New Ecommerce Tools: February 26, 2024

Every week we publish a rundown of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This installment includes updates on cross-border transactions, subscription sales, order tracking, streaming commerce, order management systems, fulfillment, and delivery.

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

New Tools for Merchants: February 26

Wix partners with Global-e for merchants to sell internationally. Wix, a SaaS website builder, has partnered with Global-e Online, a direct-to-consumer cross-border ecommerce platform, to offer Wix merchants an international selling option. With Global-e, merchants can provide customers with localized payment methods and checkout, support multiple currency transactions, benefit from customizable pricing, and tailor offerings to specific markets.

Global-e

Ordergroove unveils Bundles Suite for recurring revenue. Ordergroove, a subscription platform for retailers and direct-to-consumer brands, has introduced Bundles Suite. Through APIs, merchants can deliver subscription bundle experiences, including Fixed Kits, Build Your Own Bundle, and rotating clubs such as Surprise & Delight and Planned Series. Ordergroove’s subscription and membership clients include L’Oréal, Dollar Shave Club, La Colombe Coffee, Bonafide Health, and The Honest Company.

AfterShip enables Apple Wallet Order Tracking. AfterShip, an automated delivery tracking service supporting USPS, FedEx, DHL, UPS, and many other carriers, has enabled Apple Wallet Order Tracking to allow shoppers to receive real-time delivery updates and track online orders through Apple Wallet. The feature is available to AfterShip’s merchant customers. By clicking the Track with Apple Wallet button on a merchant’s order confirmation page, order tracking page, or within email and SMS notifications, shoppers can add order information to Apple Wallet and receive updates on order status.

Pinterest launches streaming TV show with Tastemade. Pinterest has launched its first streaming show, Deliciously Entertaining, developed and produced in partnership with Tastemade, the food and travel media company. The new cooking and lifestyle series is available on the Tastemade streaming channel with an actionable and shoppable experience on Pinterest. Hosted by cookbook author and internet personality Danni Rose, the 10-episode series features guests such as Lance Bass and Joy Cho.

Tastemade

eBay launches Active Listings to help merchants sell faster. eBay sellers can now create markdown sale events directly from the Active Listings tab. Sellers will start seeing personalized recommendations on the tab, with actionable tips to help sell items faster. When they act on the recommendations, sellers see an updated experience to set up automated offers based on considerations such as category, price, and condition.

Cart.com launches Constellation Order Management for merchants. Cart.com, an ecommerce and logistics provider, has launched Constellation OMS, making the company’s order management software available as a standalone offering. Constellation OMS unifies commerce, from product discovery to package delivery, giving merchants visibility and control across channels and locations. Enterprises can buy and deploy Constellation OMS software to streamline existing operations or outsource omnichannel fulfillment to Cart.com.

Salesforce releases Marketing Cloud Growth for small businesses. Salesforce has announced Marketing Cloud Growth, a new edition of Marketing Cloud to help small businesses grow with customer management, AI, and data. Marketing Cloud Growth connects automation with sales, service, and commerce, built on Salesforce’s trusted customer platform, Einstein 1. Marketers can also get started with Data Cloud, accessing the first-party data needed to leverage AI to create more personalized customer experiences.

Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud Growth

TD Bank launches tap-to-pay on iPhone for small and micro businesses. TD Bank has launched tap-to-pay on iPhone, enabling small and micro U.S. businesses to use mobile phones for point-of-sale transactions. Businesses can accept in-person, contactless payments without needing additional hardware, and use tap-to-pay on iPhone to complement their storefront POS systems.

TaskUs leverages Amazon Web Services to power TaskGPT. TaskUs, a provider of outsourced digital services to grow brands and provide customer experience, is using Amazon Bedrock to power TaskGPT, giving clients the ability to deliver generative AI-powered responses to simple or process-oriented customer service questions. AWS Bedrock’s unified API approach allows TaskGPT to leverage Amazon’s and third-party genAI foundation models. TaskGPT delivers secure, genAI-fueled responses in multiple languages, 24/7, to increase efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Mollie Capital to provide financing to U.K. merchants. Mollie, a Europe-based payment processor, has announced the U.K. launch of Mollie Capital, allowing retailers to bypass traditional lenders and borrow up to £250,000. Merchants who have processed payments with Mollie for 90 days can apply. The application process takes as little as five minutes, and once approved, the funds are transferred within 24 hours.

DHgate partners with Seel to offer on-time delivery guarantee. DHgate, a global B2B marketplace, has partnered with Seel to empower customers to shop sustainably and risk-free with Seel’s On-time Delivery Guarantee. For a small fee and with just one click, DHgate shoppers can get a full refund on their purchase in the case of fulfillment delays while offsetting the carbon footprint that comes with the international ecommerce supply chain.

Seel

AI Tools to Turn Text into Podcast Conversations

Text-to-voice tools have existed for years. With artificial intelligence, the technology is more advanced, transforming an article, ebook, newsletter, or other text into an audio conversation.

Here are three AI tools to turn text into engaging, conversational podcasts.

Wondercraft

Wondercraft

Wondercraft converts a newsletter or entire post into an audio podcast. Choose whether you want one or two speakers discussing your content in dialogue, and optionally change speakers for different chapters and sections.

Select the tone (“Casual/Engaging” or “Professional/Formal”) and the length of each episode. Then input your article URL, click “Create script,” and edit it as needed. I chose the casual style, but the script was too formal, requiring my edits.

Once you’ve completed the audio, click “Produce track.” The tool will add music to the intro.

