13 Website Usability Testing Tools

Usability testing tools can help an online business identify customer pain points. By capturing customer behavior and providing immediate feedback, these tools can help make the right changes to improve the user experience.

Here is a list of usability tools for testing a website. Tools are available to gather testers, create and run tests, monitor behavior, and collect and analyze feedback for moderated and unmoderated testing. Several offer free plans.

UXtweak

UXtweak

UXtweak is a testing platform that provides access to site visitors’ preferences, decisions, and biases. Use the Prototype Testing tool to test designs. Use the Website Testing or Mobile Testing tools to assess your website’s usability quickly. Compare a website with competitors through Competitive Testing. Access the User Panel to see respondents and target their demographics and preferences. Use the Survey tool to ask users what problems they face and receive additional feedback. Explore user bias through Five Second and Preference tests. Price: Starter plan is free. Paid plans start at $59 per month.

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Hotjar

Hotjar

Hotjar provides heatmaps showing where users click, move, and scroll on a site. Watch complete recordings of each visit, including clicks, mouse movements, u-turns, and rage clicks. Incoming Feedback provides a real-time suggestion box for a site. Use a targeted survey to validate ideas and better understand users. Automate the recruitment, scheduling, and hosting of moderated user interviews. Price: Free for up to 35 daily sessions. Paid plans start at $31 per month.

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Maze

Maze

Maze is an all-in-one platform for testing concepts, prototypes, content, and customer satisfaction. Create custom AI-powered tests to learn about users and their preferences. Run usability tests on prototypes or designs across the development cycle. Use surveys, interview studies, card sorting, prototype testing, website testing, and tree testing. Run usability tests on live websites and collect in-product feedback that fuels confident product decisions. Price: Free for up to five seats. Paid plans start at $99 per month.

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Dovetail

Dovetail

Dovetail is a tool that gathers scattered customer feedback into a searchable location for analysis and AI-summarized insights. Find patterns in large data sets. Thematic classification will identify, cluster, and label common themes across sources. Channels proactively identify patterns before they’re problems. Price: Basic plan is free. Paid plans start at $29 per month.

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Optimal Workshop

Optimal Workshop

Optimal Workshop provides multiple testing methods to support research workflow with specialized tools for card sorting, tree testing, first-click testing, surveys, and user interviews. Use tree testing on content structures, categories, and labels before hitting the visual design phase. Make sense of qualitative research with the affinity map, or slice and dice your data to discover patterns with the theme builder. Use first-click testing and online surveys to capture impressions, opinions, and feedback. Find and recruit quality participants with instant, in-app access, or use the custom recruitment service. Price: Plans start at $208 per month.

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Lookback

Lookback

Lookback is a research platform for usability testing and interviewing. Collect feedback from customers on a product, website, or prototype. Watch and record participant touches on mobile screens during sessions. Capture live notes during sessions and invite teams to join. Invite stakeholders to observe and chat with each other in a live virtual room. Combine interviews, usability studies, and unmoderated step-by-step tasks within the same project. Price: Plans start at $25 per month.

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UserZoom

UserZoom

UserZoom is a UX testing tool from UserTesting. Choose from various usability tests for research, including video-based tests, click tests, tree tests, and card sorts. Combine multiple methods in one study to get more thorough results. A machine-learning-powered distribution engine helps you find the right audiences using 200 demographic filters for any test. Automatically send study invites and reminders to participants or invite teams to collaborate during moderated sessions from a virtual observation room. Accelerate analysis with automated transcripts, synced playback, timestamped notes, and auto-generated charts and heatmaps. Contact for pricing.

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Lyssna

Lyssna

Lyssna (formerly UsabilityHub) provides tools to conduct usability tests, recruit participants, and analyze data to help make human-centered decisions. In addition to the five-second test it pioneered, the platform features interviews, surveys, first-click testing, preference testing, card sorting, and tree testing. Use analysis tools to interpret data, including result filtering, text analysis, navigation analysis, click and heat maps, agreement and similarity matrices, and flow analysis. Price: Free for up to three seats. Paid plans start at $75 per month.

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Trymata

Trymata

Trymata (formerly TryMyUI) is a platform for usability testing, including user interface, user experience, research, remote testing, and more. Conduct UI and UX testing in desktop, tablet, and mobile environments. Use specialized testers to cater to ecommerce usability and UI/UX testing needs. Run UX testing scenarios and get insights from experts. Monitor live and real-time testing sessions. Explore users’ navigations, mouse movements, and written and spoken feedback to uncover their thoughts when interacting with digital products. Price: Plans start at $399 per month.

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Userbrain

Userbrain

Userbrain is an easy-to-use user testing platform for websites, apps, and prototypes. Set up a test with templates, or create a test with tasks, questions, ratings, and more. Recruit testers from 120,000  qualified testers, target their demographics, and screen for prior experiences, habits, or preferences. Invite users. Speed up test analysis with automatic transcripts and AI insights. Get the correct information to the right people with automated test reports and clips. Price: Plans start at $79 per month.

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Loop11

Loop11

Loop11 is an application that runs usability studies. Determine tasks to test on a website, recruit participants, and launch a study. Run moderated or unmoderated testing, A/B testing, prototype testing, mobile and tablet UX testing, UX benchmarking, true intent studies, and more. Loop11 provides real-time data, providing an understanding of the usability of a website and where to improve or make changes. Track users’ click and navigation patterns, visualize user engagement and interaction through heatmaps, capture interactions through session recordings, and gain deeper insights using AI. Price: Plans start at $179 per month.

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Useberry

Useberry

Useberry is a platform for usability research, including user feedback, actionable insights, and user-centered decisions. Choose testing methods that suit research requirements, including five-second tests, single tasks, first clicks, card sorting, tree testing, preference tests, open analytics, and online surveys. Identify task completions with flexible options. Pinpoint a website’s usability issues, explore users’ perspectives, and make the proper adjustments. Analyze user behavior and identify patterns in how visitors engage with a website. Get more precise insights from UX research studies by seamlessly integrating randomization across multiple testing scenarios. Price: Free for up to 10 responses per month. Paid plans start at $67 per month.

