SEED Launches in Costco, Smash Foods Drops New Spread, and More Health and Wellness Category Growth

Welcome back DTC fam,

Want to get you started out with the latest quick hits:

Chirp → releases new Contrast Hot/ Cold device right in time for BFCM

Wellness Monster → Closes a new seed round in the kids snack category

Jetty → Founders of Poppi set out to tackle hydration with a new brand

TikTok Shops → launches paid premium tier

Ulta x Oura → Ulta Beauty is expanding into health tracking

Let’s get to it:

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You raise the budget on your best campaign, and CAC climbs with it.

So you pull spend back, and the growth plan turns into holding steady, or worse, watching results slide.

The cause is usually the creative.

In most accounts, one or two winners carry the spend, and new ads are versions of those winners. Meta treats near-identical ads as one ad, so a bigger budget has nowhere new to go.

Y’all is a performance creative and media buying agency for health, wellness, and beauty brands.

Their creative team builds new concepts that change the visual, the message, and the placement, and they walk you through the reasoning behind every round along with what the last one taught them (super important).

Their media buyers move budget toward whatever the account shows is working. For Save Trees, the team grew annual ad spend 800% while keeping CAC 5% below baseline.

If you’re planning for 2027 and want to scale spend, bring CAC down, or get more creative diversity across your account, connect with the Y’all team with the link below. Their founder, Travis, and his team are superstars.

BREAKING: Lab Door Left Open at Aftersell

Alicia Gan, Val Moskovets, and the Aftersell team launched another terrific campaign introducing Aftersell Cart, the first AI-powered cart for Shopify.

In a special BFCM edition, they launched The Post-Purchase Purchase to highlight how merchants can increase AOV, strengthen subscription value, and drive revenue without increasing ad spend. Their lab shares six experiments in total.

The edition also features Michael De Lia, who runs ecommerce at Grüns, and concludes with a nostalgic comic reminiscent of reading the funny pages over morning cereal. Our team loved it.

Check out the full Aftersell Labs Leak here →

SoCom NYC Creator Event

SoCom NYC and the Creator Social at Sony Hall. SoCom NYC during the day and the Creator Social in the evening. Brands, agencies, platforms and creators building the future are all going to be there.

→ Join the event

Now into the brands…

[ in the news ]

SEED

Yesterday, Seed launched nationwide at Costco, marking its first entry into the club channel and its biggest retail expansion to date. It’s the latest milestone in Seed’s rapid growth from DTC into a leading omnichannel business.

Seed is now the #1 gut health supplements brand in the U.S. Its flagship DS-01® is already the #1 digestive health probiotic at Target and Amazon.

Check out our full breakdown here →

Smash Foods

Smash Foods just launched their new Figgy Fruit Super Spread.

As consumer interest in figs continues to grow, searches for “fig spread” are up 15% YoY and reaching 4.5K monthly searches. Figgy is also Smash Foods’ #1 most-requested flavor, growing demand for better-for-you options.

And the launch has been years in the making.

Figgy was first developed in 2023 and went through nearly 20 iterations to perfect its balance of flavor, sweetness, and texture, all while keeping figs the star of the show.

WILDE

Following their recent debut at Walmart and $40M investment from S2G we shared in late October, WILDE’s Protein Crackers will roll out in Whole Foods stores nationwide this week.

They’ll hit 452 Whole Foods stores across 44 states (+ D.C.) this week in Classic Cheddar, Hot Honey and Smoked Gouda (4.2 oz).

With Whole Foods, WILDE’s footprint grows to surpass 34,000+ retail doors.

[ brands we’re watching ]

Baked by Melissa x Cann Thanksgiving Collab

Cann, the leading social beverage brand, teamed up with beloved cupcake maker Baked by Melissa for a limited-edition holiday collection that launched last week.

The collaboration brings six of Cann’s signature, out-of-the-box drink flavors to Baked by Melissa’s iconic mini cupcakes, with combos like Lemon Lavender and Blood Orange Cardamom (plus, the bite-sized treats are completely THC-free).

The collaboration also includes a “Cousin Walk” Bundle, pairing the cupcakes with Cann’s on-the-go THC-infused Roadies for a playful take on the unofficial viral tradition of sneaking away from family gatherings.

Stellar Snacks

The mother-daughter-founded pretzel brand just debuted Olive Oil Pretzel Braids in six flavors (with two new flavors, Elote Loco and Spicy Flame) at Sprouts nationwide, giving snackers who want seed-oil-free options a new way to enjoy them.

The launch comes at a pivotal moment for Stellar, as 2026 has been their biggest expansion year yet, and they are on track to reach roughly 18,000 retail doors (Target, Walmart, Costco, Publix, Kroger, you name it) by the end of December.

Olive Oil Pretzel Braids will be available exclusively at Sprouts nationwide, with more retailers to follow.

Prepare Your Mind (PYM)

Founded by Zak Williams and Olivia Williams, PYM is expanding its best-selling Mood Magnesium lineup with Lavender Pink Lemonade, a limited-edition flavor that pairs a new take on the nightly supplement ritual with a push for more ingredient transparency.

With consumers wanting more clarity around supplement formulations and claims, PYM puts transparency front and center, clearly listing the exact ingredient amounts per serving, reflecting a shift toward accountability and consumer trust in the supplement category.

Lots of brands are moving fast. Excited to show you what we’re cooking up here at 1800DTC.

See you Thursday,

Zach and 1800DTC Team

1800DTC.com

P.S If you want first access to 1800DTC’s new market intelligence platform when we launch, join the waitlist here →