Wondercraft’s free trial allows four audio minutes per month. Paid plans start at $29 per month for 60 audio minutes.

HearTheWeb

HearTheWeb

HearTheWeb offers limited controls but the quality in my testing was excellent. Paste your text (or input your URL), choose male or female speakers, and let HearTheWeb do the rest.

The podcast is conversational, with one voice as a host (introducing the topic and asking questions) and the other as an expert.

Edit the transcript, and the tool can reproduce the audio, although in my testing the initial version needed no changes.

Of all the three tools I tested, HearTheWeb provided the best quality. It turned my content into an engaging conversation and required no editing.

HearTheWeb’s plans start at $15 per month for five episodes of any length.

Podcastle

Podcastle

Podcastle offers multiple AI features for podcast creators, including audio editing, transcriptions, and more.

To create an episode from text, choose “Text to speech” and paste your document. The tool will generate audio. Then, review and edit the transcript or choose a different voice before exporting. Podcastle has no option for creating conversations, but the AI-generated text-to-audio quality was excellent in my testing.

A handy collaboration feature allows remote teams to co-create and edit episodes. Add music from the tool’s library or upload your own file.

Podcastle starts at $$14.99 per month for eight hours of text-to-speech with AI voices.

12 Apps for Creating, Editing Videos

Video is one of the best ways to promote a product or business, especially when you can shoot and edit from nothing more than a smartphone and an app.

Here is a list of apps to create and edit videos for ads, products, and content marketing. There are easy-to-use template tools and multi-track editors with a suite of effects. Nearly all of the apps are free, though most offer premium plans and in-app purchases.

Adobe Premiere Rush

Adobe Premiere Rush

Adobe Premiere Rush is an all-in-one app for creating and sharing videos. Trim and crop videos, flip and mirror clips, and add images, stickers, and overlays. Access advanced AI tools powered by Adobe Sensei for sound balancing and auto-ducking. Share with one click to TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Use Premiere Rush for free with unlimited exports, or upgrade to access soundtracks, sound effects, loops, animated titles, overlays, and graphics. Price: Starter is free and offers in-app purchases, or subscribe to Premiere Rush as part of the Adobe Express plan for $9.99 per month.

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PowerDirector

PowerDirector

PowerDirector is a full-featured video maker and editor. Features speed adjustment for slow or fast motion, video stabilizer, voice changer, chroma-key for greenscreen, overlays and blending modes, and more. Use the AI Smart Cutout feature to remove backgrounds from your videos, and the AI Body Effect to auto-wrap to the contours of a human physique. Access cartoon images with anime templates. Share to YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Price: Premium plans start at $4.58 per month.

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Filmora AI

Filmora AI

Filmora AI is an easy-to-use video editor and movie maker. Create and edit videos, shorts, and reels in minutes. Access generated music, effects, filters, text, transitions, smooth slow motion, video collage, blurred background, and over 5,000 stickers. Use AI to create compelling descriptions, titles, and captions. Share to YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, email, and more. Price: Premium is $34.99 per year.

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LumaFusion

LumaFusion

LumaFusion is a professional video editor. Features include track layering, audio mixing, custom titling, and multi-layer effects with keyframing. Layer up to six video and six audio tracks. Use preset effects or create your own. Layer effects, green screen, luma and chroma keys, blurs, distort, styles, and color. Create projects with a variety of aspect ratios. Easily share movies with control over resolution, quality, and frame rate. Price: $29.99. Subscribe to Storyblocks for LumaFusion to access the library of music and clips.

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Splice

Splice

Splice makes it easy to create and edit videos on a phone. Trim clips, adjust speed, and add music from a library of 400 songs. Add titles and text overlays, and apply timelapse or hyperlapse. Organize and combine clips and images on an intuitive timeline. S​​hare to YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, email, and more. Available for Android and iOS. Price: Premium plans start at $6.98 per month.

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VSCO

VSCO

VSCO is a photo and video editor with over 200 curated presets and tools. Transform your videos on mobile with the same premium presets, filters, effects, and advanced editing tools from VSCO’s photo editor. Use Montage to tell a video story and make a moving collage by layering videos, images, and shapes. Adjust the opacity of any media layered in to create a range of customized gel colors and double exposures. Price: $29.99 per year for video editing membership.

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Videoleap

Videoleap

Videoleap is an easy-to-use video editor and effects tool. Add and rearrange videos, effects, and images. Customize layers with transformation, masking, and blending modes. Apply AI effects and AI filters to your videos to transform everyday scenes into extraordinary visuals. Use AI presets on images and videos, or try custom prompts to create your own. Access video templates to promote businesses and create ads easily. Price: $8 per month or $70 one-time purchase.

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KineMaster

KineMaster

KineMaster is a video and animation editor with advanced editing tools, including keyframe animation, chroma key, speed control, stop motion, reverse video, remove background, and AI features. Apply transition effects, voice changers, color filters, color adjustments, and built-in animation tools. Utilize copyright-free music and sound and audio effects. Save up to 4,000-pixel resolution and 60 frames per second. Price: Standard is free. Premium plan is $3.99 per month.

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InShot

InShot

InShot is a video editor and maker with many features and effects to amplify content. Trim and cut videos, add keyframes, apply picture-in-picture, and use the chroma key to create green screen videos. Add music, transition effects, slow motion, blur background, and more. Apply AI effects such as glitter and glow lines, and use eye-catching transitions such as distort and ripped paper. Price: Premium plans start at $3.99 per month.

