The Mid-Year Roundup You Actually Want to Read w/ Ecomconnect

This week’s edition is a little different.

No guest interview. Just a full download of what’s been happening across CPG so far in 2025. Brand wins. Viral collabs. Billion-dollar moves. Plus—July is packed with IRL events, and we’ve got the full lineup.

Let’s get into it.

Upcoming Events:

Later This Month:

2025 Mid-Year Brand Highlights:

Food & Snacks — Chomps: Up 292% YoY with Bloomberg reporting major fulfillment growth and new facilities in Missouri.Why it matters: Protein sticks aren’t slowing down. Chomps is scaling into a household snack.

Beverage (Collab) — Olipop × Hidden Valley Ranch: The April Fools’ “Ranch Lovers Pack” took over the internet and is still trending.Why it matters: Odd collabs, when done right, build cultural currency—and awareness.

Beverage (Functional) — Poppi (PepsiCo): Acquired in May for $1.95B. Poppi is now PepsiCo’s Gen Z wellness bet.Why it matters: The functional soda wave is now fully mainstream.

Drinkware — Stanley Quencher Tumblers: Seasonal drops still sell out instantly—Starbucks collabs are driving resale frenzies.Why it matters: Lifestyle drinkware has become fashion. And Stanley owns the moment.

Fast Food — Sonic × Grillo’s Pickles: Launching nationwide June 30 with burgers, slushies, and full pickle-core energy.Why it matters: Niche flavors are scaling faster than ever with fast-food partnerships.

Meal Kits — HelloFresh × Mike’s Hot Honey: The “S’mores on Fire” bundle dropped June 23 with merch and spicy-sweet recipes.Why it matters: Meal kits are now built for shareability, not just convenience.

Playfair: IRL Marketing That Actually Matters

On July 12th in McCarren Park, Playfair is bringing Brooklyn locals together with clubs, artists, small businesses, and brands who care about more than just conversions.

It’s not just an event. It’s a reminder:

People want connection. Brands should meet them there.

Most of the brands and businesses involved are gifting free products or vouchers as part of our giveaway and prize raffle—making it easy to show up, stand out, and give back.

If you're thinking about how to show up offline in a way that builds real community and long-term brand love, this is it.

Interested in sponsoring or activating?

Shoot me an email and I’ll connect you with Chai & Anastasia.

Tools and Shoutouts: Heatmaps

If you run an ecommerce brand, you already know:GA4 is painful.

20-40 hours to set up (if you do it right)
24-48 hour data delays
Reliant on UTMs
Privacy concerns everywhere

Heatmap Web Analytics just launched and it might finally be the GA4 replacement the ecommerce world’s been waiting for.

Real-time data (literally instant)
2-minute plug-and-play setup
No cookies, no PII — fully compliant
Native ad + ESP integrations (Meta, Google, TikTok, Klaviyo, etc)
AI-powered insights tell you exactly where to focus to drive more revenue
No pricing tiers — $29/month flat. Unlimited traffic. Unlimited revenue.

It’s basically like getting Universal Analytics back, but made for how brands actually operate today.

Even better: 14-day free trial so you can test it yourself → Heatmaps.com

Magic Prompts (Shopify App)

If prompts are the new programming language, then this is your notepad.

Built by my friend Kenyon after spending too much time chasing down AI prompts inside Shopify Magic, Magic Prompts is a super simple tool for storing, organizing, and reusing the AI prompts you actually want to keep.

Right now it’s single-player mode—but early users can opt into multiplayer mode and help crowdsource the best Shopify prompts out there.

→ Install it free

Big Move: Unilever Acquires Dr. Squatch (~$700M)

One of DTC’s most recognizable brands is entering a new era.

Dr. Squatch, the natural men’s personal care company known for its bar soap and viral ad playbook, has officially been acquired by Unilever in a deal estimated around $700 million.

This is more than a product acquisition — it’s a culture buy.

Dr. Squatch turned men’s hygiene into entertainment, blending:

Meme-first marketing (remember the viral YouTube ads?)
Collabs with Liquid Death, Sydney Sweeney, and Mike Tyson
A loyal base of millions buying soap like it’s merch

Now Unilever plans to scale that success globally.

“We’re just getting started.” — Josh Friedman, CEO of Dr. Squatch

This deal underscores a key shift: premium, personality-driven brands are the future of CPG. Retail and DTC aren’t separate lanes anymore — they’re one flywheel. And Unilever’s stacking brands that can move culture as much as they move units.

Men’s personal care is projected to hit $67B by 2030. Expect more plays like this ahead.

That’s a wrap for this week.

If you’ve got a launch, story, or trend you want covered, just hit reply. Always excited to spotlight what’s next.

Catch you next week ✌️

— Zach

P.S. If you found value in this, consider sharing it with a friend or colleague who's interested in brand building, consumer trends, or the future of retail. And as always, hit reply with any thoughts — I read every message.