Beyond the Basket - 17/10/25

Friday 17th October | #53 | Join Free

Hello, and welcome to the Friday issue of Beyond the Basket. Today we’re digging into why pulling out your phone and filming yourself holding your product might just outperform the most polished studio ads, and what that means for your creative strategy heading into BFCM. Plus: Frasers bets big on conversational commerce, and Google brings shopping ads to subscription products. Let’s jump in ⏬ - Mike Callachan (BtB founder)

In today’s beyond the basket:
🤳 How UGC-Style Ads Blend Into The Feed (And Convert Better)
🌍 Cross-border marketplaces hit €358B in Europe
🤖 Frasers Group launches AI-powered shopping via ChatGPT and Gemini
🛍️ Google opens Shopping ads to physical goods subscriptions
🎬 TikTok launches 2025 Creator & Advertiser Awards in UK & Ireland

➕plus four long reads exploring how instant rewards are reshaping loyalty, and how AI is cutting through complexity to streamline and reduce tariff costs.

The best-performing social ads right now don't look like ads at all, they look like content your customers would post themselves.

Brands are ditching polished studio footage for raw, handheld clips shot on phones. The kind of content that blends seamlessly into Stories and feeds instead of screaming "sponsored."

This shift isn't just aesthetic, it's strategic. In one study UGC-style creative delivered a 53% higher ROAS and 43% lower cost per result than brand-produced ads.

What makes this format work:

✅ Feels native, not sponsored: When an ad looks like something a friend posted, a quick unboxing, a product held in natural light, a close-up shot, people don't scroll past it. They stop and watch because it fits the platform's language.

Take Wild's recent campaigns: simple clips of hands holding deodorant cases, quick product reveals, zero voiceovers. It's restraint that makes it powerful.

✅ Conversational tone: The copy matters just as much as the visuals. Captions that sound like texts ("Don't let body odour haunt you 👻") massively outperform corporate speak. Match how your audience actually talks on the platform.

✅ Low production, high trust: Counterintuitively, rough edges build credibility. Overly polished content signals "marketing." A shaky phone clip signals "real person showing me something they like."

If you want to test this approach, start here:

🧪 Film with your phone: Shoot 5–10 second clips in natural light. Show your product being held, unboxed, or used. No fancy equipment needed.

🧪 Lead with the product, not the logo: Test opening with the product in someone's hand in the first 3 seconds. If it looks like an ad immediately, you've lost.

🧪 Add platform-native text: Use emojis and casual language in text overlays. Make it feel like a Story, not a commercial.

The shift in paid social isn't about budget, it's about format fluency. Speak the platform's language, and your ads stop getting scrolled past.

Every extra second at checkout kills conversion. Run your site through PageSpeed or GTmetrix this week, not next. Fixing image compression or third-party scripts now can be the highest-ROI thing you do before BFCM.

TL;DR: European cross-border eCommerce hit €358.7 billion this year, with 70% of sales now flowing through marketplaces like Amazon, Temu, and eBay, according to Cross-Border Commerce Europe’s new Top 100 Marketplacesreport.

Why it matters: Marketplaces have become the “operating systems” of European commerce, not just sales channels but infrastructure for logistics, pricing, and visibility. As competition tightens, the report suggests growth is shifting from pure expansion to optimisation, meaning how you sell across borders now matters more than where.

Try this: Start by identifying which marketplaces your target customers already use, then go deep on one that fits your category and margin profile. Use it to test new regions, localise your offer, and validate demand before committing to full-scale expansion.

TL;DR: Frasers Group is the first European retailer to deploy the Commercetools Agentic Commerce Suite, letting shoppers at Flannels, Sports Direct and Frasers buy products directly inside ChatGPT and Google Gemini.

Why it matters: This isn’t just another AI experiment, it’s the first real deployment of “agentic commerce” in Europe. Frasers is positioning itself for a world where customers shop through AI assistants instead of websites. That means owning product data, trust signals and fulfilment logic will soon matter more than storefront design.

Your move: Conversational Commerce is here, make sure your product data is structured, accurate and machine-readable, AI shopping agents rely on that information to surface and sell your products. Think of it like SEO for LLMs: if your data isn’t ready, your products won’t appear when customers ask an AI to “find me a new pair of running shoes.”

TL;DR: Google now lets US merchants promote physical goods subscriptions in Shopping ads across eight categories, including coffee, pets, and personal care.

Why it matters: This is Google’s first real move into recurring commerce, opening up ad inventory for subscription DTC models that were previously excluded. It means brands can now reach intent-driven shoppers searching for “coffee subscription” or “monthly pet box” directly within Shopping results,not just through brand search or paid social.

Consider this: If you sell consumables or repeat-purchase goods, prepare your product data for subscription feeds. Create separate listings for one-time and recurring purchases, test both formats, and monitor performance ahead of a likely UK/EU rollout. Early adoption usually wins cheaper clicks and better visibility when Google expands new formats.

TL;DR: TikTok has opened voting for its second UK & Ireland Awards, celebrating top creators and ad campaigns ahead of the London event on 13 November.

Why it matters: Beyond recognition, this is TikTok’s way of showcasing what “good” looks like on the platform, both for creators and brands. The campaigns and creators highlighted here often shape the next wave of ad trends, from storytelling formats to community-led content that performs.

Something to Watch: Watch for the shortlisted ad campaigns, they’re free insight into what TikTok’s algorithm and audiences currently reward. Take notes on tone, pacing, and format, then test those styles in your next UGC-style ad or brand collaboration.

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

Why instant rewards are winning the retail loyalty war
PYMNTS (6 min read) Read here ›
Why retailers are shifting from points-based systems to instant, tangible rewards, and how it’s changing customer retention economics.

Retail returns are down as consumers face stricter policies
RetailWire (5 min read) Read here ›
Return rates are falling, not because shoppers are happier, but because brands are tightening policies. A look at how this shift affects post-holiday logistics.

How customs brokers are using AI to cut tariff costs
Inc. (7 min read) Read here ›
AI is creeping into global trade ops, helping importers classify products more precisely, and save thousands on tariffs.

L’Oréal builds the data backbone for its creator marketing
Digiday (6 min read) Read here ›
Inside L’Oréal’s move to systemise influencer partnerships, turning creator marketing from art into a measurable data channel.