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VivaVideo

VivaVideo

VivaVideo is an easy-to-use app for multi-track editing. Cut, edit, and merge videos. Add music, transition effects, stickers, and text. Use the eraser pen to remove backgrounds from images. Apply effects such as graffiti screen, voice changer, cartoon, blur background, glitch, and VHS style. Supports 4,000-pixel resolution. Price: Basic is free. Premium membership is $35.99 per year.

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Mojo

Mojo

Mojo is a video editor with 700 templates to create content. Add auto-captions, text effects, filters, grids, and more. Save your fonts, colors, and logos to the brand kit tool for consistency. Select any image to create memes. Share to Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and other social platforms. Mojo quickly resizes content depending on the distribution platform. Price: Basic is free. Premium plans start at $4.99 per month.

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WeVideo

WeVideo

WeVideo is an app to create and edit videos. Trim clips and arrange them according to your preference. Emphasize key points by adding text titles and captions, and enhance your video with narration, music, and sound effects. Leverage royalty-free video clips, music tracks, photos, illustrations, and more. Format videos in vertical or landscape aspects. Publish in 4,000-pixel resolution. Share to TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and other social media channels. Price: Premium plans start at $4.99 per month.

New Ecommerce Tools: February 19, 2024

Every week we publish a rundown of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This installment includes updates on customer care, cybersecurity, analytics, accessibility, conversational commerce, embedded payments, and recurring revenue tools.

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

New Tools for Merchants: February 19

Sprout Social launches a customer care tool. Sprout Social, a social media management platform, has launched Care by Sprout, with case management, AI features, and reporting. Care by Sprout consolidates messages across social networks to power fast, personalized support. In addition to AI-powered case management and reporting on key metrics such as engagement and satisfaction, Care by Sprout integrates with customer-management platforms such as Salesforce, Zendesk, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and HubSpot.

Sprout Social’s Care by Sprout

Google launches free AI cyber tools to bolster online security. Google has introduced an open-source resource powered by AI that utilizes file type identification to detect malware. The tool, which Gmail and Google Drive now use, will be free. Google also announced additional investments in grants and partnerships to advance cybersecurity research initiatives using AI and an expansion of cybersecurity seminars.

AccessiBe launches Shopify app for accessible ecommerce. To streamline the process of making ecommerce sites more accessible for people with disabilities, AccessiBe has announced the release of its accessibility Shopify app, available to purchase. The app is designed to streamline the installation process and simplify the shopper experience by integrating AccessiBe into the merchant’s store. AccessiBe promotes accessibility in accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Sierra launches conversational AI platform for customer service. Sierra Technologies has launched a conversational artificial intelligence platform to help companies interface with their customers. The platform uses AI agents to make recommendations, answer questions, and act on employees’ behalf. The Sierra platform lets merchants build an AI agent to represent their brand. According to Sierra, the agent will help customers navigate complexity, make better decisions, and solve problems.

Sierra

Amazon adds metrics for brands’ performance. Amazon has announced the availability of four new metrics to help brands measure marketplace performance while providing recommendations to improve results. The four metrics are Branded Search Ratio, Star Rating, Brand Conversion Rate, and Repeat Customer Ratio.

NMI launches embedded payments. NMI has released NMI Payments, an embedded payments platform for software companies and independent sales organizations. NMI Payments integrates with existing applications and payment solutions. NMI partners have the flexibility to choose from a variety of processors and shopping cart options that are embedded directly into their applications. Partners can adjust these capabilities as needed.

Data collection platform LiveRamp delivers privacy-centric integrations with Amazon Ads. LiveRamp has enabled capabilities across Amazon Marketing Cloud and Delivery Service Partner. Brand marketers and advertisers can now leverage LiveRamp’s integrations with these services to unlock insights and analytics. Customers can leverage RampID, LiveRamp’s privacy-centric identifier, to join first and third-party insights with Amazon Ads. Integration with Amazon Ads services enables measurement at scale and more. In addition, LiveRamp’s existing integrated solutions with Amazon Web Services allow advertisers to build end-to-end measurement workflows.

LiveRamp.

BNPL provider Klarna launches “Sign in with Klarna.“ Klarna, a buy-now, pay-later provider and shopping assistant, has launched “Sign in with Klarna” to offer consumers a smoother, more secure shopping experience. Klarna states the new service saves time for consumers by fast-tracking the online purchase process and unlocking personalized offers from merchants. After a beta launch with the restaurant app Maitres and the marketplace Tradera, “Sign in with Klarna” is available in 23 countries.

Rasa raises $30 million for enterprise conversational AI. Rasa, a generative conversational AI platform, has completed a $30 million funding round, co-led by StepStone Group and PayPal Ventures. Rasa powers AI assistants aligned with customers’ business logic, providing meaningful and practical user engagement. PayPal Ventures joins this round for its first AI investment, marking the launch of its new AI Fund to invest in early-stage startups across all industries and verticals.

Singapore-based Qoo10 to acquire ecommerce platform Wish. ContextLogic has agreed to sell itself and its Wish ecommerce app for approximately $173 million to Qoo10, an ecommerce platform operating localized online marketplaces in Asia. The Wish brand and platform will become part of Qoo10. Wish merchants are expected to benefit from cross-border opportunities, while Wish shoppers could benefit from a greater selection of goods.

