What's New on Shopify

Welcome to this issue of The DTC Insider newsletter. 👋

We strive to deliver the latest growth marketing news and trends in the DTC space straight to your inbox every Wednesday.

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Let's dive in!

Topics we'll cover today:
💠 What's New on Shopify
💠 Google Unveils Big Ad Updates
💠 Navigating the New Era of E-Commerce Marketing

What's New on Shopify

Last week, Shopify released the Summer edition.

And there's a clear pattern...

AI is redefining the way brands show up online.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗯 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻:

→ 10 brand new themes
→ Fully customizable (no code needed)
→ Build your own blocks with AI

Just describe what you want → it builds it.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸:

It’s now more than just a smart assistant.

It’s a business analyst.
→ Comes with voice chat
→ Now speaks 20 languages
→ Includes image generation
→ Can answer complex queries (ie. “Why did my sales drop last month?”)

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁:

→ Roblox users can now buy directly inside the platform
→ Flat rates now apply for split shipping

This isn’t just AI catching up.
It’s AI setting the pace.

Which update are you most excited about?

--
Follow me on LinkedIn for more growth marketing content in the e-commerce space.

Google Unveils Big Ad Updates

Google just dropped game-changing AI tools for advertisers at Google Marketing Live 2025.

Here's what's new and why it matters for your brand:

🔥 Smart Bidding Gets a Major Boost

Google just rolled out Smart Bidding Exploration, calling it their biggest upgrade to ad bidding in over 10 years.

Here's why that's a big deal:

⤷ Flexible ROAS targets help advertisers discover high-value search queries they might otherwise miss. Think "how to buy a home," instead of just "mortgage lenders."

⤷ Google’s AI now identifies these overlooked, yet valuable, search queries, driving a reported 18% increase in unique conversions and a 19% overall boost in conversions.

Bottom line: Trusting Google's AI could significantly boost your ad ROI.

🖥 Expanded Ad Opportunities in AI Search Results

Concerned about limited ad exposure in AI search summaries?

Google hears you.

⤷ Search and Shopping ads within AI Overviews are now expanding to desktop users in the US.

⤷ Google’s also testing ad placements within its AI chatbot (AI Mode), placing promotional content right beneath AI-generated responses.

Brands running Performance Max, Shopping, or broad-match Search campaigns are first in line to benefit from these new ad placements.

🎥 Next-Level AI Creative Tools

Creating ad creatives is about to get simpler, and way more powerful:

⤷ Image-to-video tools allow you to effortlessly transform static images into compelling video ads.

⤷ AI Outpainting helps you adjust existing imagery to new formats by auto-generating extended backgrounds, perfectly suited to different ad placements.

Outpainting is currently live for Google Ads App campaigns, with wider availability expected soon.

📸 Enhanced Brand Profiles and Video Management

Google’s Merchant Center now provides enhanced tools to easily manage brand profiles:

⤷ Curate your visuals, update descriptions, and edit videos seamlessly.

⤷ New proactive AI suggestions for optimizing your video assets.

🎬 Testing Interactive Video Ad Formats

Interactive video ads are currently being trialed in the US.

These ads offer:

⤷ Richer, interactive experiences that blend video content with detailed product info.

⤷ Clickable videos leading directly to shoppable product pages.

🎨 Introducing Google's New Asset Studio

Google’s Asset Studio provides:

⤷ A centralized hub to manage and optimize ad assets.

⤷ AI-powered content recommendations and on-brand image/video generation.

🤖 Your Always-On AI Ad Assistant

Google also introduced an AI-powered assistant integrated across all ad creation and management platforms, helping you constantly refine and boost your campaign performance.

This is A LOT to digest...(I mean, haven't you checked Google Veo yet?).

--
Follow me on LinkedIn for more growth marketing content in the e-commerce space.

Navigating the New Era of E-Commerce Marketing

Direct-response ads are great.

But they're not enough to build a brand.

You can't miss this episode of The DTC Insider podcast, in which Brian Roisentul sat down with Ankit Patel, SVP of Growth at U BEAUTY, to discuss that and many more relevant topics in the DTC space.

We discussed:
👉 The shift in marketing strategies due to increasing privacy restrictions
👉 Why persona work is critical before scaling media efforts
👉 The importance of a full-funnel strategy for brand growth
👉 How to balance organic content with paid media for long-term success
👉 YouTube Shorts as an emerging opportunity for brand visibility
👉 The growing importance of profitability in today’s e-commerce landscape
👉 Managing customer acquisition costs while focusing on sustainable growth
👉 Why ROAS alone isn’t enough—profitability and LTV must guide strategy
👉 The need for margin and product profitability analysis before scaling
👉 Why marketers must understand key business metrics beyond ad platforms

Tune in:
📺 YouTube
🎧 Apple
🎙️ Spotify
🌐 Website

More episodes our listeners love:

💎 How BRĒZ is Disrupting the Beverage Industry with Aaron Nosbisch
💎 Bootstrapping a $100M E-Commerce Empire with Bear Handlon
💎 The Secret Sauce Behind BattlBox's Success with John Roman
💎 IQBAR’s Journey to 10,000 Locations And $50 Million with Will Nitze
💎 Supplement Brand Bootstrapped $10,000 and Built It Into Sales of $30 Million in Three Years with Ronak Shah

Also Happening in the DTC Space

📰 TikTok Adds a Dedicated AI Assistant for In-App Sellers
📰 New features, good vibes: Welcome to Summer '25 Edition
📰 Should brands use AI on social media?

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