Beyond the Basket - 13/10/25

Monday 13th October | #49 | Join Free

Hello, and welcome to your Monday Beyond the Basket brief. Today we’re digging into what you need to do to get your products discovered by AI chatbots, and surprisingly it’s quite similar to traditional SEO. Plus news that might interest TikTok shop sellers, and research that suggests UK SMEs are falling behind in AI adoption. Let’s jump in 👇 - Mike Callachan (BtB Founder)

In today’s beyond the basket:
🤖 Bots Are Browsing Your Store. Are You Ready?
🚴 Morrisons launches 1-hour delivery service
📮 Royal Mail partners with TikTok Shop in the UK
📦 EU nations target Temu & Shein with parcel fees
🤖 UK SMEs falling behind on AI adoption

➕plus four longer reads covering everything from why that 30% discount might be killing your bottom line, to how QVC is redefining TV shopping in the TikTok age.

Some of your Q4 traffic might not be human. It’ll come from bots, AI shopping agents that are already reshaping how people discover and buy products.

What’s Changing
AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity aren’t just answering questions anymore, they’re helping people find things to buy. Instead of googling and clicking through pages of comparisons, someone might ask, “What’s the best carry-on suitcase under £200?” and get an AI-generated shortlist instantly. Some agents even go further and complete the purchase for the user. AI skips the traditional buying journey entirely. There’s no listing to browse, no moment to win someone over.

Why It Matters
Discovery is moving from human-driven search to algorithm-driven suggestions. It’s a shift some are calling Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). If your product data isn’t structured, complete, and easy for machines to read, AI agents will skip right past it. And unlike people, bots don’t scroll. They scan, assess, and decide. Traditional SEO isn’t enough anymore.

What You Can Do This Week
Start treating your product data like it’s being read by a machine, because it is. Focus on these quick wins:

Q4 discovery won’t just depend on ads or SEO anymore. If AI is going to browse your store, you’ll want to make sure it can actually find you.

Add a mysterious CTA to your basket or checkout page:

“Enter code BOO for a Halloween treat…”

Don’t reveal the discount amount, let customers discover it.

We’ve seen this combo of curiosity + instant reward drive higher conversions than standard “10% off” banners. It works because it feels like a find, not a promo.

TL;DR: Morrisons has launched “Morrisons Now,” a rapid delivery service offering fresh groceries in as little as an hour, starting with 158 stores and expanding to 420 by month’s end.

Why it Matters: The big four grocers are shifting from weekly shops to just-in-time delivery. For Morrisons, this is about matching customer expectations shaped by apps like Getir and Deliveroo, but with better margins and control. The real hook? It integrates with existing accounts, loyalty schemes, and app features.

What to Think About: Hyper-fast local delivery is becoming the new baseline, not just for takeaways, but for groceries and essentials too. Amazon’s aggressive push into 1-hour delivery is quietly resetting consumer expectations, just like Prime did with next-day. If you sell anything time-sensitive or replenishable, now’s the time to rethink what “fast” really means in your fulfilment playbook.

TL;DR: Royal Mail is now TikTok Shop’s primary UK delivery partner, giving sellers access to parcel collection and drop-off services across the UK.

Why it Matters: TikTok Shop already hosts over 200,000 UK sellers, with triple-digit growth in 2024. This partnership plugs them into Royal Mail’s vast delivery network, 24,000+ parcel points, nationwide collections, and competitive shipping rates. That’s a big win for side hustlers and small brands who now get enterprise-grade logistics without enterprise overhead.

Your Move: If you’re selling on TikTok, use this to streamline fulfilment. Faster, cheaper delivery = better customer experience and more margin. Bonus: proof of posting and shop health protections are now baked in.

TL;DR: With EU-wide reform delayed, countries like Romania, Poland, and the Netherlands are introducing their own handling fees on small parcels from platforms like Temu and Shein.

Why it Matters: Europe imported 4.6bn parcels in 2024, over 80% from China, mostly low-value goods. National fees aim to stem the tide and level the playing field for local retailers, but fragmented rollouts risk rerouting parcels through “cheaper” member states. Long-term, this could reshape the unit economics of low-cost, cross-border eCommerce.

What To Do: If you’re importing from China, or competing with those who do, watch this space. Fee hikes and duty changes could erode margin or alter pricing dynamics overnight. Build flexibility into your sourcing and pricing strategies now.

TL;DR: Despite 86% of UK small businesses being familiar with AI, only 31% are using it, and most only for low-impact tasks like automation and marketing.

Why it Matters: Google estimates AI could unlock £198bn in SME productivity and growth. Yet 59% of founders have paused “game-changing” ideas due to time constraints, the very problem AI could help solve. This gap isn’t about awareness; it’s about confidence, skills, and smart implementation.

Your Move: Don’t wait for a perfect AI strategy. Start by automating the tasks you already hate, email triage, reporting, basic customer support, and build from there. The edge goes to operators who treat AI as infrastructure, not a shortcut.

October 15 - UK eCommerce Awards Location: London, UK - The 2025 shortlist has been announced and the winners will be revealed at the live awards ceremony on Wednesday 15 October!
October 16 - Bosses Day 👩‍💼#BossesDay 
October 16 - World Food Day 🍔 #FoodDay 
October 20 - Deepavali/Diwali 🪔 #Deepavali #Diwali 
October 21 - UK Fashion & Apparel eCommerce Summit Location: London, UK - The program covers marketing, influencer strategy, social media, customer loyalty, sustainability, and more.
October 24 - United Nations Day 🌍 #UNDay 

Curated deep dives, longer reads and analysis shaping the future of eCommerce and digital marketing.

Before you hit 30% off everything, do the maths
Beyond the Basket (4 min read) Read Here ›
A quick reminder that not all discounts are created equal, especially when margins are tight.

Dates are going viral. Farmers are leaning in - here’s why
Inc. (5 min read) Read Here ›
How TikTok trends are fuelling unexpected DTC demand, and what producers are doing to keep up.

Social scrolling is the new channel surfing
Modern Retail (6 min read) Read Here ›
Inside QVC’s TikTok pivot, and why attention, not just inventory, is the new battleground.

Topshop’s comeback: nostalgia, irony and the new It Girl economy
The Drum (4 min read) Read Here ›
What Topshop’s reboot tells us about brand revivals, cultural timing, and Gen Z’s take on ‘00s fashion.