Ordergroove and Commercetools partner on recurring revenue for brands and retailers. Ordergroove, a subscription platform for retailers and direct-to-consumer brands, has partnered with Commercetools, launching an integration for brands and retailers to unlock recurring revenue. Retailers can leverage Ordergroove’s subscription management tools and promotional capabilities to deepen customer relationships, drive customer loyalty, and boost engagement and retention. Commercetools’ customers can access a wide range of subscription experiences, including single-product subscriptions, bundles, boxes, and clubs.

Ordergroove

AI Tools for Brand Monitoring

Brand monitoring is critical for protecting and enhancing an online presence. New artificial intelligence-driven tools assist companies in following how consumers perceive and discuss their brands across various platforms.

Here are three innovative tools to get started.

Track AI Answers

Track AI Answers’ “top lists” are the most frequent brand mentions for a generative AI query. This example shows the top U.K. food influencers according to responses in ChatGPT and similar. Click image to enlarge.

Track AI Answers helps monitor generative chat questions and answers about a brand. It supports ChatGPT, Bing AI Chat, and Google Gemini.

The tool tracks a human name, a company name, and “top lists” to learn when AI platforms recommend you or your company in their answers. For example, the “top 10 food influencers in the U.K.” include all the names ChatGPT lists in response to that query.

Start by typing your name or company, and the tool will provide what AI knows about both. It can search platforms regularly and notify via email with new findings.

Track AI Answers is very helpful. I’m surprised no other company offers this kind of monitoring.

The tool starts at $9 per month to monitor one brand on ChatGPT only, with quarterly ranking updates. The $29 monthly plan includes more platforms and more frequent rankings.

Brand24

Brand24 evaluates consumers’ emotions, such as “admiration,” “fear,” and more. Click image to enlarge.

Brand24 tracks brand mentions across multiple channels, including:

• Websites: news, blogs, forums,
• Social media sites,
• Newsletters,
• Podcasts.

It then uses AI to analyze all the comments for emotion and sentiment. Users of Brand24 can compare their company to competitors, discover the most impactful brand mentions, and utilize the platform’s custom recommendations to improve visibility.

Brand 24 provides a free 14-day trial. Paid plans start at $99 per month.

Agorapulse

Agorapulse’s “Writing Assistant” enhances a brand’s replies on social media or other web mentions. Click image to enlarge.

Agorapulse uses AI to reply to brand mentions. The feature, called “Writing Assistant,” enhances a reply to improve engagement (via emojis, better tone) or composes it from scratch. The tool integrates with Canva to generate social media images quickly.

Agorapulse offers a free 30-day trial. Paid plans start at $69 per month.

New Ecommerce Tools: February 13, 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, reverse logistics, international shipping, omnichannel commerce, retail analytics, and headless ecommerce.

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

Product Releases: February 13

Shippo launches Addresses API for ecommerce merchants. Ecommerce shipping platform Shippo has launched Addresses API, enabling merchants to validate, parse, and store customers’ shipping addresses. With Addresses API, merchants can (i) validate addresses upstream during customer checkout, (ii) convert a string of text into up to 10 fields, including street, city, and phone number, (iii) expedite the address entry process for customers during checkout, and (iv) store customer addresses and minimize errors during label creation.

Shippo

UPS launches weekend residential delivery of standard service to Canada. UPS has launched in Canada Saturday residential delivery of Standard Service. Customers who normally receive residential deliveries on Monday will now receive them on Saturday. The service will be available in Montreal, Laval, Calgary, and Greater Vancouver by March. Once fully implemented, most addresses in metropolitan Canadian cities will be eligible for weekend delivery.

Amazon offers discounts to FBA sellers through the “Ships in Product Packaging” program. Amazon has launched the Ships in Product Packaging program (formerly “Ship In Own Container”). The program allows FBA sellers to ship products in custom-branded packaging without Amazon-added material. For FBA sellers, SIPP allows lower fulfillment fees for eligible products. Merchants can customize branding and packaging to display a brand to customers during delivery. Also, with less packaging, merchants use less space on trucks, lowering the number of vehicles and carbon emissions.

BigCommerce unveils Catalyst storefront technology. BigCommerce, an ecommerce platform for B2C and B2B brands, has announced the availability of Catalyst, a simplified starting point for merchants, developers, and agency partners to build online stores using a composable architecture. A key component of Catalyst is Makeswift, a composable page builder for websites built using the Next.js framework. Makeswift simplifies the visual administration of storefronts and content pages.

Catalyst by BigCommerce

Nuvei rolls out enhanced omnichannel payments for unified commerce. Nuvei Corporation, a Canadian fintech company, has launched enhanced omnichannel payments for merchants and platforms. Nuvei’s unified commerce offering, now available to customers outside of North America, aligns its card-present and card-not-present technology for ecommerce, mobile, and in-store transactions. This enables merchants to unify online and in-store payment acceptance into a single integration.

Loop expands reverse logistics services for merchants and logistics partners. Loop, a returns management platform, has announced new service offerings for merchants and logistics partners. First, Loop has integrated with Two Boxes, a technology provider that helps brands and fulfillment providers improve return processing operations and data collection. Second, Loop has enabled warehouse partners to build item condition and disposition API endpoints, which connect data from the warehouse back into Loop. Third, Loop’s Dynamic Routing allows brands to specify certain conditions to route items to different destinations.

Deliveright and Wix launch AI-powered delivery platform for real-time order tracking. Deliveright, the company behind logistics platform Grasshopper, has partnered with website builder Wix. The partnership will simplify heavy goods shipping for Wix merchants and optimize delivery experiences for customers through automation. According to Deliveright, the partnership will enable Wix merchants to (i) control all stages of fulfillment, (ii) provide instant shipping quotes to shoppers, and (iii) offer various service levels ranging from curbside to full white glove delivery.

