most used ad format on Amazon, recorded the fastest growth since late 2022 in Q2 2025. Clicks increased 19% year-over-year, while total investments grew 18%. On the other hand, Sponsored Display has been declining for six quarters. DSP is growing rapidly, mainly due to Prime Video inventory integration.

At Walmart, Sponsored Videos are gaining importance – video ads in search and product pages. At the same time, an increasing portion of budgets is shifting to so-called offsite inventory – ads displayed outside Walmart’s website and app but targeted using its customer data. For brands, this means they can reach shoppers on other websites or platforms through Walmart, not just directly on Walmart.

Video: YouTube on TV, Prime Video Rising

YouTube grew 9% in Q2, with more than half of spend now directed to TV screens. Shorts account for 18% of segmented spend and are becoming a full-fledged format. Prime Video shows even more dynamic growth – spend is triple compared to last year and the platform quickly finds advertisers thanks to attractive CPM.

Streaming platforms are increasingly opening to advertising and for e-shops it will be another space to reach customers.

What This Means for EU E-shops

• Diversification is essential: Don’t rely on just one social network. If TikTok is slowing in the US, the situation could change in Europe too. Snapchat or Pinterest could be alternatives for some segments.
• AI campaigns are mainstream: Meta Advantage+, Google Performance Max, Pinterest Performance+ – all are formats built on AI automation. Those who ignore them may lose efficiency.
• Retail media will grow too: Retail media is today the fastest-growing segment of digital advertising globally and is already taking root in Central Europe. The trend led by Amazon and Walmart in the US is gradually penetrating our region.
• Video is moving to TV and streaming: E-shops must expect that video advertising is no longer just YouTube on mobile. CTV and streaming platforms will become increasingly important.