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Userlytics

Userlytics

Userlytics is a testing platform that creates and conducts studies, recruits users, and analyzes results. Choose from various study types and qualitative and quantitative activities to gather insights. Access a panel of 2 million global participants, specify demographic criteria, or bring your own users. Conduct the study using testing tools provided by Userlytics, such as time on task, net promoter score, card sorting, tree testing, and more. Use Userlytics’ analytics dashboards, which include highlight reels, transcriptions, AI UX Analysis, and Sentiment Analysis, to gain insights into the user experience. Contact for pricing.

13 Website Usability Testing Tools

Usability testing tools can help an online business identify customer pain points. By capturing customer behavior and providing immediate feedback, these tools can help make the right changes to improve the user experience.

Here is a list of usability tools for testing a website. Tools are available to gather testers, create and run tests, monitor behavior, and collect and analyze feedback for moderated and unmoderated testing. Several offer free plans.

UXtweak

UXtweak

UXtweak is a testing platform that provides access to site visitors’ preferences, decisions, and biases. Use the Prototype Testing tool to test designs. Use the Website Testing or Mobile Testing tools to assess your website’s usability quickly. Compare a website with competitors through Competitive Testing. Access the User Panel to see respondents and target their demographics and preferences. Use the Survey tool to ask users what problems they face and receive additional feedback. Explore user bias through Five Second and Preference tests. Price: Starter plan is free. Paid plans start at $59 per month.

–

Hotjar

Hotjar

Hotjar provides heatmaps showing where users click, move, and scroll on a site. Watch complete recordings of each visit, including clicks, mouse movements, u-turns, and rage clicks. Incoming Feedback provides a real-time suggestion box for a site. Use a targeted survey to validate ideas and better understand users. Automate the recruitment, scheduling, and hosting of moderated user interviews. Price: Free for up to 35 daily sessions. Paid plans start at $31 per month.

–

Maze

Maze

Maze is an all-in-one platform for testing concepts, prototypes, content, and customer satisfaction. Create custom AI-powered tests to learn about users and their preferences. Run usability tests on prototypes or designs across the development cycle. Use surveys, interview studies, card sorting, prototype testing, website testing, and tree testing. Run usability tests on live websites and collect in-product feedback that fuels confident product decisions. Price: Free for up to five seats. Paid plans start at $99 per month.

–

Dovetail

Dovetail

Dovetail is a tool that gathers scattered customer feedback into a searchable location for analysis and AI-summarized insights. Find patterns in large data sets. Thematic classification will identify, cluster, and label common themes across sources. Channels proactively identify patterns before they’re problems. Price: Basic plan is free. Paid plans start at $29 per month.

–

Optimal Workshop

Optimal Workshop

Optimal Workshop provides multiple testing methods to support research workflow with specialized tools for card sorting, tree testing, first-click testing, surveys, and user interviews. Use tree testing on content structures, categories, and labels before hitting the visual design phase. Make sense of qualitative research with the affinity map, or slice and dice your data to discover patterns with the theme builder. Use first-click testing and online surveys to capture impressions, opinions, and feedback. Find and recruit quality participants with instant, in-app access, or use the custom recruitment service. Price: Plans start at $208 per month.

–

Lookback

Lookback

Lookback is a research platform for usability testing and interviewing. Collect feedback from customers on a product, website, or prototype. Watch and record participant touches on mobile screens during sessions. Capture live notes during sessions and invite teams to join. Invite stakeholders to observe and chat with each other in a live virtual room. Combine interviews, usability studies, and unmoderated step-by-step tasks within the same project. Price: Plans start at $25 per month.

–

UserZoom

UserZoom

UserZoom is a UX testing tool from UserTesting. Choose from various usability tests for research, including video-based tests, click tests, tree tests, and card sorts. Combine multiple methods in one study to get more thorough results. A machine-learning-powered distribution engine helps you find the right audiences using 200 demographic filters for any test. Automatically send study invites and reminders to participants or invite teams to collaborate during moderated sessions from a virtual observation room. Accelerate analysis with automated transcripts, synced playback, timestamped notes, and auto-generated charts and heatmaps. Contact for pricing.

–

Lyssna

Lyssna

Lyssna (formerly UsabilityHub) provides tools to conduct usability tests, recruit participants, and analyze data to help make human-centered decisions. In addition to the five-second test it pioneered, the platform features interviews, surveys, first-click testing, preference testing, card sorting, and tree testing. Use analysis tools to interpret data, including result filtering, text analysis, navigation analysis, click and heat maps, agreement and similarity matrices, and flow analysis. Price: Free for up to three seats. Paid plans start at $75 per month.

–

Trymata

Trymata

Trymata (formerly TryMyUI) is a platform for usability testing, including user interface, user experience, research, remote testing, and more. Conduct UI and UX testing in desktop, tablet, and mobile environments. Use specialized testers to cater to ecommerce usability and UI/UX testing needs. Run UX testing scenarios and get insights from experts. Monitor live and real-time testing sessions. Explore users’ navigations, mouse movements, and written and spoken feedback to uncover their thoughts when interacting with digital products. Price: Plans start at $399 per month.

–

Userbrain

Userbrain

Userbrain is an easy-to-use user testing platform for websites, apps, and prototypes. Set up a test with templates, or create a test with tasks, questions, ratings, and more. Recruit testers from 120,000  qualified testers, target their demographics, and screen for prior experiences, habits, or preferences. Invite users. Speed up test analysis with automatic transcripts and AI insights. Get the correct information to the right people with automated test reports and clips. Price: Plans start at $79 per month.

–

Loop11

Loop11

Loop11 is an application that runs usability studies. Determine tasks to test on a website, recruit participants, and launch a study. Run moderated or unmoderated testing, A/B testing, prototype testing, mobile and tablet UX testing, UX benchmarking, true intent studies, and more. Loop11 provides real-time data, providing an understanding of the usability of a website and where to improve or make changes. Track users’ click and navigation patterns, visualize user engagement and interaction through heatmaps, capture interactions through session recordings, and gain deeper insights using AI. Price: Plans start at $179 per month.

