Unprecedented ad spending by a record number of White House hopefuls and other hot races has advertisers worried about “political crowd out” that results in a dearth of attractive TV time slots and a spike in rates.

United Parcel Service is investing in a tech startup that allows brand manufacturers to set up websites and sell directly to consumers, bypassing the middlemen.

Christmas won’t come early this year, but the gifts might. Just in time for the winter holiday shopping season, Amazon, Wal-Mart, Macy’s and other retailers are working behind the scenes to make sure they can deliver online orders to shoppers faster.

Much more is highlighted in A Look Ahead.