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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.
Flying taxis are finally here. Last week Uber announced Uber Air launching in Dubai later this year.
The aircraft can seat 4 passengers plus a pilot and can reach speeds of up to 200 mph.
Would you fly in one of these?
Busy week in the world of DTC / e-commerce. Here's what caught our attention 👇
1/ DTC Headlines
New Balance posted record annual sales as Chinese Laundry was acquired
→ The sneaker brand hit an all-time high in revenue for 2025.
→ Growth was fueled by strong demand in lifestyle and performance lines.
→ Chinese Laundry was sold to Gordon Brothers amid ongoing retail shifts.
Check out Retail Dive’s weekly closeout
OpenAI reportedly finalized a $100B deal at an $850B+ valuation
→ The funding round would rank among the largest in tech history.
→ SoftBank is said to be leading the investment talks.
→ The deal could fuel massive AI expansion across products and infra.
In other OpenAI news, ChatGPT reached 900M weekly users
→ Usage has surged as AI tools go mainstream.
→ The platform is closing in on the 1B weekly user milestone.
→ New features and enterprise traction continue fueling growth.
Prada teamed up with Meta on AI-powered smart glasses
→ The collab blends high fashion with next-gen wearable tech.
→ The glasses build on Meta’s push beyond Ray-Ban partnerships.
→ Luxury brands are warming up to AI as a style statement.
Walmart agreed to a $100M settlement over Spark driver pay practices
→ The lawsuit accused the company of misleading gig drivers on earnings.
→ The settlement resolves claims tied to its Spark delivery program.
→ It’s another reminder of growing scrutiny around gig pay models.
X tried wooing advertisers by letting them reuse creative from other platforms
→ Brands can now import ad assets directly from rival networks.
→ The move aims to lower friction and win back ad budgets.
→ X continues tweaking its pitch as competition for ad dollars heats up.
FedEx sued over claims tied to Trump-era tariffs
→ The lawsuit challenges financial impacts linked to past trade policies.
→ FedEx argues the tariff framework created unfair business burdens.
→ The case adds fresh tension to ongoing U.S. trade debates.
Kim Kardashian expanded her energy drink venture with new cofounder update
→ The brand added a seasoned beverage exec to help scale operations.
→ It’s part of a bigger push into the fast-growing wellness space.
→ The move signals serious ambitions beyond celebrity branding.
Xiaomi launched a $17 Ultra smartphone, an AirTag clone and slim power bank
→ The company rolled out a budget-friendly handset alongside new gadgets.
→ A tracker and ultra-thin power bank expand its hardware ecosystem.
→ Xiaomi keeps pushing aggressive pricing to win global share.
2/ Shopify
Hart reached $20 million by charming shoppers on Shopify
→ The brand leaned into playful design and giftable products.
→ Strong storytelling and community fueled repeat purchases.
→ Smart use of Shopify tools helped scale without losing personality.
Check out Shopify’s case study
3/ What We Found Interesting
Hacker commandeered thousands of robot vacuums in massive security lapse
→ A vulnerability let him access devices across multiple countries.
→ Owners reported sudden noises and strange messages from their bots.
→ The incident highlighted major risks in connected home tech.
Why are there 1000 different versions of Colgate toothpaste?
4/ What We Found Helpful
Klaviyo’s state of customer service report revealed rising expectations
→ Consumers want faster replies and more personalized support.
→ Brands are investing in AI tools to meet demand at scale.
→ Service quality is increasingly tied directly to loyalty and revenue.
We launched a shoppable video ROI calculator for Shopify brands
→ Brands can now estimate revenue impact in minutes.
→ Plug in traffic, conversion rate, and AOV to see projected gains.
→ It breaks down potential lift from shoppable videos in clear dollars.
Related content
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