–

Useberry

Useberry

Useberry is a platform for usability research, including user feedback, actionable insights, and user-centered decisions. Choose testing methods that suit research requirements, including five-second tests, single tasks, first clicks, card sorting, tree testing, preference tests, open analytics, and online surveys. Identify task completions with flexible options. Pinpoint a website’s usability issues, explore users’ perspectives, and make the proper adjustments. Analyze user behavior and identify patterns in how visitors engage with a website. Get more precise insights from UX research studies by seamlessly integrating randomization across multiple testing scenarios. Price: Free for up to 10 responses per month. Paid plans start at $67 per month.

–

Userlytics

Userlytics

Userlytics is a testing platform that creates and conducts studies, recruits users, and analyzes results. Choose from various study types and qualitative and quantitative activities to gather insights. Access a panel of 2 million global participants, specify demographic criteria, or bring your own users. Conduct the study using testing tools provided by Userlytics, such as time on task, net promoter score, card sorting, tree testing, and more. Use Userlytics’ analytics dashboards, which include highlight reels, transcriptions, AI UX Analysis, and Sentiment Analysis, to gain insights into the user experience. Contact for pricing.

New Ecommerce Tools: April 29, 2024

Every week we publish a rundown of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This installment includes updates on drone deliveries, AI, social commerce, composable commerce, fulfillment, and cross-border payments.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.

New Tools for Merchants: April 29

Amazon drone delivery is coming to Arizona. Amazon is expanding its Prime Air drone deliveries to the west valley of metro Phoenix, Arizona. Drones will deploy from facilities next to a same-day delivery site in Tolleson, a suburb. The smaller site is a hybrid: part fulfillment center, part delivery station. Amazon is working with the FAA and officials in Tolleson to conduct the deliveries. Amazon is also running flight tests for its new MK30 drone with advanced safety features, quieter mechanics, and enhanced distance.

Amazon Prime Air drone.

HubSpot launches features and updates. At its Spotlight showcase, HubSpot announced Service Hub and Content Hub, Commerce Hub globally, and new AI features. Service Hub, powered by HubSpot AI, provides a help desk with real-time ticket updates, omnichannel conversations, routing tools, and more. Content Hub includes AI content creation, content remix, brand voice, and audio tooling. Commerce Hub includes local payment methods, QuickBooks integration, and enhanced tools for invoices, subscriptions, and payments.

FastSpring and Ebanx expand payments for digital products in Brazil. FastSpring, a merchant of record for global SaaS and software companies, and Ebanx, a global payment provider for rising markets, have partnered to enhance users’ payment experience within FastSpring’s product suite in Latin America. FastSpring’s platform will integrate with Ebanx’s Pix payment processing capabilities, enabling global SaaS, software, video game, and digital product companies to offer Pix payments to Brazil-based customers.

CedCommerce launches TikTok Shop connector for Shopify sellers. CedCommerce, a multichannel ecommerce enabler, has launched a TikTok Shop Connector for Shopify sellers. This connector syncs Shopify stores and TikTok Shop, providing sellers with a tool to synchronize product catalogs, manage inventory levels, and import orders directly into the Shopify store. Merchants can list products in bulk with a single click, maintain control over inventory levels, simplify order processing and fulfillment directly from the Shopify interface, and more.

CedCommerce

FedEx partners with Zonos to tackle customs challenges for U.K. and E.U. retailers. FedEx Express has partnered with Zonos, a provider of cross-border technology, to enhance the global online shopping experience by creating transparency on customs processes and charges. Zonos’s automated solutions inform shoppers of the total cost of purchases, allowing them to pay all duties, taxes, and fees at checkout. Additionally, the collaboration offers solutions to automate compliance for cross-border tax scheme collection and remittance and the E.U.’s Import Control System 2 requirements.

WordPress VIP releases VIP API Mesh for composable experiences. WordPress VIP, a provider of enterprise WordPress and part of Automattic’s suite of brands, has announced VIP API Mesh, powered by TakeShape. API Mesh ties multiple backend systems with a composable frontend. According to WordPress VIP, API Mesh helps organizations build customer experiences faster, reduce costs, and increase performance — providing faster and more diverse system integrations, deep integration with the WordPress Block Editor, and built-in caching, indexing, retry logic, and troubleshooting.

Firework releases Instagram Uploader for social content and ecommerce integration. Firework, a video commerce and engagement platform for brands and retailers, has launched Instagram Uploader, a tool to transform social media content into shoppable video hosted on a brand’s own website. The Instagram Uploader integrates Instagram with the Firework portal, allowing brands to convert existing Instagram stories, posts, and reels into shoppable video experiences. The tool also gives retailers a new way to repurpose user-generated content on Instagram.

Firework

Brightwell launches cross-border payments platform Latitude. Global payments technology company Brightwell has launched Latitude, a platform that enables businesses to deliver cross-border payments to their customers tailored to their specific currency, location, and payment method. Customers receive a personalized URL link with multiple payout and currency options, giving them flexibility and transparency into the reimbursement process and choice of how they are paid. Brightwell states Latitude is a fully managed program with no code needed.

Faire introduces Open with Faire Academy for wholesale merchants. Faire, a marketplace platform to connect retailers with wholesalers, has released Open with Faire Academy, an online guide to opening a store. Open with Faire Academy was created with input from Faire retailers as a one-stop resource hub to help entrepreneurs with the fundamentals of opening a retail store. From creating a business plan to getting funding to finding a location, aspiring retailers can access on-demand resources from the Faire community.

TikTok launches Preowned Luxury category. TikTok has announced the launch of the Preowned Luxury category on TikTok Shop. The category will enable used fashion providers to reach a new audience, enabling followers to browse and purchase authentic luxury fashion without leaving TikTok. The Preowned Luxury category will launch in partnership with five brands: Luxe Collective, Sellier Knightsbridge, Sign of the Times, Hardley Ever Worn It, and Break Archive.

Stripe announces 50 new features and updates, including AI-powered payments. Stripe has announced over 50 new features at its annual user conference last week. Stripe’s Optimized Checkout Suite enables businesses such as OpenAI, Slack, and River Island to build a high-performing checkout flow, using AI to determine which payment methods to show for any given customer. Stripe has launched AI-powered features such as Radar Assistant to combat fraud and upgrades to Connect, now with 17 embedded components, including 10 for payments.

Stripe

Chrome Extensions for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini

Users of ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini no longer have to access the sites directly. Third-party Chrome extensions make working with those generative AI tools much easier.