Deliveright

B2B identity startup Mesh launches business identity verification. Mesh, a real-time professional license verification provider, has announced the launch of a Multi-Factor Business Identity for marketplaces, ecommerce, and vendor and contractor compliance. Through a single API, Mesh delivers signals including business user identity, licenses, insurance, tax information, business risk, end-user risk, and documentary evidence, helping companies verify, onboard, and monitor any legitimate U.S. business.

Retail analytics platform Intelligence Node to serve marketplace retailers. Intelligence Node, a provider of retail analytics, has expanded its work to support retailers and third-party sellers. According to the company, this expansion will enhance online shopping by delivering an experience that better informs shoppers’ purchase decisions. Additionally, third-party sellers will benefit from a search-optimized content management platform, enabling enhanced visibility and clarity across product detail pages.

Headless ecommerce platform Saleor secures $8 million in seed funding. Saleor Commerce, a composable commerce platform, has closed an $8 million seed extension round led by Target Global and ecommerce giant Zalando, with participation from Cherry Ventures (backers of Moss and Spryker) and TQ Ventures (investors in Groove and Current). Saleor intends to use the funds to drive growth, expand its agency program, and bolster its core product.

Octup raises $4 million for ecommerce operations insights. Octup, a provider of operational AI-driven ecommerce insights, has secured $4 million in pre-seed funding from Tal Ventures, Bullet Ventures, HCS Investors Group, and World Trade Ventures. Octup focuses on processing and consolidating data from operational domains, including marketing, last-mile delivery, customer support, and warehousing. Octup detects anomalies, correlations, and trends to pinpoint the root causes of cost inefficiencies.

Octup

20 Platforms to Sell Digital Products

It’s never been easier to sell ebooks, audiobooks, images, videos, digital templates, courses, and software.

Here is a list of ecommerce platforms for selling digital goods. There are tools to sell digital items, courses, subscriptions, and advanced services for digital rights management.

Platforms to Sell Digital Goods

Stan is a platform for creators to sell courses, webinars, and downloads. The platform also features a bookings calendar, analytics, and email management, and integrates with popular third-party tools, including Stripe, PayPal, and Mailchimp. Price: $29 per month with no transaction fees.

Stan

Podia is a platform to sell courses, webinars, and digital downloads while building communities. Upload unlimited files and videos and offer payment plans, upsells, quizzes, and drip content. Sell one-off downloads such as ebooks, audiobooks, PDFs, cheat sheets, and checklists. Charge for one-on-one live coaching sessions or group webinars with Zoom and YouTube integrations. Price: Plans start at $33 per month.

Easy Digital Downloads is a WordPress plugin for selling digital products such as audio, video, PDFs, plugins, and themes. The platform features a customizable shopping cart, customer tracking, and discount codes. Set a file download limit and link expiration. Access built-in reporting and utilize over 100 integrations with popular platforms such as Stripe, PayPal, and Mailchimp. Price: Plans start at $99.50 per year.

Gumroad is a platform for selling digital and physical products and building a following. Sell ebooks, memberships, courses, software with license keys, and more. Sell multiple versions and charge more. Create a lightweight DRM to protect your work. Let buyers pick from PDF, ePub, and Mobi — even charge more for lossless audio. Dive deeper into your sales with analytics to improve your product and messaging. Price: 10% of each transaction.

Gumroad

SendOwl is a platform to sell and deliver audiobooks, videos, ebooks, photography, software, memberships, subscriptions, event tickets, online courses, license keys, bundles, and more. Sell on your website or blog, social media, email payment links, or use the API. Access the native Shopify integration. Use drip functionality to release products over time. Manage promotions and grant discounts to all or some of your customers. Offer one-click upsells and pay-what-you-want prices. Price: Plans start at $9 per month.

E-junkie is a platform to sell digital downloads and physical merchandise. Sell products directly on your site, social media, and messengers, or set up a simple shop. Create storewide or product-specific promotions, discount codes, or gift cards. Sell for a fixed price, pay-what-you-want, or donations. Disable physical-good sales automatically with inventory management. Price: Plans start at $8 per month for 10 products and 200 MB of storage.

FastSpring is a full-service ecommerce platform to sell SaaS and software. FastSpring delivers seamless, branded, localized checkout experiences directly from your website with custom language, pricing, currency, and preferred payment methods. Sell subscriptions with recurring billing. FastSpring will manage your checkout, VAT, sales tax, and compliance. Contact for pricing.

Teachable is a platform for creating and selling online courses. Teachable features unlimited video and hosting, integrated payment processing, and student management. Access generative AI to create course outlines, lessons, quizzes, summaries, and more. Link your website to Teachable under a custom domain. Get analytics to optimize your course content. Price: Free plan to get started. Premium plans start at $39 per month plus 5% per transaction.

Teachable

DPD is an all-in-one shopping cart and digital fulfillment service to sell downloads. Manage multiple stores through one DPD account. Sell downloads, services, tangibles, and key codes. Stamp PDF ebooks with the buyer’s info, then encrypt them to prevent printing or copying. Price: Plans start at $10 per month for 20 products and 1 GB of storage.

Sellfy is a platform for creators to sell digital, physical, subscription, and print-on-demand products. Create digital subscriptions and charge weekly, monthly, or yearly. Offer videos on demand, reduce the risk of piracy, and eliminate download issues with video streaming. Customize the storefront with your logo and layout or link to your domain. Add “buy now” buttons and turn your existing pages into a store. Price: Plans start at $19 per month.

