Hey Cowboys,
Happy Friday! It’s finally hereeee. We are live now, chatting everything DTC and ecomm.
Today’s lineup 👇 and stories.
Today’s Squad: Turning Commodity Into Cult
Today's crew proves any category can become a brand people actually love.
Rabah Rahil - CMO, Tie
TJ Kolesnik - Founder & CEO, Make Waves Agency
Ian Blair - Co-Founder & CEO, Laundry Sauce
Noah Fisher - Co-Founder & CEO, Backyard Peanut Butter
eBay Live GMV Jumps 8x in Record Quarter
eBay is making a bigger push into live shopping after reporting record results on its Q2 earnings call, with eBay Live's gross merchandise volume jumping roughly eight times year-over-year across seven markets alongside gains in viewers, watch time, and items sold. Key details:
Over 90% of sellers who stream regularly have seen their GMV grow, and sellers using Live sell about three times more than those who do not
First-time shoppers in the collectibles category spend around 70% more than non-Live counterparts
eBay moved past its invite-only model last month, opening self-service onboarding for eligible sellers across more than 300 categories from electronics to fashion and collectibles
Live launched invite-only in the US in 2022, expanded to the UK in 2024, and has since rolled out in Germany, Australia, France, Italy, and Canada, with more international markets coming in the weeks ahead
The push comes as live shopping moves beyond niche status in the US, with StockX recently adding live shopping capabilities, Whatnot commanding a valuation above $11 billion, and TikTok Shop reportedly testing a paid membership with free shipping and exclusive discounts. eBay notably did not share the exact GMV figure, making the true scale of the growth difficult to assess.
Top Stories: DuckDuckGo and Terafab
DuckDuckGo Sells Out "Normal" Sunglasses - DuckDuckGo has sold out its "Normal F*ing Sunglasses," a limited-edition collaboration with Knockaround that deliberately excludes AI, cameras, microphones, and other smart features. The release was positioned as a privacy-focused alternative to AI-powered smart glasses.
SpaceX and Tesla Unveil $16.8B Chip Factory - SpaceX and Tesla have confirmed plans to build Terafab, a $16.8 billion semiconductor manufacturing facility in Texas. The project, expected to begin with an initial investment of $16.8 billion, will produce advanced chips for AI, robotics, and autonomous vehicles, with future expansion potentially reaching $119 billion.
Launch TV Ads with Universal Ads
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If your growth is plateauing on social and search, it might be time to rethink TV. Universal Ads makes it simple for DTC brands to run TV campaigns designed for performance — without the usual guesswork or overhead.
You get premium streaming and linear inventory in one place, so you're reaching new audiences beyond the same crowded digital channels. No hidden markups or fees eating into your results — 100% of your spend goes to actual media, so every dollar works harder. Setup feels just like search and social, so you can be up and running in minutes.
Ecomm Cowboy is the go-to live show for ecommerce operators, breaking down the latest DTC, retail, and AI news while interviewing the founders and executives building today's fastest-growing brands.
We’re live every Monday to Friday at 12PM CT.
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Made Possible By:
Seguno - the Shopify-native marketing suite for brands that run it themselves.
Insense - The all-in-one UGC and influencer marketing platform.
Postscript - Make more money from every SMS message.
Proxima - Use real conversion data to power your creative briefs.
Northbeam - Measure the “unmeasurable,” make your marketing profitable.
Rokt Aftersell - More profit from the orders you’re already getting.
Universal Ads - TV ads that deliver for performance marketers.
Richpanel - The AI helpdesk that saves you headaches (and money).
SATHI - Affiliate attribution beyond last-click commissions.
Slash - A better business banking platform.
Trendtrack - Track competitors' winning marketing strategies daily.
Tie - The internet’s #1 shopper ID platform.
Proppel - The best recruitment agency for ecom brands and agencies.
See you on the stream,
Ecomm Cowboy Team