I’ve tested the following extensions for organization, productivity, and more.

Organize Chats

Easy Folders: ChatGPT & Claude Chat Organizer is a freemium Chrome extension that arranges chat history. Create up to five folders for free, color-code them, and add unlimited chats to each.

Upgrade to the premium version (£8.99 per month or £149.99 lifetime — roughly $11.25 and $187.50)  and access to more productivity features, including:

• Cross-platform and multi-account support for ChatGPT and Claude,
• Folders and search chat history for both platforms,
• Unlimited folders,
• Syncing folders across unlimited devices.

Easy Folders: ChatGPT & Claude Chat Organizer

Prompt from a Sidebar

Sider is a freemium extension for Chrome, Safari, and Edge (desktop and mobile) to access multiple generative AI platforms from a browser sidebar.

Receive 30 free chats per day using ChatGPT 3.5, Claude 3 Haiku, and Gemini 1.0. Upgrade to the “Basic” version at $25 per month for 3,000 chats. The top premium tier at $40 per month includes unlimited chats on the three AI platforms simultaneously.

The free ChatGPT Side Panel, a Chrome extension, is a good alternative to Sider for ChatGPT Plus users. It opens ChatGPT 4 in Chrome’s sidebar for faster access.

Sider is a freemium extension for Chrome, Safari, and Edge.

Export Chats

ChatGPT Exporter is a free Chrome extension that exports ChatGPT dialog in markdown, text, JSON, CSV, and images. Users can download:

• The entire chat,
• Only their prompts,
• Only ChatGPT responses.

ChatGPT Exporter

Speak ChatGPT Prompts

ChatGPT Microphone is a free Chrome extension to speak prompts into ChatGPT. Users can also add shortcuts for repetitive words.

ChatGPT Microphone

New Ecommerce Tools: April 23, 2024

This week’s list of new services from companies catering to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants includes product images, shoppable video, live streaming, B2B, logistics, analytics, fulfillment, and cross-border payments.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.

New Tools for Merchants: April 23

CommentSold unveils ClipHero, an AI-powered shoppable video generator. CommentSold, a video commerce developer, has launched ClipHero, which converts live broadcasts on CommentSold’s platform into interactive, shoppable videos. According to CommentSold, ClipHero AI identifies the sections from a longer live stream to convey product features and benefits. Users can import AI-generated clips into CommentSold’s PopClips technology to automatically place videos on product details pages.

CommentSold

BigCommerce announces over 100 platform enhancements. BigCommerce’s new features include location-optimized storefronts, AI-powered copywriting, predictive analytics, product recommendations, and more.

Alibaba unveils customizable logistics capabilities for U.S. SMBs. Alibaba.com has launched its Logistics Marketplace, providing U.S. small and medium-sized businesses with affordable, customizable logistics services. Logistics Marketplace allows merchants to connect with vetted logistics service providers, compare real-time quotes from various providers, and book within a single consult.

Picsart launches AI-powered Smart Background for product images. Picsart, a content creation platform, has launched Smart Background for product photography. The tool turns simple product shots into enhanced marketing assets and campaigns. According to Picsart, the AI-powered tool understands a subject, suggests custom backgrounds, and adds realistic drop shadows and other contextually aware elements. Users can combine Picsart’s Smart Background with the platform’s template and asset library to create videos and animated images.

Picsart

Amazon Live introduces a shoppable channel on Prime Video and Freevee. Shoppers in the U.S. can now browse products alongside creators, brands, and celebrities such as Lala Kent, Kandi Burruss, and Paige DeSorbo on Amazon Live’s new interactive, shoppable, and free ad-supported channel on Prime Video and Freevee. The new channel features Amazon’s “Shop the Show” technology, enabling consumers to shop and engage with content using mobile devices.

Cart.com to simplify onboarding for merchants on Walmart Marketplace. Cart.com, a provider of unified commerce and logistics solutions for merchants, has announced it will collaborate with Walmart Marketplace to simplify onboarding and help new and existing sellers grow sales. Customers using Cart.com’s multichannel management platform will receive onboarding support and special incentives across Walmart Marketplace’s shipping, advertising, and repricing services.

Shirofune enhances its Shopify integration with Google Analytics 4. Shirofune, a digital advertising automation management tool, has announced the addition of Google Analytics 4’s Data-Driven Attribution Model to its Shopify integration. With the new feature, Shirofune automatically optimizes advertising campaigns based on lifetime value and cost per order after evaluating a merchant’s order data. Through its Conversion Connector, the new functionality can operate with measurement tools and platforms other than GA4 and Shopify, such as Adobe Analytics and BigCommerce.

Shirofune

Fabric launches Order Fulfillment Logic for omnichannel retailers. Fabric, an ecommerce platform, has launched Order Fulfillment Logic, an application to automate and monitor orders and update inventory visibility in real time. According to Fabric, OFL allows merchants to orchestrate and optimize how a distributed order management system works across the fulfillment process, helping to minimize fulfillment lead times and maximize customer satisfaction.

Celigo has partnered with TikTok Shop. Celigo is an integration platform-as-a-service for businesses. The TikTok Shop Connector by Celigo will keep data current and synced across various applications, including product data, orders, fulfillment, and accounting. Celigo states that the collaboration provides sellers comprehensive insights to drive informed decision-making. By harnessing the automation, retailers can gain valuable intelligence about market trends, consumer behavior, and product performance.

WorldFirst has launched WorldTrade payments for B2B SMBs. WorldFirst, a digital payment and financial services platform for global businesses, has launched WorldTrade, a payment tool for sourcing from China. According to WorldFirst, WorldTrade bolsters the security and speed of cross-border payments for international small and medium-sized businesses that procure goods from China-based suppliers. WorldTrade offers enhanced protection of buyers’ funds, timely delivery of goods, fast payment to sellers, and reduced transaction costs.

Walmart syncs consumer data platform with retail media division. Walmart has announced an improved integration of Luminate (its aggregated consumer data platform) with Connect (retail media service). Suppliers can now identify trends within critical categories to develop more informed, data-driven media strategies. Walmart states it will release the Luminate activation for Connect to all charter Luminate subscribers by year-end.

Walmart Marketplace

15 Apps for Live Streaming Video

Live streaming is an entertaining way to interact with followers and consumers.

