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.

Shopify just unveiled a major revamp of the Shop app, built around a brand-new feed that is almost entirely shoppable videos. It’s a clear signal of where commerce is heading and how central video has become to the buying experience.

P.S. We’re launching our own Shop integration this week, so you’ll soon be able to showcase your videos directly inside the app. Stay tuned.

Here's what caught our attention in the world of DTC / e-commerce 👇

1/ DTC Headlines

Peloton cut 11% of its workforce as it pushed deeper cost cuts

→ Peloton eliminated roughly 400 roles as part of a plan to save $100 million by fiscal 2026.

→ The layoffs followed ongoing pressure from slowing hardware sales and softer subscription growth.

→ Leadership said the changes were meant to simplify operations and focus on long-term profitability.

Check out their plans ​

Adidas planned a €1 billion share buyback after posting record sales

→ Adidas announced the buyback following a strong rebound in revenue and profitability.

→ Demand stayed high across footwear and apparel, helped by lifestyle sneakers and core performance lines.

→ The move signaled confidence in continued momentum after a challenging few years.

Amazon reportedly explored a massive investment in OpenAI

→ Amazon was said to be in talks about investing up to $50 billion in OpenAI.

→ The potential deal was part of a larger funding round that could value OpenAI at hundreds of billions.

→ It signaled rising competition among tech giants to lock in access to advanced AI models.

Check out the investment breakdown

Anthropic said Claude would remain ad-free, unlike ChatGPT

→ Anthropic said it has no plans to run ads inside Claude or monetize attention.

→ The company framed subscriptions and enterprise pricing as its long-term revenue path.

→The stance contrasted with broader industry moves toward ad-supported AI products.

E.l.f. Beauty beat expectations as demand stayed strong in Q3

→ e.l.f. Beauty reported better-than-expected revenue and earnings for its fiscal third quarter.

→ The brand continued to benefit from strong demand across mass retail and international markets.

→ Management raised its full-year outlook, signaling confidence despite a tougher beauty landscape.

Rhone launched its own branded resale program

→ Rhone rolled out ReRhone, a resale site offering gently used apparel at lower prices.

→ Items are cleaned, inspected, and resold after being sourced from returns and past inventory.

→ The move tapped into growing interest in circular fashion and value-driven shopping.

Here’s how it works

2/ Shopify Stuff

Shopify President Harley Finkelstein breaks down why they built the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)

→ UCP was developed in partnership with Google.

→ It’s an open standard with primitives + extensions (discovery → checkout → post-purchase).

→ Merchants/agents negotiate capabilities + payments; humans can step in when needed.

Check out Harley's breakdown here

3/ What We Found Interesting

YouTube shoppable video became a serious sales channel for Shopify brands

‍→ YouTube let brands tag products directly inside videos, turning views into in-video purchases.

→ Shopify integrations made it easier to sync products, track sales, and manage inventory.

→ Brands using shoppable video leaned on social proof and demos to lift engagement and conversion rates.

Check out this guide

Are all our ads starting to look the same?

4/ What We Found Helpful

TikTok’s latest report revealed which ad formats performed best

→ TikTok shared new data showing creator-led and native-style ads drove the strongest results.

→ Ads that blended into the feed outperformed highly produced, traditional-looking campaigns.

→ The findings reinforced the value of authenticity and creator partnerships for brands on TikTok.

Check out the report

5/ Campaigns we're following

e.l.f. cast Melissa McCarthy in a playful Super Bowl 60 campaign

→ Instacart leaned into star power for its Big Game spot.

→ Melissa McCarthy played multiple over-the-top roles, poking fun at prestige beauty tropes.

→ The campaign reinforced e.l.f.’s value-first positioning while still showing up on the biggest ad stage.

‍Check out the campaign