Beyond the Basket - 30/10/25

Thursday 30th October | #62 | Join Free

Even cloud providers have their off days – yesterday's Azure hiccup showed us just how delicate the infrastructure behind modern ecommerce really is. Today’s issue looks at why trust and post-purchase experience matter more than ever, how AI discovery is reshaping shopper behaviour, and what speed and personalisation now mean for UK ecommerce operators. Let’s get into it 👇 – Mike Callachan (BtB Founder)

In today’s beyond the basket:
🛡️ Chargebacks Start Where Communication Stops
📦 UK retailers urged to streamline returns as costs hit £27B
🧠 Etsy doubles down on AI as leadership changes hands
🚗💨 Tesco expands Whoosh with full-basket delivery
🔍 AI search reshapes how UK shoppers discover brands

➕ Plus four deeper reads, from debunking the “AI slop” panic to how musicians are shaping brand culture, and what Next’s latest results reveal about the real state of UK retail.

Holiday sales are booming, and so is fraud. PYMNTS + Worldpay’s latest report found that 2024’s near-$1 trillion U.S. holiday spend came with a 25% jump in consumer fraud losses.

What used to be a December problem is now a structural one. The same tools that block criminals now shape how shoppers experience trust, speed, and personalisation all year round.

Trust as infrastructure.
Worldpay’s acquisition of AI-native Ravelin and its Trulioo partnership show where things are headed: layered systems that verify not just buyers, but even AI agents acting for them.

Service as fraud prevention.
Eighty-five percent of customers who feel ignored by support later file chargebacks. Rapid, empathetic service now protects revenue as much as sales.

Transparency as edge.
Fifty-eight percent of shoppers worry about data use. Brands that explain how security tools protect them turn anxiety into loyalty

💡 The Takeaway?
This Q4, treat trust like a growth channel, every moment of clarity, empathy, or support is a chargeback you prevent.

Fraud prevention isn’t seasonal anymore. The brands that weave trust into every interaction will hit next Q4 already ahead.

Even when if AI drives the purchase, the customer journey still belongs to you. Use post-purchase emails, packaging inserts, and loyalty offers to turn that one AI-assisted order into an ongoing relationship.

TL;DR: Returns are costing UK retailers an estimated £27 billion a year, with global returns expected to reach $1 trillion in 2025. Aramex UK is urging merchants to simplify returns processes as rising volumes squeeze margins and loyalty.

Why it Matters: “Bracketing” and “wardrobing” habits are pushing online return rates up to 30% in fashion. Shoppers now expect free, frictionless returns, but every parcel that comes back adds cost in transport, labour, and lost stock value. A clunky returns process doesn’t just erode profit; it drives customers to competitors.

Your Move: Simplify your returns flow and communicate clearly, a smooth, transparent experience now prevents churn and protects margin later.

TL;DR: Etsy CEO Josh Silverman is stepping down after eight years, handing the reins to Kruti Patel Goyal, former Depop CEO and Etsy’s Chief Growth Officer. The move coincides with a renewed focus on AI-driven personalisation and Etsy’s integration with ChatGPT, which allows in-app shopping and payments.

Why it Matters: Etsy’s Q3 results show mixed signals, revenue up 6%, but GMS down 6.5% and active sellers falling 11%. The company’s pivot toward AI isn’t just about automation; it’s about visibility in a world where discovery increasingly happens through AI agents, not just traditional search results. As PYMNTS notes, “if your product doesn’t appear in an agent’s results, for the consumer it effectively doesn’t exist.”

Your Move: Start optimising product data for AI discovery, structured listings, clean metadata, and rich attributes will soon matter more than SEO.

TL;DR: Tesco is rolling out full-basket ordering for its rapid-delivery service, Whoosh, across hundreds of stores. Shoppers can now schedule same-day deliveries of larger grocery baskets, thanks to its courier partner Stuart, which uses cars and vans alongside mopeds.

Why it Matters: This shifts quick commerce from “top-up shops” to true same-day fulfilment, blurring the line between instant delivery and scheduled grocery. For ecommerce sellers, it signals a maturing consumer expectation: speed plus selection, not one or the other. The infrastructure that powers this (multi-vehicle delivery fleets and dynamic fulfilment windows) could quickly spill over into other retail verticals.

Your Move: Watch how same-day “full basket” models reshape delivery expectations, consumers trained by Tesco today will expect the same convenience from every online store tomorrow.

TL;DR: A new Yext and Researchscape study finds 75% of consumers use AI search tools more than they did a year ago, and 43% use them daily. UK shoppers are increasingly turning to ChatGPT and TikTok for product ideas and recommendations, signalling a major shift in how discovery and visibility work.

Why it Matters: Traditional SEO is losing ground. Gartner predicts search engine volume will drop 25% by 2026 as AI chatbots and virtual agents take over. For UK ecommerce brands, this means visibility now depends less on rankings and more on how well your product data is structured for AI-driven discovery. The research also shows only 19% of users trust AI for local search, giving UK retailers a chance to stand out with accurate, verified local listings and reviews.

What to Consider: Audit how your products and locations appear in AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, structured, consistent data now determines whether your brand is found at all.

🧾 Source: Yext x Researchscape, “The Changing Search Landscape: How AI Is Reshaping Discovery,” Oct 2025.

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

AI ‘slop’ myths, debunked, what’s harmful, what’s hype, what’s just meh
Digiday (7 min read) Read Here ›
A grounded look at what “AI slop” really means for media and marketers, and why not all machine-generated content is the enemy.

Is Next still a bellwether for the UK high street?
City A.M. (5 min read) Read Here ›
How Next’s performance continues to reflect the broader health (and shifting strategy) of Britain’s brick-and-mortar retail.

Why brands are tapping the cultural capital of musicians for product drops
Modern Retail (6 min read) Read Here ›
Inside the growing trend of brands partnering with musicians to drive hype, exclusivity, and authenticity in limited-edition launches.

5 ways to get your product discovered online
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A quick playbook for improving product visibility across AI search, social, and marketplaces, without ballooning ad spend.