Thinkific is a scalable platform for creating and selling online courses, monetizing memberships, and building communities. Create flexible content, including live lessons, unlimited videos, communities, assessments, and more. Sell your knowledge in standalone courses, bundles, digital downloads, or memberships. Build your business with a collaborative learning experience created and controlled by you. Stand out with a custom-branded mobile app. Price: Free for one course. Premium plans start at $36 per month.

Creative Market, from Dribbble, is a platform to showcase and sell digital work to a network of 10 million members. Creative Market hosts 4 million resources from artists in over 190 countries. Easily open a shop and sell graphics, fonts, templates, videos, images, themes, mockups, and more. Create new products and update them whenever you like. Sell through Creative Market and your own site. Products are delivered instantly and securely. Contact for pricing.

Creative Market

PayLoadz is a platform to sell downloadable items such as software, ebooks, audio, videos, digital art, manuals, articles, crafts, templates, files, and more. Sell from anywhere — your site, social media, and even eBay. Upload single or multiple file products directly on PayLoadz or via an FTP client, with unlimited file storage. Apply discounts to your items or issue loyalty codes. Attach product samples or previews to let your customers try before buying. Price: The Pro plan is $29 per month plus 2.9% and 29¢ per transaction.

MemberPress is a WordPress plugin to sell subscriptions, memberships, online courses, coaching, and digital downloads. Manage your members by granting and revoking access to posts, pages, videos, categories, tags, feeds, communities, and digital files. Use coupon codes, expiration dates, drip content, and referral marketing. Price: Plans start at $179.50 per year.

Payhip is a platform to sell digital downloads, courses, coaching, memberships, and more. Sell your expertise through 1:1 coaching sessions. Sell and manage inventory for physical products, too. Embed onto your existing website, connect a custom domain, or use a storefront. Run promotional campaigns with flexible coupons. Sync your customers directly to your mailing lists on Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, and more. Price: Plans start at 5% per transaction.

Sellwire is a simple way to sell digital products. Upload a digital file, set the price, and get a link to add to your website or share via social media. Share your product link and receive the funds instantly when people pay and download the file. Set expirations for a specific time or number of downloads. Sellwire supports PayPal and Stripe. Price: Plans start at $9 per month.

Sellwire

FlickRocket specializes in secure digital content distribution, with software for encoding, uploading, DRM, and managing a content delivery network. Access search engine optimization features, marketing tools, affiliate management, and multiple payment gateways. Select from various store designs or create your own. Price: Plans start at 99¢ per transaction.

FetchApp integrates with popular payment platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and PayPal, to sell and deliver downloadable goods, including ebooks, videos, PDFs, software, and files. FetchApp automatically emails a secure download link when orders are received, with a record of every purchase. The price sellers pay is based on hosted storage — not a commission. Price: Free up to 25 daily orders and 5 MB storage. Premium plans start at $5 per month for 50 MB storage.

Simple Goods is a platform for selling digital goods. Add a “buy now” button to your website to launch a checkout modal from anywhere or get a hosted checkout page and product link. Connect your Stripe account and start accepting credit cards instantly. Create unique discount codes for sales, promotions, or affiliates. Protected download links and receipts are sent to buyers automatically. Sell weekly, monthly, or annual memberships of goods and services. Simple Goods integrates with Zapier, webhooks, and more. Price: Plans start at 3% per transaction.

Envato Market enables creators to sell downloadable assets, from website templates to stock footage, through its suite of popular digital asset marketplaces — ThemeForest, CodeCanyon, VideoHive, AudioJungle, GraphicRiver, PhotoDune, and 3DOcean. Access the community to build your brand and promote your work. Get daily sales insights through the analytics dashboard. Price: Exclusive author fee: 12.5% to 37.5%. Non-exclusive author fee: 55%.

Envato Market

Ecommerce Product Releases: February 6, 2024

Here is a list of new product releases and upgrades from companies offering services to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. There are updates on AI-powered shopping, fulfillment, local marketing, website builders, and video advertising.

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

Product Releases: February 6

Shopify launches new tools in the Winter ’24 Edition. Shopify has released its Winter ’24 Edition, with roughly 100 new and updated tools across four categories: conversion, channels, marketing, and operations. Conversion includes a web performance dashboard, an AI-powered storefront search feature, and a subscription app. Channels includes POS Ship from Store and Markets Pro to sell cross-border. Marketing includes smarter retargeting algorithms for Shopify Audiences. Operations includes new financial solutions and AI tools, such as a Shopify Line of Credit and a new Media Editor.

Shopify – Winter ’24 Edition

Amazon announces Rufus, a generative AI-powered conversational shopping assistant. Rufus is Amazon’s new generative AI-powered shopping assistant trained on Amazon’s product catalog, customer reviews, community Q&As, and information from across the web. Rufus can answer shoppers’ questions on various needs and products, provide comparisons, and make recommendations based on conversational context. Amazon is launching Rufus in beta, rolling it out to customers in waves, beginning with a small subset using a mobile app.

Merchants can now tell Walmart to keep their returns. Walmart Marketplace has added functionality so online merchants can choose to have the retailer keep their returns rather than ship them back. The “Keep It” rule applies to seller-fulfilled items and those ordered through the Walmart fulfillment service. Walmart will also begin notifying sellers when a return is initiated or delivered and when a refund for a return is initiated. Sellers can set the frequency of the notifications in the Walmart Seller Center.