Here is a list of tools for live-streaming video. There are features from social networks and live-streaming platforms to produce and broadcast solo or multi-source video. All of these tools have features to interact with an audience. Several offer options to monetize content. Most are free or relatively inexpensive.

Live Streaming Video Apps

YouTube Live enables content creators to interact with followers in real time via video and chat using an encoder, webcam, or mobile device. With Live Control Room, streamers can set up and manage live streams from a desktop computer. Live streaming on YouTube offers multiple ways to build a business, with monetization options such as Advertising Revenue, Super Chat and Super Stickers, and Channel Memberships.

YouTube Creators

Facebook Live facilitates live streaming to a Page, group, profile, or event via the Facebook or Creator Studio app on a mobile device or by using a camera and streaming software. Viewers can interact during a broadcast through likes, shares, and live chat. To live stream using a camera and an encoder, use Live Producer and third-party software integrated with Live API.

LinkedIn Live Events stream with real-time conversations in the comments and a recording on a LinkedIn page or profile. The feature is available for members and pages with more than 150 followers. To create a live event, the organizer must have access to LinkedIn Live and a third-party streaming tool. Choose from a preferred partner (Restream, Socialive, StreamYard, Switcher Studio, or Vimeo), or connect directly to streaming software such as Zoom or WebEx.

Amazon Live allows sellers to advertise and showcase products through its live-streaming service. Amazon offers a Live Creator app for sellers to register their own channels, add any products, and chat directly with shoppers as they post questions or comments. Brands can integrate with Amazon-produced live shows, sponsor influencer livestreams, and stream with the Amazon Live Creator app.

Amazon Live

Instagram Live enables a live broadcast to connect with followers in real-time and move to the top of followers’ Instagram Stories. It’s simple to go live on Instagram, and several features help with the production, including practice mode, question stickers for an audience, Live Rooms to collaborate with up to three additional parties, live chat, badges, moderation, images, and more. Once a live broadcast has ended, share a replay or access it in Live Archive.

TikTok Live allows creators with at least 1,000 followers to interact with viewers in real-time and access live functions such as effects, multi-guest hosting, moderation, Live Gifts, and other settings.

Twitch is an Amazon-owned live streaming platform that focuses on video gaming and esports competitions but also features music broadcasts and other creative and interactive content. The platform averages more than 30 million visitors daily. Channels must meet specific requirements for over 30 days to monetize through their affiliate and partner programs, including follower minimums and streaming benchmarks. Twitch Affiliates receive mini-donation Bits from views and 5% of game sales revenue through their profile. In addition to these perks, Twitch Partners get video ads, paid subscription options, custom badges, emoticons, and other premium channel perks.

Twitch

Kick is a live streaming platform that allows users to create and watch live broadcasts in real-time. Content is primarily related to gaming and entertainment, similar to Twitch. Kick enables all content creators to moderate their channels themselves and assign members of their community the powers of moderation. The platform features a 95:5 split on subscription revenue and no ad interruptions. For followers, a subscription channel costs $4.99 per month. Kick is compatible with popular streaming software such as OBS Studio and Streamlabs.

Vimeo Livestream allows creators to go live from their browser for a customized, branded event. Use tools for sound mixing, multi-camera inputs, color correction, and more. Use the interactive platform to drive viewer participation. Customize engagement with personalized GIFs, hand raises, breakout rooms, polls and Q&As, and third-party widgets such as Slido. Track engagement with advanced analytics. Simulcast to social platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Embed a live player anywhere online and repurpose recordings for evergreen content. Vimeo has a free plan to get started. Premium plans start at $12 per month.

StreamYard is a live-streaming and recording studio in a browser. Record content, or stream live to Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Twitch, and more. StreamYard features up to 10 people on screen, multistream up to eight destinations, custom Real-time Messaging Protocol destinations, on-screen comments, screen sharing, stream pre-recorded clips, and seven video layout templates. Creators can make a show unique with custom logos, colors, overlays, and transition videos. Free with StreamYard branding. Premium plans start at $20 per month.

Switcher is a platform to record, live stream, or multistream video. Upload playlists or live stream to a website. Add graphics, logos, photos, and more. Customize templates or upload custom designs. Earn revenue directly from supporters with Switcher’s gated content feature. Connect your Shopify collections to Switcher to create interactive shoppable videos. Viewers can shop live or later on Facebook Live or the creators’ websites. Integrates with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, Microsoft Stream, and more. Plans start at $79 per month.

Switcher

Restream allows multistreaming of up to eight channels at once. Stream to over 30 platforms simultaneously, including Facebook, YouTube, X, LinkedIn, guest channels, websites, and private pages. Stand out with professional logos, overlays, and backgrounds. Add a call-to-action or other important messages to prompt viewers to take action. Own the content and guide viewers to pay for streams or buy services. The free plan has a watermark. Paid plans start at $16 per month.

OBS Studio is a free, open-source application for video recording and live streaming to popular streaming platforms. OBS Studio features real-time video, audio capturing, and mixing. Create scenes of multiple sources, including window captures, images, text, browser windows, webcams, and capture cards. Switch between scenes with custom transitions. The audio mixer contains per-source filters such as noise gate, noise suppression, and gain.

Streamlabs is an open-source video recording and live streaming application built on the OBS engine. Streamlabs’ free application included live streaming software with dozens of widgets, built-in overlay themes and alerts, a tip page, cloudbot moderation tools, video editing tools, a video intro and logo maker, social reminder animations, and merch store functionality. Streamlabs Ultra offers additional customization with over 60 app add-ons, live stream sponsorship opportunities, YouTube thumbnails, Twitch panel makers, priority support, and more. Streamlabs Ultra is $19 per month.

Dacast is a live streaming platform to broadcast and host live and on-demand video content as free or paid programming. Use Dacast’s secure video hosting capabilities to live stream unlimited channels of video content on a separate web page. Incorporate logos, color palettes, and fonts for an on-brand viewing experience. Use privacy tools to control who can and cannot view the content. To monetize content, Dacast offers subscriptions, pay-per-view, and advertising. Dacast’s video player is fully customizable. Plans start at $39 per month.

Dacast

New Ecommerce Tools: April 15, 2024

Every week we publish a rundown of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This installment includes updates on curated content, shoppable video, AI-powered search, composable commerce, payments, subscription plans, and paywalls.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.

