It’s Monday
Instagram is experimenting with an AI-powered feature that auto-generates comments on posts, letting users engage without typing a single word.
The goal? More engagement, less effort. But it raises a big question: Does this kill authenticity? If social interactions are increasingly AI-generated, does engagement still mean anything?
Amazon’s AI search is rewriting the rules for sellers
Amazon’s new AI-driven search engine is flipping e-commerce SEO on its head, and brands that aren’t adapting? They’re already falling behind.
AI is taking over Amazon search
Amazon’s chatbot, Rufus, has answered 500M+ customer questions, and by 2025, AI-powered searches could make up 35% of all queries.
Instead of just matching keywords, AI understands context and intent—meaning old-school SEO tricks no longer work.
What’s actually working?
Brands that optimize for AI-driven search are already seeing 15-20% revenue boosts, according to e-commerce accelerator Pattern. Here’s what’s making a difference:
Context over keywords: AI focuses on how a product fits into a shopper’s life, not just keyword density.
Leverage Q&As & reviews: Rufus scans these, so keep them natural, helpful, and loaded with social proof.
Clear, structured descriptions: AI prioritizes well-organized, fact-based product info.
Does this actually help sales?
Kind of. AI won’t fix a bad product, says Jacob Miller, VP of data science at Pattern. But brands that adjust early? They’re about to have a serious edge.
The takeaway? The keyword-stuffing era is officially dead.
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Shopify brands are cashing in on March Madness
March Madness isn’t just basketball—it’s one of the biggest retail events of the year for Shopify brands.
The numbers don’t lie
📈 Basketball training aid sales up 30%
🏀 Hoop sales up 15% in March so far
For brands like Scarlet & Gold and The NIL Store, March is basically Black Friday.
Scarlet & Gold saw a 74.2% YoY sales jump, thanks to partnerships with Auburn players Johni Broome & Dylan Cardwell.
The NIL Store pulled in a 61% revenue boost last year—calling it “Christmas for sports merch.”
What’s driving the boom?
Social-first sales: The NIL Store is pushing hard on Instagram, Facebook, and X with custom Shopify stores for each school.
Filling the gaps: Scarlet & Gold is dominating women’s & kids’ merch—an area campus bookstores ignore.
Local retail surge: Fans traveling to games are driving major sales in host cities.
The brands winning right now aren’t just selling merch—they’re tapping into culture. March Madness moves fast, and the ones who ride the hype wave are making serious money.
PepsiCo just bought Poppi for $2B
PepsiCo just dropped $1.95B to buy Poppi, one of the biggest players in the prebiotic soda boom.
The bigger play
Poppi pulled in $500M in sales last year, now sitting alongside Olipop (which just hit a $2B valuation).
But here’s the twist: PepsiCo actually tried launching its own prebiotic soda, Soulboost—and it flopped. Now? They’re just buying the competition instead.
PepsiCo vs. Coca-Cola: Two different strategies
PepsiCo is acquiring its way in—buying brands that already have traction.
Coca-Cola is building from scratch—rolling out its own Simply prebiotic soda instead of acquiring.
What’s next?
Health claims scrutiny: Poppi’s gut health marketing is already facing legal challenges.
Mass expansion: With PepsiCo’s marketing muscle, expect Poppi to get even bigger, fast.
PepsiCo is betting that functional soda isn’t just a trend—it’s the future of soda.
We’re also reading
Marketing Dive: Estée Lauder continues generative AI push with Adobe integration.
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