Hey, it’s Cam from Platter 👋

We’re officially a week into Q4, and it’s feeling like the calm before the storm. It’s been a week full of big headlines. AI shopping is on the rise this holiday season, online sales are predicted to slow, and agentic AI just keeps getting smarter.

Meanwhile, the Platter team’s been busy. We’ve launching a handful of new stores (including NBT Clothing) as we gear up for a strong finish to the year.

Let’s get into it.

In this issue

🧠 AI-assisted shopping expected to grow 520%
🏍️ NBT Clothing launches a new Platter-built store
📌 Quick hits: AEO tips, ChatGPT x FigJam, and design inspo
🧩 Shopify adds Sidekick skills and new Flow triggers
📱 Meta to use your data for AI ads
🎧 Spotify opens ad inventory to Amazon DSP
🛒 Amazon debuts $5 grocery brand
⚙️ OpenAI releases AgentKit for AI developers
💿 Taylor Swift’s vinyls dodge new tariffs
♠️ Founders Poker Night in NYC

STORY OF THE WEEK

AI-assisted shopping to surge 520% as online sales cool off

This holiday season, shoppers will be doing two things: spending their hard-earned cash on discounted items and using AI to shop.

Adobe Analytics expects $253.4B in online sales, up 5.3% YoY — but that’s a much slower climb than last year’s 8.7% growth, and well below the 10-year average of ~13%. That long-term average, though, is a bit inflated thanks to the massive 32% surge in 2020, when pandemic pushed nearly everyone to shop online.

So while AI-assisted shopping is exploding (up 520% YoY), overall ecommerce spend is cooling off.

Higher online spending also doesn’t guarantee a retail boom. Adobe’s data only tracks ecom, which now makes up roughly 1 in every 4 holiday dollars spent. Broader retail forecasts predict far more modest growth this year, and in some cases, even slight declines.

Tariffs, higher prices, and not-so-good consumer confidence are all weighing on shoppers. People still plan to buy, but they’re looking for deals first and trusting AI to help them find them.

Here’s what Adobe found in their survey of 5,000 U.S. consumers:
→ 53% of shoppers plan to use AI for research
→ 40% for recommendations
→ 36% for deal finding
→ 30% for gift ideas

That’s a sharp contrast to what we reported two weeks ago — only 2% of ChatGPT queries were shopping-related at the time. It suggests that while people aren’t yet buying through AI, they’re quickly warming up to using it for pre-purchase research and decision-making.

BNPL usage is also climbing again, projected to hit $20.2B, while mobile shopping will account for a record 56.1% of online purchases.

The takeaway: ecommerce is growing (shocker), just a bit slower than the average. Consumers are cautious, price-sensitive, and trusting AI to be their shopping assistants this holiday season.

Sources: CNBC, BusinessWire

QUICK HITS

My favorite finds of the week:

• The ultimate guide to AEO: How to get ChatGPT to recommend your product (link)

• 5 changes subscription brands can implement in the next 4 months to crack $1M (link)

• Astronomically good web design inspiration to copy (link)

• Prompting FigJam in ChatGPT by mentioning the Figma app (link)

STORY OF THE WEEK

NBT Clothing

NBT launched their brand new Shopify store last week. Built by Platter of course.

NBT’s mission is to keep every rider protected and looking good. But explaining “protection” isn’t as simple as you might think. So with their new store, the team wanted to find ways to prioritize education throughout the design.

The new NBT store breaks down safety standards, AA certifications, and protective elements throughout the shopping experience. They use diagrams, calluts, and icons to teach shoppers without being overwhelming. It’s an education-first approach to CRO, and one that helps riders buy with confidence.

Check out NBT Clothing’s new store

OTHER NEWS THIS WEEK

Meta AI confirms it’ll use your data for ads

Meta announced that AI will soon use user data to improve ad targeting, meaning your conversations, photos, and Reels could help train its models. Rollout begins later this month, with the company framing it as “personalization.” (Read on Forbes)

Spotify opens its ad inventory to Amazon DSP

Spotify and Amazon struck a deal that lets advertisers buy Spotify’s audio and podcast inventory directly through Amazon’s DSP. This should make audio ads easier and cheaper to buy. (Read on Variety)

Amazon launches “price-conscious” grocery brand

Amazon is adding a new private-label grocery line, called Amazon Grocery, with most items under $5. Early reviews call it “Trader Joe’s meets warehouse pricing.” (Read on CNBC)

OpenAI launches AgentKit for developers

OpenAI’s new AgentKit helps developers build and deploy autonomous AI agents faster. Think of it as Zapier for AI workflows — a toolkit that lets devs connect APIs, automate actions, and ship full AI-powered products. (Read on TechCrunch)

Vinyl records dodge tariffs (and Taylor wins again)

Taylor Swift’s latest vinyl album, The Life of a Showgirl, made headlines this week after the USTR confirmed vinyl records won’t be subject to new tariffs because they’re classified as “cultural goods.” (Read on CNBC)

SHOPIFY UPDATES OF THE WEEK

Here are the most relevant releases this week:

• Save and share Sidekick prompts as skills
  Teams can now turn their best Sidekick prompts into reusable “skills.”

• Flow: new triggers for discounts, disputes & fulfillment splits
  Automate common workflows with new Flow triggers.

• Unit pricing now global
  Unit pricing (per weight, volume, or quantity) is now available worldwide.

• B2B order review control
  A new Functions API lets you control when B2B orders need review at checkout.

See all of Shopify’s updates in their changelog.

EVENT OF THE WEEK

Founders Poker Night — Hosted by Windmill

7PM | Soho, NYC | October 17

Windmill is hosting a rooftop poker night for B2B founders building in NYC.

Expect dinner, drinks, and great connections over a game of poker with skyline views.

• $50 buy-in

• Founders only and spots are limited.

Request your seat here