Beyond the Basket - 20/08/25

Wednesday 20th August | Join Free

Hello, this is your Beyond the Basket daily brief.

In today’s beyond the basket:
📈 Ecommerce climbs to 16% of retail sales
🔎 Google adds transparency to Search Partner Network
🎨 Hobbycraft to launch shoppable TV channel
🛍️ Pinterest launches Thrift Shop amid Gen Z’s resale surge

+plus, we’ve lined up three deep reads for added perspective, along with two tools to help you sharpen Google Ads performance and streamline your social media management.

TL;DR: U.S. census data shows that ecommerce in the United States captured 16% of total retail sales in Q2 2025, reaching $304.2B, outpacing overall retail growth at 3.9% YoY.

Why It Matters: Online shopping continues to prove more resilient than brick-and-mortar, with categories like clothing & general merchandise ($53.8B, +11.2% YoY) and auto parts (+15.9% YoY) driving growth. Consumer discretionary spend is tilting online, with digital shoppers far more likely to purchase hobbies (+76%), electronics (+61%), and sporting goods (+61%) than in-store counterparts. Payment trends also highlight a shift: credit cards and digital wallets dominate online, while debit remains king in stores. Momentum is carrying into Q3, with Prime Day (52% of U.S. adults buying, avg. $360 spend) and Walmart+ Week (avg. $484 spend) fueling post-quarter growth.

Your Move: While the latest figures show steady ecommerce growth, don’t assume the trend will carry you forward by default. Revisit your channel strategy and category mix now to capture the upside. For discretionary verticals (hobbies, electronics, sporting goods), lean into digital-first campaigns where spend is already outpacing stores. For slower-moving essentials, event-driven promotions modeled on Prime Day or Walmart+ Week can help unlock incremental share while consumer appetite remains strong.

TL;DR: Google Ads now shows site-level impression data for Search, Shopping, and App campaigns running on the Search Partner Network (SPN), a long-requested change from advertisers.

Why It Matters: The SPN has historically been a black box, frustrating brands over brand safety and ROI concerns. Now, advertisers can see exactly where their ads appear, similar to placement reports in Performance Max. This means brands can finally audit suitability, cut waste, and optimize spend with far more precision. While skepticism remains about SPN quality, the update makes participation a more viable option, especially for performance-driven campaigns.

Your Move: Run a placement audit on your existing SPN campaigns. Use the new reporting to identify high-value sites worth keeping and cut low-quality inventory. Even if you’ve avoided SPN before, test again with tighter controls, the transparency now makes informed experimentation possible.

TL;DR: Hobbycraft will debut Hobbycraft TV on Freeview Channel 97 in the UK starting 4 September, offering daily expert craft demonstrations with fully shoppable integrations.

Why It Matters: Hobbycraft is blending content and commerce by turning TV into a direct sales channel, a move that aligns with the broader shift toward retail media and livestream shopping. With 1 in 3 craft enthusiasts learning skills via YouTube, the brand is betting on video-led engagement to convert inspiration into purchases. The dual availability on Freeview and online ensures reach across demographics, while the shoppable experience creates a new revenue stream at a time when Hobbycraft is undergoing a strategic review and store closures. This positions the channel as both a growth lever and an engagement play to deepen loyalty.

Your Move: If you sell in a niche where learning drives buying, consider building shoppable education formats (live demos, tutorials, or classes) that turn knowledge into conversion. Start small with YouTube or TikTok Shop before exploring bigger bets like OTT or dedicated channels.

TL;DR: Pinterest has rolled out its first but temporary dedicated Thrift Shop feature (Aug 20–Sep 26), enabling direct purchases of vintage and secondhand goods. The launch coincides with Pinterest’s 2025 Autumn Trend Report and follows a 550% increase in “dream thrift finds” searches among Gen Z, who now make up over half its user base.

Why It Matters: Pinterest is evolving from inspiration board to commerce destination, tapping into the resale boom at a time when younger consumers prioritise sustainability, affordability, and individuality. Searches for “vintage autumn aesthetic” (+1,074%), “secondhand kitchens” (+1,012%), and “vintage luxury watches” (+82%) show demand is spreading well beyond fashion into home and lifestyle categories. For advertisers, clicks from Pinterest have nearly quadrupled in two years, while partnerships with online retailers like Debenhams highlight its growing role as a full-funnel platform. By turning cultural aesthetics into shoppable experiences, Pinterest is positioning itself as a resale rival to Depop, Poshmark, and eBay.

Your Move: If resale, vintage, or sustainability aligns with your brand, build campaigns tied to Pinterest trend aesthetics (e.g. patchwork, preppy revival, 60s glam). For broader categories, consider Pinterest’s AI tools and ad features to capture intent-rich shoppers early in their journey. Watch how Pinterest integrates commerce into seasonal storytelling, it’s a playbook other platforms are likely to copy.

AdvertiAI (14 Day Free Trial), A Google Ads co-pilot that lets you chat with an AI agent to get instant campaign insights, keyword ideas, and ad copy suggestions. It also automates optimisations and reporting, while supporting SEO improvements. Useful for teams looking to save time on manual campaign tweaks and uncover high-performing strategies faster.

Confe.io (14 Day Free Trial), A budget-friendly social media management platform that streamlines planning, scheduling, and analytics in one dashboard. With AI-assisted content creation, cross-platform posting, and approval workflows, it’s designed for lean teams that want to stay consistent without juggling multiple tools. Ideal for ecommerce brands looking to speed up content production and keep campaigns organised.

Curated deep dives, longer reads and analysis shaping the future of retail and ecommerce.

Americans Spend $1.2T a Year on Ecommerce (6 Min Read) Read Here →
A breakdown of how online spending has shifted over time and which categories are driving growth.

Inside Amazon’s $35B+ B2B Marketplace (8 Min Read) Read Here →
An inside look at the platform fueling Amazon’s next big expansion in wholesale.

Graham Norton’s Wine and NZ’s Export Boom (8 Min Read) Read Here →
How celebrity-backed wine is powering New Zealand’s growing global export push.