Most consumers don’t trust brands to use AI responsibly
Almost three in five (57%) consumers say they have little-to-no trust in brands to use AI responsibly, suggesting a gap between marketers’ growing adoption of the technology and wider perceptions around it.
Around nine in 10 (87%) marketers are now using AI in their work and 63% report they are increasing investment in the technology. While marketers may be betting on AI, consumers are concerned about the privacy threat it poses. Over three-quarters (76%) of consumers say they lack confidence in the data privacy of AI, representing a 41% drop since 2024.
AI is giving marketers back some time, with almost two-thirds (64%) saying they have saved time by using the technology to launch a campaign.
The research also shows a gap in perceptions around the value exchange happening surrounding data, as just 19% of shoppers feel they receive enough value in return for their data. By contrast, almost two in three (64%) marketers believe they offer consumers enough value in exchange for their data.
Source: SAP Emarsys
Retail sales recover slightly in June
Retail sales volumes grew slightly in June, with good weather being identified as a contributor to the better figures. The quantity of goods bought rose by 0.9% last month, following a fall of 2.8% in May, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Food store sales rose by 0.7% in June 2025, following a 5.4% drop in May. The ONS said comments from retailers suggested volumes were driven by the warmer weather, including increased sales of drinks.
Automotive fuel volumes rose by 2.8%, which was the largest monthly rise since May 2024, with good weather again being identified as a contributor.
Non-store retailer’s sales volumes, which mainly includes online retailers, rose by 1.7% last month, putting sales volumes in the category at their highest level since February 2022. Retailers suggested that promotions and the good weather contributed.
Source: Office for National Statistics
Gap between influencer objectives and measurement
Influencers are being tasked with driving long-term, brand equity measures but are being measured on performance metrics.
Building brand awareness is the most common objective for influencer campaigns, with 41% of marketers citing this as a priority. Reaching new audiences (37%) is the second most popular objective for influencer campaigns. Engaging new demographics (25%) and building brand loyalty (25%) are also among the top objectives for marketers using influencer campaigns.
While driving sales and conversions (31%) is another top priority for marketers planning influencer campaigns, the majority of the primary objectives for creator campaigns are longer-term brand equity driving measures.
Despite the fact that marketers are turning to influencer activity to drive brand equity, the research finds that the impact of creator campaigns is most often being captured through metrics that emphasise the long-term.
[Counterproductively, though,] Return on investment (ROI) is the most common metric used to capture the impact of influencer activity, with 60.47% of marketers staying they measure success this way. The second-most common metric to capture effectiveness is customer acquisition and retention (60.27%).
Brand sentiment and perception (59%) also ranks highly, suggesting some marketers are looking to longer-term metrics. Engagement metrics (53%) and share of voice (40%) round out the top five metrics.
Source: Billion Dollar Boy
Sponsors see higher engagement off the back of Euro 2025
Reaching the final of the 2025 Euros has driven significant engagement for the Lionesses, finds research carried out ahead of the game yesterday (27 July) that saw the team take the championship.
The England women’s football team saw its open internet addressable advertising audience increase by 52% during the tournament, compared to the three weeks prior.
As well as success for the Lionesses themselves, the tournament has also driven success for sponsors. EA Sports (65%), PlayStation (38%), Heineken (28%) and Just Eat (28%) all saw increased addressable audiences during the tournament, suggesting that their partnership drove results.
The gains for industry giant sponsors were more incremental, for example, Amazon drove a 6% uplift during the tournament, the equivalent of an additional 520,000 eyes on the brand.
Source: Quantcast
Consumer confidence falls as people adopt ‘wait-and-see mood’
Consumer confidence has fallen again in July, after moderate improvement last month, as people anticipate possible tax rises and worsening inflation.
This is according to GfK’s Consumer Confidence Barometer, which shows a one-point decrease in the headline figure. The overall index score remains firmly in the negatives at -19, and far lower than July 2024, when it sat at -13.
The only individual measure within the index that saw any improvement this month is the major purchase index, which indicates people’s likelihood to buy big-ticket items. It improved by one point to -15.
Both consumers’ views of their personal finances over the last 12 months and for the coming year have remained the same as last month, at -7 and 2, respectively.
The main driver in the overall decline in consumer confidence has been the global economic situation. People’s view of the global economic situation over the past 12 months (-44) and the year ahead (-29) have both decreased by one point compared to June.
However, the fall compared to last year is more significant. In July 2024, consumers’ view of the global economy over the previous year was 12 points lower at -32, while the figure for the year ahead was 18 points lower at -11.
Source: GfK
