🔎 Perplexity’s Plan to Rewrite Search (and Shopping)

Inside: Roblox reimagines video ads, Google's update leaves publishers uncertain, and Reddit chases Meta's market share.

Welcome to the latest edition of Katalys Connect - your shortcut to the latest in performance marketing! [Read time: 4 minutes] What's in this issue? Each week we pack the latest trends, actionable insights, and industry breakthroughs into a quick read - ensuring you're not just keeping up, you're staying ahead. Monetization: Explore how publishers are navigating threats to revenue from AI-powered email platforms, shifting Google algorithms, and Honey's defense of its affiliate practices. Growth: See how Reddit, TikTok, and Roblox are rewriting the ad playbook - from immersive formats to streamlined SMB tools - to capture attention in a crowded digital landscape. Future of Commerce: Discover how GenAI, new tariffs, and Amazon's in-app checkout are reshaping the way consumers shop and how brands plan for the next wave of ecommerce. ⭐ Katalys Featured Program   Test Kits, Real Conversions • myLAB Box makes at-home health testing simple, discreet, and accessible. With fast results, no copays, and wide category appeal, it's a must-have offer for health-conscious audiences.  Who they are: Founded in 2014, myLAB Box pioneered at-home testing in the U.S. and now offers 30+ kits across wellness, nutrition, fertility, and sexual health - all processed by certified labs with HIPAA-compliant privacy. Why join: Promote a trusted, easy-to-use solution with strong consumer interest and traffic approval across content, social, display, and email. Ideal for affiliates in the health, wellness, or lifestyle space!  Affiliates - Ready to partner with a trusted leader in at-home testing? Sign up to join myLAB Box's program on Katalys. Brands - Interested in growing through Katalys? Contact us to get started! 💸 Monetization Honey Co-Founder Hits Back • Ryan Hudson, co-founder of Honey, firmly refuted allegations of manipulation and commission theft of his former company during a recent Reddit AMA, emphasizing the integrity of their practices. Hudson clarified that Honey's use of vanity codes was designed to enhance creator attribution and not to mislead users, asserting that all codes offered were equivalent to publicly available discounts. He addressed the claim of stealing affiliate commissions by offering examples where both the creators and coupon distributor were compensated under a multi-touch attribution model. Google Update Uncertainty Looms • Publishers are left uncertain about the impact of Google's March 2025 core update on their search traffic and visibility. The latest core update follows a series of changes in 2024 that significantly affected publishers, particularly news and product review sites, leading to decreased search visibility. With Google planning more frequent updates, experts warn against knee-jerk reactions, urging publishers to wait, watch, and stick to long-term best practices. AI Disrupts Email Landscape • As Google and Apple enhance their email platforms with AI features, publishers face potential disintermediation similar to what occurred in social media and search engines. Google and Apple now control nearly 90% of the global email market and are implementing AI to improve consumer experiences, which could undermine traditional email engagement for publishers. The evolution of email infrastructure, once appealing for its simplicity, is at risk as advanced AI capabilities threaten to alter the way consumers interact with email content. 📈 Growth   Immersive Ad Revolution • Roblox and Google are launching a new video ad format that integrates seamlessly into gaming environments, creating engaging advertising experiences for users. The partnership will utilize rewarded video ads, up to 30 seconds long, providing in-game benefits while maintaining user engagement With 85.3 million daily active users, primarily aged 13 and older, this collaboration allows advertisers to effectively reach a hard-to-engage Gen Z audience through non-disruptive, contextually relevant ads. TikTok's Ad Strategy Shift • TikTok is aggressively courting advertisers amidst ongoing uncertainty about its operational status in the U.S., signaling its intent to remain a key player in the digital advertising landscape. TikTok has launched a bold "TikTok is here to stay" campaign and is offering brands multi-quarter ad deals with incentives like early access to beta features, measurement tools, and white-glove support. Even as some brands take a wait-and-see approach, TikTok is leveraging its unmatched cultural reuptation and Gen Z engagement to emphasize that pausing now could mean missing out on influence and momentum.   Reddit Courts SMBs • Reddit's latest ad tools remove friction for small and midsize businesses, helping them repurpose content, track conversions, and get up and running fast. Advertisers can import Meta campaigns in three steps and access new tools like simplified QA, Events Manager checks, and 1-click Pixel setup to boost targeting and attribution. With ad revenue driving 92% of Reddit's $1.3B earnings, these updates aim to position the platform as a real alternative to Meta and TikTok for intent-driven performance marketing. 🚀 Future of Commerce   Perplexity's Smart Shopping • Perplexity.ai teams up with firmly to turn its answer engine into a seamless shopping hub, letting users discover and buy without ever clicking away firmly's one-click integration brings real-time inventory, checkout, and shipping into Perplexity, giving merchants reach without the tech hassle. Built around user behavior, the experience blends GenAI, trust, and personalization - with retail just the start as travel, wellness, and more gear up next. Amazon's Buy For Me Bet • Amazon is testing a "Buy for Me" button that allows users to purchase products from third-party websites directly within its app, streamlining the online shopping experience. The feature utilizes Amazon's Nova AI system to securely handle payment information, enabling users to complete purchases without leaving the app. Currently available to a limited user base in the US, the "Buy for Me" feature is being tested with select opt'd in brands, but no confirmation yet on what the cut will be for Amazon. Tariff Turmoil Ahead • Public e-commerce tech companies are facing significant operational challenges due to new import tariffs, leading to stock declines and supply chain uncertainties. Major players like Amazon and Shopify are grappling with a 10% blanket tariff on imports, with specific duties as high as 46% on goods from Vietnam, affecting pricing strategies and consumer costs. Analysts predict a fundamental shift in sourcing and delivery strategies as companies reorient their operations to manage rising costs and mitigate the impact on consumer spending and digital marketing demand. 👍 Was this valuable? 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