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Welcome to the Moast newsletter. We spend the week collecting news, trends, and other content that we think would be interesting to e-commerce founders and CMOs. Our goal is to provide value without sounding like a promo for our app. Helpful wether you use Moast or not.
YouTube wants to put live sports behind a paywall. It's chasing rights across nearly every major US league, but only in bulk, with a clear hook like every local game for one team. The plan: free YouTube and sports creators as the on-ramp, $15.99 Premium as the destination. Distribution beats content, again.
Here's what caught our attention in the world of e-commerce this week 👇
1/ DTC Headlines
Holiday sales will top $1 trillion for the first time
-> Bain forecasts 4.5% growth, though inflation is doing some of the lifting.
-> Baskets are smaller but trips more frequent, per AlixPartners.
-> PwC's line on AI: "the modern equivalent of a knowledgeable friend at the mall, not the cash register."
Nike is cutting thousands of China online distributors
-> From January, shoppers get Nike's own channels plus official storefronts on Tmall, JD.com and Douyin.
-> The goal is ending the uneven pricing and discounting that eroded the brand.
-> "This is not about reducing access. It is about reducing fragmentation." Greater China fell 17% last quarter.
Consumer confidence hit a 12-year low
-> The Conference Board index fell 6.7 points to 81.9, the lowest since 2014 and well under the 89.2 forecast.
-> Appraisals of current business conditions turned negative for the first time since September 2024.
-> Households expect both business and labor conditions to worsen. Price your Q4 promos accordingly.
Gap launched AI shopping, 30 years after its first website
-> Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Athleta are all getting conversational agents, plus discovery through third-party AI platforms.
-> Daydream gets access to all four brands for recommendations.
-> The CTO's caveat: AI should make shopping easier, not take choice away.
Target turned its toy catalog into an interactive one
-> Nearly 500 toys with demonstrations and video reviews from its Club Target creator network.
-> A list-scanner feature turns a handwritten list from the print catalog into a digital one in the app.
-> Creator video inside a holiday catalog. The format is 50 years old, the mechanics are brand new.
Best Buy is launching on TikTok Shop with 10,000 products
-> Live in late October with items from Microsoft, Dyson, Bose and Oura, fulfilled by Best Buy.
-> Returns work in store or by mail, which almost no other TikTok Shop seller can offer.
-> Creators in its program can promote the assortment with affiliate links. Big box has arrived.
Ikea is closing three small-format stores
-> Plan and order pickup locations in Georgetown, Annapolis and Fairfax close between October 18 and November 30.
-> The Georgetown store opened less than a year ago.
-> A notable reversal after Ikea's $2.2B push into smaller formats. Proximity alone isn't the answer.
Nike's turnaround just got longer
-> Q1 revenue fell 4% to $11.21B and missed estimates. Converse dropped 28%.
-> Full-year guidance now calls for a high-single-digit decline, with layoffs coming in 2027.
-> The new "Pace" plan targets $2.5B in savings through 2031. Citi: "Nike is turning into a cost-cutting story."
Amazon opened Seller Central to Claude
-> A new plugin lets sellers manage inventory, pricing, listings and analytics from inside Claude or Amazon's Quick assistant.
-> Setup takes about 60 seconds, no code, and every action needs seller approval.
-> Amazon's VP: "Our vision was that they would never have to log into Seller Central."
2/ Shopify
Shopify launched Canvas, a store builder you talk to
-> Describe what you want to Sidekick and watch your store rebuild in real time. It's live code rendering, not a preview.
-> Shopify's product director says a fully customized store takes about 20 minutes.
-> Early access and desktop only. No third-party themes, app blocks, markets or translations yet.
3/ What We Found Interesting
Apple's new CEO is cutting middle management to ship faster
-> John Ternus wants fewer layers between engineers and executives, weeks into the job.
-> He's also weighing a move away from the spring and fall launch windows toward year-round releases.
-> The message to a company that invented the launch event: speed beats choreography now.
Shoppers feel broke and plan to spend anyway
-> 58% report greater financial concern heading into the holidays, yet 64% expect to spend the same or more.
-> Two in five start by the end of October, and 29% are starting earlier than last year.
-> Top gift categories: clothing (52%), toys and games (38%), beauty (32%). BNPL interest is strong.
4/ What We Found Helpful
How to get your Shopify store recommended by ChatGPT
-> Our new guide covers what actually makes AI assistants surface and recommend a store.
-> Product data, structure, and the signals that decide whether you show up at all.
-> Practical steps to work through before the Q4 research rush.
55% of shoppers say stores have operational blind spots
-> SAI surveyed 1,000+ shoppers: 56% think retailers aren't actively monitoring store operations.
-> 27% abandoned a purchase over poor staff availability or slow assistance.
-> 34% questioned their loyalty to a retailer after unresponsive staff. "Retailers can't fix what they can't see."
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