Google Ads Now Auto-Generates Videos From Your Assets 📽️

Google's AI is building out your ad creative! Talk about scaling your creative with little to no budget.

Hi there, and welcome to another issue of The Ecom Press 🗞️!

Looks like Google wants to be your creative team now by auto-generating videos from your existing Demand Gen assets. Meanwhile, Wayfair rolls out a project management tool designed for high-volume buyers, and shoppers are going all-in on gift cards this holiday season.

Plus: In our workshop, we show you how to build a powerful AI-powered website for your brand — in just 30 minutes. 

Let’s dive in, shall we?

In a rush? Here's the juice🤭:

📽️ Google to auto-generate videos for your Demand Gen ads.

⚙️ Wayfair adds tools for high-volume buyers.

🛍️ Holiday shoppers expected to spend $890 on average this year.

🛠️ Workshop: How to build a powerful WordPress website with AI in 30 minutes

⚡️Worthy Mentions

📽️ Google to auto-generate videos for your Demand Gen ads.

Google is rolling out a new AI-powered tool that automatically converts existing Demand Gen image ads into video ads — expanding reach across YouTube, Shorts, Discover, and more. The feature applies to all image-only Demand Gen ad groups created before August 27, with auto-generated videos starting to run after October 31 unless advertisers opt out.

Here’s the lowdown ⬇️:

🛠️ How it works: Google uses your existing image, text, and product feed assets,  along with brand colors and fonts, to generate professional-quality videos in horizontal, vertical, and square formats.

🎯 Multi-Channel Reach: These videos will run across Google’s video inventory including YouTube, YouTube Shorts, and Discover, helping advertisers reach broader audiences with no extra creative effort.

📊 Performance Visibility: In Demand Gen campaigns, videos will appear in the Assets report and be labeled “Advertiser” in the source column. In Performance Max campaigns, they’ll show under Asset Group details as “Automatically created.”

📍 Hosted Separately: All auto-generated videos are housed in a Google-owned YouTube channel, separate from your brand’s own, and cannot be edited or removed manually.

⚙️ Control Options: Advertisers can opt out or modify settings via Google Ads or through their ad rep.

Why it matters 🤔

Video formats are proven to outperform static creatives in engagement and conversion, especially across short-form platforms. Since these videos are auto-enabled, brands should audit their creative assets before October 31 to ensure the AI-generated outputs reflect their standards. For ecommerce marketers, this also means scaling your creative footprint without increasing production workload.

⚙️ Wayfair adds tools for high-volume buyers.

Wayfair has introduced My Projects, a new project management tool built specifically for professionals who manage complex sourcing and execution, from interior designers and contractors to property and hospitality teams. The tool went live for all Wayfair Professional members on October 15, 2025.

Here are the deets ⬇️: 

🧰 One Hub for Projects and Purchasing: My Projects combines task tracking, product sourcing, and delivery management into one streamlined dashboard, all within the Wayfair Professional ecosystem.

🛒 Sourced Straight from the Catalog: Professionals can curate collections, assign tasks, set deadlines, and track milestones while pulling directly from Wayfair’s massive product catalog.

👥 Collaboration Built In: Teams and clients can work together in real time without bouncing between spreadsheets, emails, or outside tools.

📊 Pilot Tested at Scale: Over 6,700 professionals tested the tool across industries like design, property management, and construction, reporting better collaboration and less admin time.

💸 Free for Pro Members: There’s no additional cost, no steep learning curve, and it’s available through wayfair.com/projects. Membership also includes exclusive pricing and access to in-house design support.

Why it matters 🤨

Wayfair is betting on deeper value for professionals. By blending sourcing, planning, and execution into one platform, they’re building long-term infrastructure for high-volume buyers. It’s a clear reminder that B2B buyers want what DTC customers already expect: speed, clarity, and zero friction. If your brand caters to B2B customers, optimize for these and become part of their workflow.

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🛍️ Holiday shoppers expected to spend $890 on average this year.

Consumers plan to spend an average of $890.49 this holiday season — the second-highest total ever recorded by the National Retail Federation (NRF), despite ongoing economic uncertainty. Nearly all U.S. adults (91%) say they plan to celebrate, and most will start shopping well before November.