New Tools for Merchants: April 15

Squarespace adds subscription features to earn recurring revenue. To help entrepreneurs monetize content, Squarespace has launched subscription features. Users can turn articles into a passive income stream by adding a paywall to their blog, setting the price, and choosing a one-time fee or recurring subscription. Video creators can monetize content by charging for access to their library or placing a paywall directly on a video player. Entrepreneurs can sell individual pieces of content or bundle various content types.

Squarespace

YouTube launches new shopping tools for creators. YouTube has introduced features that allow creators to curate shoppable collections, produce shoppable videos, monetize videos, and more. Shopping Collections is a new way for creators to curate products. All shopping creators can now ​tag products across videos in bulk.​ YouTube is also launching an Affiliate Hub directly in the app so creators can find the latest list of Shopping partners, commission rates, promo codes, and even request samples.

Cognizant partners with Shopify and Google Cloud on enterprise retail. Cognizant has partnered with Shopify and Google Cloud for global retailers and brands. The partnership combines Shopify’s commerce platform, Google Cloud’s core infrastructure, and Cognizant’s retail industry advisory and technology implementation specialists. By utilizing Shopify’s commerce operating system, built on Google Cloud, along with the suite of Google Cloud offerings, brands will have the technology needed for Cognizant to execute digital transformation through various retail scenarios.

Bloomreach enhances its partnership with Google Cloud on AI-powered search and marketing. Bloomreach, a platform for ecommerce personalization, has expanded its partnership with Google Cloud to enhance Bloomreach Discovery. Customers will benefit from the combination of Google Cloud’s advanced generative AI innovation and Bloomreach’s proprietary AI — Loomi — as well as its commerce data set and revenue-generating platform capabilities. Google Cloud will amplify the strength of Bloomreach engines, including enhanced recall, ranking, automated merchandising, personalization, and cross-channel conversational commerce.

Bloomreach

eBay introduces generative AI-powered “shop the look” feature. eBay has launched a shop-the-look functionality, which provides an immersive carousel of looks tailored to customers’ shopping history, complete with interactive hotspots that reveal similar items and outfit inspirations. Shop the look evolves with customers’ tastes by taking cues from their shopping habits. The feature is now available in iOS for U.S. and U.K. customers, with Android coming later this year.

Amazon updates its Add Products tool to search for products and add offers in bulk. Amazon has updated its Add Products listing tool to help users search in bulk for items already listed for sale in Amazon’s store and add up to 500 offers. Search for up to 20 products and add information, such as price and quantity, to submit your offers in one go in Seller Central. Search for up to 500 products and generate a pre-filled Excel template. Use a spreadsheet to list offers quickly using bulk uploads.

Shein will host a webinar for U.S. merchants interested in selling on its marketplace. Asia-based Shein is hosting a live webinar for U.S. sellers interested in selling on its marketplace, which opened to third-party sellers last year. The webinar will take place on April 25, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. PST, with an overview of how to sell on the Shein marketplace, including fees, product categories, and seller requirements. According to StoreAutomator, Shein is looking for U.S.-based merchants with at least $2 million in annual revenue that ship directly to customers from the U.S.

Shein Marketplace Webinar

LTImindtree introduces a composable storefront on Salesforce. LTImindtree, a global technology and consulting company, has released Composable Storefront Quick Launch to provide retailers with ecommerce components that suit their demands. The feature is built on Salesforce Commerce Cloud. LTImindtree’s composable storefront allows retailers to create customized shopping experiences to increase business growth with over 20 user-interface enhancements and features, including Salesforce Einstein, personalization, campaign management, and Wishlist.

U.K.-based Mimo raises £15.5 million to simplify B2B payments. Mimo, a U.K.-based payments platform, has secured a £15.5 million investment led by Northzone to launch a platform that simplifies B2B payments. Mimo offers one tool to manage money, analytics, and insights to get a better overview of your business. Mimo will deploy the funding to build its B2B payments functionality for SMBs and expand its headcount.

Mexico-based BNPL provider Kueski unveils in-store mobile payments. Kueski, a buy-now pay-later and online consumer lender in Latin America, has launched an in-store version of Kueski Pay. Customers can now complete transactions in physical stores through the Kueski mobile app, regardless of internet connection. Kueski announced earlier this year that it is now available on Amazon Mexico and is a payment option for some of the world’s largest brands, including Estée Lauder, MAC, Clinique, and Adidas.

Ecommerce developer Spresso secures Series A funding managed by BlackRock. Spresso, a provider of AI-powered applications for ecommerce businesses, has announced an initial Series A investment from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock. According to Spresso, the investment will help accelerate the company’s global expansion, providing businesses with a suite of data-driven tools, including pricing intelligence from AI-driven algorithms to analyze customer and market behavior, an ecommerce platform to build and manage online stores and spend management analytics.

Spresso

New Ecommerce Tools: April 8, 2024

Every week we publish a rundown of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This installment includes updates on fulfillment, design services, financing, digital marketing, payments, ecommerce customer support, and shoppable videos.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.

New Tools for Merchants: April 8

ShipStation adds fulfillment consulting. Shipping software platform ShipStation has launched a fulfillment consulting service. In addition to workflow and process optimization, ShipStation consultants will help merchants find the most cost-effective shipping and improve their warehouse layout and order pickup. Experts will also ensure merchants are using all the features of their ShipStation account.

ShipStation Professional Services

WPBeginner launches Pro Services for WordPress design and maintenance. WPBeginner, a site for free WordPress tutorials and resources, has partnered with Seahawk Media to launch WPBeginner Pro Services. With Pro Services, small business owners can hire vetted WordPress professionals to help design a website, launch an ecommerce store, handle customization projects, maintenance, and more.

Revenued launches financial marketplace for small businesses. Revenued, a company that helps small and medium-sized businesses access working capital, has launched an online marketplace to give SMBs access to tailored financial resources and insights to support growth and stability. Revenued’s marketplace focuses on three verticals — banking, insurance, and compliance — with a curated list of vendors and platforms. Revenued intends to expand the marketplace with additional verticals.