Meta launches Engaged-view to help advertisers drive video insights and performance. Meta has introduced a new attribution setting called Engaged-view, allowing advertisers to measure conversions within one day of a video ad play. Engaged-view can be counted in ads measurement reporting when someone plays a video ad for at least 10 seconds and converts within a one-day window. Engaged-view is available for all placements except Facebook in-stream video ads that cannot be skipped.
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Meta Engaged-view

Yelp launches AI-powered features for local businesses. Yelp has announced more than 20 new features with its winter update, including AI-powered business summaries, recognitions to celebrate reviewers, and a new visual home feed and search experience. The update also includes a revamped business owner experience delivering market and competitive insights, while AI-powered smart budgets provide recommendations to optimize ad spend, helping local businesses grow and better compete in their markets.

Deliveroo partners with Rokt to expand retail media. Rokt, an ecommerce technology platform that delivers relevant offers to shoppers, has partnered with delivery platform Deliveroo. Advertisers in the Rokt Ads network can now access Deliveroo’s audiences, and Deliveroo can provide the most relevant third-party offers to customers on their order confirmation page. Rokt will become an extension of Deliveroo’s advertising platform via the order tracker page in its delivery app. The partnership is launching in the U.K. and France.

Delta Cargo launches ecommerce solution DeliverDirect in collaboration with SmartKargo. Delta Cargo has launched DeliverDirect, developed in collaboration with SmartKargo. DeliverDirect is a door-to-door delivery service for the U.S., offering a customizable solution for ecommerce retailers seeking direct-to-consumer shipping solutions. The DeliverDirect offering can be tailored with personalized pick-up times, geo-fenced consumer notifications, multiple delivery attempts, signature-required deliveries, proof of delivery with photos, and access to advanced reporting features.

DeliverDirect

Ikea adds doorstep delivery facility to 62 new markets in India. Ikea has launched ecommerce deliveries to 62 districts across India in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. With the expansion, Ikea aims to build further capacities in its supply chain, making it more sustainable. Customers can explore Ikea’s app and website, browse offers with special discounts, and access services such as kitchen planning, living room planning, interior design services, and a personal shopper.

Amazon Mexico offers biweekly payments without a credit card through Kueski Pay. Amazon has launched Pago en Quincenas with Kueski Pay, a method to defer purchases into biweekly payments. Customers who use Pago en Quincenas with Kueski Pay can choose plans of up to four interest-free payments. For now, this payment method is available to select Amazon customers.

Nuvei launches ERP integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365. Nuvei Corporation, a Canadian fintech company, has integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, an enterprise resource planning platform for small and medium-sized organizations. Businesses can now integrate relevant payment methods — including credit cards, instant bank transfers, and disbursement services — into their business operations through their existing Dynamics 365 Business Central module. This is the latest stage in the rollout of the global payments collaboration with Microsoft, announced in January.

Owner.com raises $33 million in Series B funding to help independent restaurants online. Owner.com, which helps independent restaurant owners manage their online presence, has raised $33 million in Series B funding, bringing the total capital raised to $58.7 million Owner.com offers an all-in-one platform for restaurants that includes online ordering, a website builder, customer relationship management tools, marketing automation, and a branded mobile app generator. Existing investors Redpoint Ventures and Altman Capital co-led the round, with participation from Horsley Bridge, Activant Capital, and Transpose Platform Management.

Owner.com

Ecommerce Product Releases: January 30, 2024

Every week we publish a rundown of new products and updates from companies offering services to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This week’s installment includes website builders, international payments, cybersecurity, brand protection, point-of-sale tools, AI-assisted shopping, sustainable logistics, and biometric checkout.

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

Product Releases: January 29

Nuvei partners with Adobe to enhance ecommerce payments. Nuvei, a Canadian fintech company, has partnered with Adobe to provide B2B and B2C businesses on Adobe Commerce access to payment technology. Nuvei’s integration with over 680 regional payment methods enables Adobe Commerce merchants to reach customers through local, tailored experiences. Adobe Commerce businesses can expand internationally through the same integration and facilitate U.S. Automated Clearing House account-to-account transactions.

Nuvei

Meta launches IP reporting center to help protect brands. Meta has launched a new version of Brand Rights Protection, a new Intellectual Property Reporting Center, and updates for Rights Manager — all to help brands protect their presence. Brand Rights Protection now has saved searches, cross-surface search, and a larger reference library. The new Intellectual Property Reporting Center provides a logged-in reporting experience and report tracking. Rights Manager has new automatic blocking and image attribution, to help manage images at scale.

Etsy launches AI-powered shopping tool for selecting gifts. Etsy has launched Gift Mode, an interactive hub for gifting that combines AI and human curation. Shoppers enter a few quick details about the recipient. Etsy then uses machine-learning technology to match gifters with unique items from sellers, categorized by 200 recipient personas. Shoppers can create a gift teaser for the recipient or leave it a surprise until it arrives.

Bold Commerce unveils biometric checkout using face and voice. Bold Commerce, a headless checkout company for retailers and brands, has launched an AI-enabled biometric checkout powered by Wink. Instead of filling out log-in credentials, delivery details, loyalty accounts, and payment preferences, shoppers can use their face and voice to pre-fill the info for a purchase online or in-store.

Wink

Amazon to use product images from third-party sellers. Amazon announced that effective January 31, it will display product images for hardline product types from multiple selling partners if necessary. Each product detail page should have at least three required images: the product on a white background, the product in an environment, and an image with size and fit information. If required images are missing from the product detail page, Amazon will add them from multiple selling partners when available.

