Holiday shopping season is in full swing! Ahead of the onslaught of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, Alyssa sat down with Nicola Fumo, host of the Attention Recession podcast and a senior commerce editor at People, for a conversation on the state of commerce content, from gift guides to Amazon Live. Tune in for an entertaining explainer on all things affiliate, as well as Nicola’s insights on why data-driven gift guides have replaced vibes-based ones; the pressure publishers are under to hit their story and revenue quotas during the holiday season; the disclosure conundrum when it comes to affiliate revenue; the evolution of the market editor as a career; how culture has arrived back at QVC and we’re all infomercial stars now; dealing with choice paralysis and why being a smart consumer is crucial; the experience of shopping on TikTok vs. on Instagram; how Amazon Live has become an additional platform for Bravolebrity drama and red carpets; the “holiday sale haul” content genre and the SSENSE sale becoming a meme; what makes a gift guide stand out in a crowd of clickbait; gift guides as voyeurism; and why personal recommendation content is having a breakthrough moment as an escape from the algorithm-based internet.

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