Flip partners with AppLovin to relaunch ad marketplace. AppLovin, a marketing platform, and Flip, a social commerce site, have announced that Flip will relaunch its marketing platform for brands utilizing AppLovin’s Axon technology. The partnership will enable Flip to extend its audience network to AppLovin’s 1.4 billion daily users. Additionally, Flip announced it’s raising $144 million in funding, including $50 million from AppLovin.

Flip

Liberis and Shop Circle partner to launch small business ecommerce funding in the U.K. and U.S. Liberis, a global finance platform, has partnered with Shop Circle, an ecommerce software provider, to provide Shop Circle merchants with flexible funding. Shop Circle provides tailored tech stacks and custom packages for Shopify merchants and, now, flexible funding options.

CommentSold launches PopClips for shoppable videos. CommentSold, a provider of video commerce technology, has announced the launch of PopClips to bring shoppable videos on all its platforms, including Videeo for Shopify, Popshoplive, and CommentSold. PopClips offers short video clips wherein five products can be tagged per video. These clips are designed to integrate across various platforms, including websites, mobile apps, and marketing channels such as email and external blogs.

Adyen partners with Adobe Commerce to enable online and in-store payments. Adyen, a fintech platform, is partnering with Adobe Commerce to deliver online and offline payments to global enterprise merchants. According to Adyen, the new partnership enables Adobe Commerce merchants to connect online and offline payments using Adyen’s unified commerce solution. In addition, enterprise merchants operating on Adobe Commerce can leverage Adyen’s checkout, fraud protection, conversion optimization, and data to enhance customer experiences.

Adyen

Skipify and Visa partner to enhance Skipify’s connected wallet. ​​Skipify, a fintech company focused on the checkout experience, has partnered with Visa’s Digital Commerce Program. Skipify customers can link Visa Click to Pay cards with their Skipify Connected Wallet. Once enabled, Skipify’s identity-powered wallet can recognize participating Visa Click to Pay cardholders on a merchant’s website. The integration utilizes advanced Visa network tokenization technology to minimize the risk of fraud and provide a more secure payment environment.

PayPal adds features for small businesses. PayPal enables small businesses to accept payments, including PayPal, Venmo, and PayPal Pay Later products. PayPal will now give small businesses access to four new features to drive payment acceptance. The features are (i) Apple Pay as a checkout option, (ii) the ability to save payment methods with the PayPal vault for faster future checkout, (iii) a real-time account updater to help customers keep payment methods current, and (iv) access to Interchange Plus Plus (IC ++) pricing.

Chase launches Media Solutions platform. Chase has launched Media Solutions, a digital service that allows brands to connect with Chase’s 80 million customers. In turn, those customers benefit from personalized offers and incentives. The launch of Chase Media Solutions follows the integration of Figg, a card-linked marketing platform that Chase acquired in 2022.

Outvio launches Desk for ecommerce customer support. Outvio, a post-purchase platform for ecommerce, has released Outvio Desk, an AI-powered customer support service. Outvio Desk natively collects all data related to online orders, customers, deliveries, and returns and exchanges. The product features AI automation for repetitive, time-consuming delivery tasks and integrates with email, chat, and social media. Users of Outvio Desk can manage engagement on Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Outvio

New Ecommerce Tools: April 2, 2024

Our weekly rundown of new tools aims to help ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This installment includes updates on customer engagement tools, B2B payments, product discovery, digital marketing, fraud prevention, post-purchase solutions, and conversational commerce.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.

New Tools for Merchants: April 2

Twilio launches Unified Profiles and Agent Copilot to combine customer data and AI. Twilio has launched two new products within Flex, its cloud-based engagement platform: Unified Profiles and Agent Copilot. Unified Profiles provides businesses access to a native data layer powered by Segment (Twilio’s customer data platform), enabling the collection and activation of real-time, consented data for personalized interactions. Agent Copilot leverages this data alongside AI to empower employees with automation and enhanced productivity.

Twilio Flex

TreviPay introduces B2B financing and payment application features. TreviPay, a B2B payments and invoicing network, has announced a self-financing option and enhanced payment application features to give sellers more control over their trade credit portfolio. The new services give B2B sellers choices over how they fund growth.

Digital River unveils eCompass to drive international expansion. Digital River, a platform for cross-border ecommerce, has launched eCompass to help brands identify and evaluate global expansion opportunities. Powered by transaction data from 150 million global consumers, eCompass gives brands market-level insights and access to Digital River’s proprietary benchmarking data through new interactive dashboards.

Post-purchase platform Route announces expanded integrations. Route, a post-purchase package tracking and protection service, has teamed up with Klaviyo, Recharge, Salesforce, Status, and Zendesk. The integrations allow merchants to integrate Route with their existing ecommerce systems, streamlining operations and optimizing customer experiences. Route states that it powers shipment tracking, package protection, and carbon offsetting for 13,000 merchants. Route’s integrations with leading platforms, tech tools, and carriers build upon its core post-purchase customer experience tools.

Route

Adobe introduces Firefly Services and Custom Models. Adobe has announced Firefly Services and Custom Models to change how brands create and produce personalized content at scale. With Firefly Services, brands can access over 20 generative and creative APIs, tools, and services that eliminate manual and repetitive tasks, from resizing assets to generating and expanding backgrounds for merchandising and ecommerce. These capabilities are embedded into Adobe’s Cloud applications.

Google launches updated product discovery tools for shopping. To provide users with a personalized shopping experience, Google is releasing product discovery elements, including style recommendations, brand preferences, generative AI for item search, and virtual try-ons. When users search for apparel, style recommendations will appear to rate options and provide personalized results. Brands can offer additional looks for more personalization. AI image generation provides realistic visuals to match a shopper’s vision. And virtual try-ons ensure apparel looks as intended.

Zorang introduces ContentHubGPT for Walmart Marketplace. Zorang, a content and commerce company, has released ContentHubGPT for Walmart Marketplace. This generative AI-based content suite allows Marketplace sellers to create engaging story-like descriptions for their product content. According to Zorang, ContentHubGPT for Walmart Marketplace is a comprehensive solution to generate search-engine-friendly product titles, feature bullets, descriptions, and more.