PayPal and Venmo unveil AI-based products. PayPal announced six pending AI-driven personalization features. The new PayPal accelerated checkout integrates passkeys to enable customers to log in with their face or fingerprint with one tap. Fastlane is a new one-click checkout experience. Smart Receipts allow customers to track purchases. Advanced offers enable merchants to reach customers based on actual online purchases. CashPass provides personalized cash-back offers. Finally, Venmo, a PayPal subsidiary, is enhancing business profiles to improve discovery.

Krepling secures $3.3 million and launches builder for merchants worldwide. Krepling, an ecommerce channel management platform, has raised a $3.3 million seed round and launched a centralized universal builder, offering merchants a consolidation of tools and services for personalized customer experiences. The round includes investments from Launch, Brickyard, Front Porch Ventures, 11 Tribes Ventures, Colabora Ventures, and Broadshade Investments. Krepling will use the funding to expand its team and enhance integrations.

Sustainable logistics player Fin buys bankrupt Urb-it. Fin, a London-based sustainable logistics provider, has acquired Urb-it, giving it access to the bankrupt sustainable delivery company’s technology and customers, such as Alibaba, AliExpress, and Inditex’s Zaray. London-based Fin was launched in 2022 and uses a fleet of electric cargo bikes and vans to deliver packages for customers such as HelloFresh and Ikea. Stockholm-based Urb-it provided zero-emission deliveries in Spain, France, and the U.K. but filed for bankruptcy in December.

Fin

Klarna launches Plus subscriptions in the U.S. Klarna, the buy-now-pay-later platform, has announced Plus, a new subscription service available to eligible U.S. consumers through the Klarna app for a monthly fee of $7.99. Klarna Plus provides access to a variety of features and offers, including waived service fees on Klarna’s One Time Card, double rewards points, and access to special deals with popular brands.

Visa’s Cybersource and Ingenico partner on secured commerce platform. Ingenico, a payment acceptance and services player, has partnered with Cybersource, Visa’s global payment and fraud management platform. According to Ingenico, the partnership will create a global unified commerce solution for Asia Pacific first, followed by other regions. The partnership integrates the Axium application developed by Ingenico on the Cybersource open payment platform. Axium features smart point-of-sale terminals powered by Android and a suite of business applications.

MediaGo announces collaboration with Amazon Publisher Services. MediaGo, an intelligent advertising platform under the Baidu Global Business Unit, is now integrated with Amazon Publisher Services’ ad marketplace. Powered by deep neural network technology, MediaGo provides services to over 10,000 global advertisers. According to MediaGo, participating publishers will have access to increased revenue from a large pool of top advertisers that work with MediaGo, including Asia-based search and ecommerce buyers purchasing programmatic for the first time.

Global fintech SumUp releases new features for small businesses. SumUp, a payment-processing provider, will now offer customers digital cards and the ability to add Mastercard to a wallet. Users will be able to use tap to pay in Europe. SumUp’s online store (for businesses to set up a free ecommerce site) has been updated to process and review orders almost instantly and provide order analysis, discount codes, and various shipping options. Point of Sale Lite and POS Pro are also new SumUp offerings.

SumUp

AI Tools for Sales Teams

Generating leads and sales takes time and effort. Here are five artificial intelligence-driven sales tools that will streamline the process for efficiency and performance.

SynthMind.app

SynthMind.app

SynthMind.app is an AI-powered sales assistant and lead search. Describe your target audience, and Synthmind will find companies and contacts.

Users can also upload PDFs describing their business and ideal customer to assist the searches.

I have tried specific and generic prompts (“find mid-sized ecommerce leads”) and received good results in both cases. For every lead, the tool includes the company, the site’s average traffic, the number of employees, the first and last names of contacts, and their email addresses. Search filters include traffic and employee count.

SynthMind.app offers a free trial for five searches and 20 leads. Paid plans start at $19.80 per month.

Quantified

Quantified

Quantified is a sales simulator and instructional platform that integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Outlook. It uses conversational avatars that act as customers, with feedback and coaching on each call.

The platform is trained on a user’s product and target audience. Sales reps can have as many practice calls with AI agents as they want before sharing the videos with team managers for feedback.

Quantified offers a free demo if requested. Otherwise, contact for pricing.

Winn.ai

Winn.ai

Winn.ai is an AI assistant that joins virtual meetings, captures essential info, and populates it into a customer-management platform. It also takes well-structured notes of the meetings for actionable follow-up, avoiding having to watch the video.

The tool follows the conversation during a call and reminds users if they fail to address pre-set agenda items. It also detects and interprets customers’ questions and discretely provides the answers.

Winn.ai costs $69 per seat per month with a free 30-day trial.

Momentum

Momentum

Momentum is similar to Winn.ai. It creates call summaries, auto-detects action items and tasks, and sends the info to a Salesforce account with one click.

The tool listens to calls, identifies prospects’ questions, and auto-populates MEDDIC fields — Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Identify pain, and Champion — allowing a team to better quality and understand a lead.

Momentum offers a free demo if requested. Otherwise, contact for pricing.

Apollo.io

Apollo.io

Apollo.io is an AI sales assistant that generates outreach emails, replies, and follow-ups using a database of 275 million contacts and a ChatGPT API.

It captures questions and key points in prospects’ replies and produces meaningful, accurate answers. The platform also offers a lead search to find target companies and their contacts.

Apollo.io offers a limited free plan. Paid plans start at $59 per month.