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.

Black Friday week is finally here! But has Black Friday become just another Friday? About 45% of shoppers now start their holiday shopping before Black Friday. More on that below.

Here's what's happening in the world of DTC / e-commerce👇

1/ DTC Headlines

Walmart posted a strong Q3 while showing how stretched American shoppers felt

→ Online sales jumped as shoppers leaned hard into convenience and low prices.

→ Grocery and essentials drove most of the growth as people traded down to save.

→ Target had a rougher quarter, hinting that budgets stayed tight across the board.

Read the full breakdown here

Google released new agentic AI tools to make holiday shopping easier

→ Shoppers can use Search AI Mode or Gemini to get quick product recs.

→ A new feature lets Google call stores to confirm stock and deals.

→ Agentic checkout can track items and auto-buy through Google Pay.

Check out the release here

Target announced an OpenAI partnership to help lift slowing sales

→ A new ChatGPT shopping app will let customers build multi-item carts.

→ Shoppers can browse fresh food and choose pickup, drive-up, or shipping.

→ Target hopes AI convenience helps offset recent same-store sales declines.

Here’s what the partnership looks like

Yeti acquired Helimix assets to dive into the booming fitness-drinkware market

→ The $38 million deal picked up Helimix’s patented shaker bottle design and IP.

→ Yeti aims to release a U.S.-made shaker targeting a $2.5 billion wellness market.

→ Helimix will shut down as Yeti reinvents the product under its own brand.

2/ Shopify Stuff

Shopify shares their new Black Friday ad around how entrepreneurs are built different

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3/ What We Found Interesting

Black Friday lost its spotlight as holiday shopping became a year-round affair

→ About 45 % of shoppers started their holiday purchases before Black Friday.

→ Only 15 % of consumers took advantage of October deals, showing the date has lost timing power.

→ AI and personalized tools are becoming key as shoppers demand smarter, tailored experiences. ​

‍Read more on how BFCM is changing

Buffer found that replying to comments gave posts a clear engagement lift

‍→ Accounts saw higher reach when creators actively responded to their audience.

→ Quick replies encouraged more back-and-forth, which pushed posts to more feeds.

→ Even short responses were enough to signal activity and boost overall performance. ​

‍Here’s their breakdown

4/ What We Found Helpful

TikTok shared new Holiday tools to help brands boost seasonal campaign performance

→ Fresh insights highlight trending gift categories and rising shopper intent on the platform.

→ New ad solutions focus on creator-led content and quick-turn video formats for faster testing.

→ TikTok recommends pairing spark ads with strong product demos to drive conversions during peak weeks. C

heck out their guide here

These are the top 10 customizable Shopify themes for conversion-focused stores

→ Find out what makes a theme truly customizable, from mobile layout control to app compatibility.

→ Themes like Impulse, Motion, Prestige and more are ranked by flexibility and design focus.

Check out the list

5/ Campaigns we're following

‍Ikea Canada staged ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ inside someone’s home for Holiday chaos

→ Fifteen live animals, including six bird species, showed up in a modern house as part of the campaign.

→ The ad plays on the classic carol while turning practical gifts into standout moments for the brand.

‍Check out the campaign here

Skims dropped a festive campaign featuring Kim Kardashian, North West, and Madeline Argy

→ The holiday collection leans into cozy loungewear and bold seasonal colors.

→ North steals the spotlight with playful poses that give the shoot a lighter vibe.

Check out the campaign here