Here’s the scoop 🍨:

🎁 $628 goes to gifting: Most spending will go toward gifts for family and friends, with the rest covering food, décor, and seasonal extras.

🛍️ Early birds are back: 42% plan to shop before November. The main drivers? Budgeting over time (54%) and avoiding last-minute chaos (41%).

🦃 Thanksgiving weekend still rules: 63% say they’ll do the bulk of their shopping over Thanksgiving — up from 59% last year.

💳 Online leads the charge: Digital shopping remains dominant at 55%, followed by grocery stores (46%), department stores (44%), and discount stores (42%).

📈 Top gift picks: Gift cards (50%), clothing (46%), books/media (27%), beauty/personal care (23%), and electronics (22%) lead the wishlist.

💰 Tariffs on shoppers’ minds: 85% expect higher prices due to tariffs, a factor likely influencing deal-seeking behavior.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families plan to spend more: Households with children are expected to increase gift budgets by over $30 compared to last year.

Why it matters 🤷‍♂️

Holiday shoppers are definitely shopping smarter. High intent is still there, but value and timing are key. For ecommerce operators, that means two things: expect heavier traffic earlier than Black Friday, and ensure your bundles, discounts, and delivery promises are airtight. The competition is on not just for pricing but for convenience, clarity, and confidence at checkout.

🛎️ The Ecom Press Insider

Ecom Fact: Did you know that 56% of shoppers across the US, UK, and Australia say they’ll use AI shopping assistants during BFCM 2025. They’re turning to AI to:

• Find the best deals (36%)

• Save time (17%)

• Get personalized recommendations (14%)

And looking ahead to 2026, shoppers want even more from AI:

• 48% want it to compare products

• 41% want help sticking to a budget

• 32% want full outfit suggestions

(Source: Klaviyo)

💡 Takeaway: AI isn’t just changing how people shop but what they expect from shopping. Your store should be surfacing smart comparisons, budget-aware bundles, or personalized picks, where intent is highest. The real edge this season? Making your products the obvious answer for AI to suggest first.

🛠️ Workshop: How to build a powerful WordPress website with AI in 30 minutes

This week in our Workshop Series, we're rolling up our sleeves and showing you exactly how to build a high-performing website using AI, without compromising control, SEO, or customizability.

We’ve tested all kinds of AI site builders, and let’s be real, most give you a static page with zero editing flexibility or lock you into a walled platform. But with Vibe for WordPress, we found a way to combine the full power of WordPress with the ease of AI generation. Here's what we did, and how you can do it too:

🧠 AI generation, but still WordPress: You’re not building on a closed system. This is WordPress, with all its plugins, SEO tools, and integrations, just with AI helping you create the structure, copy, layout, and even images. It feels like working with a design assistant, not giving up control.

🔧 Everything in one place: No need to piece things together. Hosting, domain, SSL, CDN, and backups are all included. That made setup fast and removed the usual friction of managing multiple tools.

🗂️ You fully own your site: This isn’t a temporary builder. Your site is portable, editable, and yours to scale however you like. You can export it, add advanced features, or bring in your dev team later — nothing is locked in.

🧑‍💼 Works well for client projects: If you're managing websites for others, this setup is worth considering. It’s quick to launch, easy to edit, and supports white-labeling, so you can deliver polished sites without reinventing your process.

✏️ Edits with natural language: Want to change colors, rearrange sections, or add a new page? You can just type what you want. The AI handled everything from layout edits to color contrast adjustments , even generating images based on prompts.

We documented the whole process, step by step. If you’re looking to launch or refresh your site, or even set up sites for clients, this tutorial will give you a head start. 👉 Watch the full YouTube tutorial here.

⚡️Worthy Mentions

• Musk announces X is shifting its algorithm to Grok-powered AI.

• DoorDash teams with Waymo for driverless delivery in Phoenix metro area.

• Amazon plans to hire 250,000 seasonal workers for third year in a row.

• Most consumers research with AI but few trust it to make purchases.

• New Meta rule requires 5-second view to count engagement on video ads.

Wrapping up…

Google’s making ads for you, Wayfair’s doing your project management, and holiday shoppers are coming in hot with nearly $900 to spend.

We'll keep tracking the platforms and tools that matter — and how to make them work for you, not the other way around.

Till next week: stay curious, share with a friend, and hit subscribe if you haven’t already ✌️