RIWI vs YouGov

RIWI Launches Verify Human™, a Browser-Based Human Verification Platform

RIWI today announced the commercial launch of Verify Human™, a browser-based verification platform that confirms an online participant is a live, unique human before digital data is collected, with no downloads, hardware or identity documents required.

RIWI Commercially Launches CoolTool 2.0, Its AI-Native Survey Platform

RIWI is pleased to announce the commercial launch of CoolTool 2.0, its next-generation survey and research platform built from the ground up with artificial intelligence at its core. RIWI has been leveraging the platform for several months internally before releasing the solution to customers.

RIWI to Present at the Annual Smallcap Discoveries Conference in Vancouver

RIWI announces its upcoming presentation at the Annual Smallcap Discoveries Conference in Vancouver, scheduled for September 8, 2026.

SMEs miss potential of AI agents

A YouGov survey commissioned by Alibaba.com and the German E-Commerce and Mail Order Association (bevh) reveals that a third of German SMEs struggle with administrative overload, with 40% citing order processing and customer service as time-intensive. More than half of SMEs with 10+ employees see potential to save at least 10% of routine operational tasks with AI agents. Younger decision-makers under 35 are leading adoption: over 62% already use agentic AI, and nearly a quarter invest in AI training. The article highlights Accio, Alibaba.com's agentic AI platform for B2B tasks, which helps with product ideas, market analysis, supplier comparison, and process automation. It also urges SMEs to pragmatically adopt AI agents to boost productivity, and promotes the CoCreate Pitch Europe startup competition, with European finals in London on November 19-20, where applications are submitted via Accio.

• YouGov survey for Alibaba.com and bevh: ~1/3 of SMEs see administrative overload as a problem.
• 40% of SMEs cite order processing and customer service as particularly time-consuming.
• Over 50% of SMEs with 10+ employees see potential to save at least 10% of routine tasks via AI agents.

Black Friday: AI Helps Hunt for Deals

A new study by Yougov reveals that artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in consumer shopping behavior during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other pre-Christmas sales events. The study highlights how consumers intend to use AI tools to identify genuine deals, verify discounts, and compare prices across retailers. Key questions consumers ask AI include whether a discount is real and what the product costs elsewhere. The findings suggest that AI is becoming a critical tool for deal-hunting, potentially reshaping how consumers approach seasonal sales and how retailers must optimize their marketing strategies to be visible in AI-driven search results.

• Yougov conducted a study on consumer AI usage during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
• The study found that AI is becoming increasingly important for shopping during pre-Christmas sales.
• Consumers plan to use AI to identify genuine deals and verify discounts.

Week in Charts: AI Shopping, Ad Spend, UK TV

This week's charts cover AI-driven shopping adoption in Saudi Arabia and India, global ad spend forecasts for 2027, UK TV ad revenue concentration, and creator influence on US purchases. YouGov data shows over half of consumers in Saudi Arabia and India use AI for shopping versus lower rates in the US, UK, and Sweden. WARC forecasts global ad spend to grow 8.4% to $1.46 trillion in 2027, with social media, retail media, and search leading growth. Sky and ITV together captured nearly half of UK TV ad revenues in H1 2026. Additionally, stock movements include Publicis' rise ahead of Q3 results, Skydance's decline post-merger, Reuters' jump after print sale, Viant's eight percent gain, and Microsoft's gain on AI chip plans.

• YouGov survey: Over half of consumers in Saudi Arabia and India use AI for shopping, versus 18% in the US, 15% in the UK, and 14% in Sweden.
• WARC forecasts global ad spend to grow 8.4% YoY to $1.46 trillion in 2027, with social media (14.6%), retail media (10.8%), and search (8.8%) leading.
• Sky and ITV combined took 48% of UK TV ad revenues in H1 2026; Channel 4 and Channel 5 made up 22%.