Walmart Marketplace – Zorang

Mastercard and Worldpay partner to prevent merchant chargebacks. Mastercard and Worldpay are enhancing the transaction experience by helping merchants resolve payment disputes faster and with fewer chargebacks. Through the partnership, Worldpay, a global payment technology provider, will offer Mastercard’s Alerts to its 1 million merchants worldwide. The service provides an early warning that helps prevent a dispute from becoming a chargeback, reducing fraud.

Claspo integrates with Shopify, enabling marketing widgets for merchants. Claspo, a website pop-up and widget-building platform, has announced its integration with Shopify. Claspo states that its Shopify app allows merchants to easily create widgets for various marketing goals without technical hurdles and extensive learning. Per Claspo, merchants can manage and scale widgets and boost sales globally with detailed geotargeting and dynamic languages, with minimal effort and reduced risk of errors.

Dashbot integrates with Amazon Lex for conversational analytics. Dashbot, a language data and conversational AI platform, has integrated with Lex, Amazon’s platform for building conversational interfaces. The collaboration harnesses Amazon Alexa’s natural language capabilities while providing insights through Dashbot’s analytics platform. Through Alexa, users gain granular visibility into communicating with Lex chatbots, identify conversational trends and sentiment, and pinpoint areas for conversation flows, refining chatbot responses based on real-world user data.

Bidpath unveils AuctionPay for online auction payments. Bidpath, a provider of online auction software, has launched AuctionPay, a payment platform. According to Bidpath, AuctionPay simplifies payment processing, offering affordability and efficiency to enhance core operations. Bidpath aims to boost bidder participation and reduce transaction fees by ensuring a seamless and secure payment process.

AuctionPay

New Ecommerce Tools: March 25, 2024

Every week we publish a list of new products and services for ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This installment includes updates on livestream commerce, cross-border transactions, logistics, omnichannel sales, customer experience platforms, fraud prevention, and email and SMS marketing.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.

New Tools for Merchants: March 25

Checkout.com partners with Bolt to provide accelerated checkout. Bolt, a checkout technology company, and Checkout.com, a payment solutions provider, have announced a partnership. Through this collaboration, Bolt will become Checkout.com’s exclusive one-click checkout provider, and Checkout.com will become Bolt’s preferred payment partner. Bolt will integrate with Checkout.com to expand payment options for new and existing merchants. Checkout.com will leverage Bolt’s network of merchants and over 80 million shoppers.

Bolt

ParcelLab announces Order Tracking for Salesforce on AppExchange. ParcelLab, a post-purchase software provider, has launched Order Tracking for Salesforce Service Cloud on Salesforce AppExchange, an enterprise marketplace for partner apps and experts. Order Tracking for Salesforce provides customer service agents with a unified view of all relevant orders and return information, including product details, shipping status, communications, and the customer’s order history, to resolve delivery questions quickly.

Cirro Fulfillment integrates with Shopify. Cirro Fulfillment has integrated with Shopify. Shopify merchants can now connect their store data with Cirro Fulfillment for enhanced logistics management. Cirro Fulfillment has more than 4,000 clients using its fulfillment service in over 80 centers globally.

Merkle launches a global messaging solution. Merkle, a customer experience management platform, has launched Intelligent Messaging to create unified brand experiences by blending AI assistance and human interaction. With Intelligent Messaging, Merkle says it can create turnkey chat experiences across social and messaging platforms, delivering always-on conversational interactions throughout the customer journey.

Merkle

​​Cart.com launches Constellation AI for product merchandising and inventory management. Cart.com, a provider of unified commerce and logistics solutions for B2C and B2B companies, launched Constellation AI, a suite of features embedded across the company’s platform. According to Cart.com, Constellation AI leverages machine learning algorithms, predictive modeling, and generative AI to make selling and listing products more efficient. Features include new sales channel identification, product title and description generation, intelligent repricing, and AI-powered demand forecasting.

PriceSpider launches new commerce enablement capabilities. PriceSpider, a customer journey platform, has released tools to build omnichannel experiences. Auto-Create automates product feed maintenance and management. Enhanced data sharing provides brands using a dedicated warehouse with direct query capabilities, API connectivity, and native connectors. The Click to Retailer feature offers brands purchase paths created and enabled within minutes through self-service admin.

Commerce experience platform Nosto integrates with Klaviyo for personalized cross-channel shopping. Nosto, a commerce experience platform, has announced an integration with automated marketing provider Klaviyo, enabling retailers to build personalized shopping journeys. Brands can now import Klaviyo’s segments and email lists into Nosto and provide a personalized, on-site experience. Using Nosto’s segment details within Klaviyo, brands can create relevant email and SMS campaigns with personalized content based on shoppers’ behaviors and affinities, such as color and size preferences.

Nosto

AliExpress launches livestream shopping in the U.K. AliExpress, an Alibaba-owned retail marketplace, has launched a livestreaming ecommerce service in the U.K. through a partnership with Vogue Business. Shoppers can browse a platform where local models, actors, and TV personalities host livestream videos to sell products. Each creator will earn a commission on every sale made via their streams and could potentially develop their own fashion collections through a competition later in the year.

Digital agency Verndale acquires Yaksa to expand ecommerce services. Verndale, a Boston-based agency, has announced the acquisition of Yaksa, a commerce experience agency based in Montréal. This acquisition aims to enhance Verndale’s market presence, expand its service offerings, and deliver value to clients. Yaksa will continue to operate under its own brand for the short term. According to Verndale, the expanded company is now one of the largest independent digital experience agencies in the U.S. and Canada.

Cashfree Payments launches RiskShield to prevent payment fraud. Cashfree Payments, an India-based payments platform and API banking company, has launched RiskShield, a real-time management solution for payment gateways. RiskShield uses advanced AI and machine learning across a merchant network to identify fraudulent transaction patterns and empower merchants with controls to define specific rules for their businesses. According to Cashfree Payments, RiskShield mitigates fraud, minimizes litigation risks, and improves transaction experiences.
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Pandion secures $41.5 million for its residential parcel delivery network. Pandion, a residential delivery network for ecommerce parcels, launched by Amazon Air founder Scott Ruffin, has announced a $41.5 million Series B funding round led by Revolution Growth. Pandion states it will use the funding to accelerate the expansions of its network, including building new technology offerings, expanding its geographic reach, and increasing delivery speed for customers such as Saks Fifth Avenue.

Pandion