New Ecommerce Tools: August 7, 2024

This installment of our weekly rundown of new tools for ecommerce merchants includes AI-powered sourcing, promotional sales, error detection, loyalty programs, Sponsored Brand campaigns, embedded payments, and retail media platforms.

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

New Tools for Merchants: August 7, 2024

Alibaba launches AI-powered B2B sourcing platform. Alibaba has launched an AI-powered conversational sourcing platform. Designed for B2B ecommerce, the platform synthesizes information, interprets sourcing needs using natural language processing, matches buyers with products and suppliers, and provides advanced features for sourcing decisions. Per Alibaba, the tool tackles the inefficiencies of conventional search methodologies and can even predict sourcing requirements and provide suggestions.

Alibaba’s AI platform.

Amazon invites sellers to submit deals for its upcoming Labor Day sale. The Amazon sale will run from August 26 through September 3, 2024, and sellers are invited to offer deals to participate in the event. To submit a deal, sellers should go to Advertising > Deals > Create a new deal > choose a qualified ASIN > Select. Choose the week of August 26, configure deal details in the next step, and click “Submit deal.”

Etsy launches Insider, its first buyer membership program. In mid-September, Etsy will launch a closed beta version to select buyers in the U.S. Special benefits include free domestic shipping, first access to special discounts and select merchandise, and more. The program comes at no cost to the Etsy seller community. Benefits, including free shipping, will be funded by Etsy and through the membership fee.

Mercari opens access to Japan marketplace and launches its first physical store. Mercari, an online marketplace to shop and sell new and preloved items, has announced “Mercari x Japan,” a new product that will open up direct access to inventory from millions of sellers on its Japanese marketplace. U.S. shoppers can now explore Mercari x Japan and browse rare and hard-to-find items directly from Japan. Additionally, Mercari is opening its first physical retail store, in Los Angeles.

Mercari x Japan​

Error detection platform Noibu partners with BigCommerce. Noibu, a provider of website error detection and resolution, has partnered with BigCommerce. According to Noibu, with the addition of its platform, BigCommerce is positioned to ensure smoother website performance and enhanced customer experiences. BigCommerce customers can now integrate Noibu through the BigCommerce App Marketplace. The partnership features a one-click integration, enabling BigCommerce customers to connect an online store easily with Noibu’s error monitoring platform.

Flaunt launches AI-enabled loyalty offering for Shopify merchants. Flaunt has launched the first service-as-software loyalty offering for Shopify merchants to retain customers and implement loyalty programs. Flaunt leverages AI to enhance and expedite its loyalty management services, such as analyzing social and user-generated content, customer feedback, and generating personalized offers.

Retailer John Lewis launches media platform. John Lewis, the U.K.-based retail brand, has announced new retail media capabilities on JohnLewis.com. The move will allow brands to create and manage their own campaigns, including banner ads and sponsored product listings, measuring the impact of initiatives down to individual products and search terms. The options have been delivered in partnership with Epsilon, the advertising and marketing technology subsidiary of Publicis Groupe.

JohnLewis.com

Amazon introduces a landing page option for Sponsored Brands campaigns. Amazon has launched a feature in Sponsored Brands that allows advertisers to create customized landing pages featuring at least three selected products, even without a pre-existing brand store. The Sponsored Brands “Grow brand impression share” campaign goal allows advertisers to utilize a new landing page option in the “Product collection” ad format. By selecting at least three products to advertise, sellers will lead shoppers from the top of the search to a brand landing page containing those items.

Salesforce acquires POS provider PredictSpring. Salesforce has agreed to acquire PredictSpring, a point-of-sale cloud software vendor. PredictSpring will enable Salesforce to provide a unified omnichannel platform spanning digital and physical channels. In addition to Cloud POS, PredictSpring’s store solutions include Clienteling, Endless Aisle, Store Fulfillment, and Store Operations capabilities to streamline and personalize the shopping experience across physical and digital touchpoints.

Paymob and Shopify launch embedded payments in MENA. Paymob, a financial services platform in the Middle East and North Africa, has expanded its partnership with Shopify by launching embedded card and wallet payments for merchants in the MENA region. Paymob has also introduced digital merchant onboarding to enable fast, seamless setup of ecommerce stores on Shopify.

Duda integrates with Square, expanding payment options for ecommerce websites. Duda, a website builder for digital agencies and SaaS companies, has announced that its native ecommerce solution now integrates with Square. Digital agencies and SaaS companies can now add Square to their clients’ websites, offering more quick and direct payment options within the Duda website-building platform. Duda users can transform basic websites into full-service transactional platforms, enabling transactions beyond traditional retail, including the sale of digital products, tickets, and gift vouchers.

Duda

New Ecommerce Tools: July 30, 2024

Every week we publish a rundown of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This installment includes updates on AI-powered content creation, automated deliveries, shoppable video, website speed, logistics, and sustainable ecommerce packaging.

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

New Tools for Merchants: July 30, 2024

Vayu Robotics debuts an on-road delivery robot. Vayu Robotics has released an on-road delivery robot that combines AI foundation models with low-cost passive sensors, eliminating the need for light and ranging detection. Vayu’s delivery robot operates autonomously without pre-mapping the roads it intends to drive on. It can navigate inside stores, on city streets, and unload packages on driveways or porches, carrying up to 100 pounds at under 20 mph. According to the company, the delivery robot offers a cost-effective, safe, and reliable delivery system.

Vayu Robotics

Addlly AI launches Shopify AI Writer for content creation. Singapore-based generative AI company Addlly AI has launched a zero-prompt AI SEO Writer app for Shopify. Users can select products from their Shopify store and review and select from suggested trending blog topics tailored to their chosen products. The AI writer then generates a full ecommerce article with automatic internal product linking. Users can review and edit the content, adding product images as needed. Additionally, the app generates ready-to-post social media content.

Website Speedy launches app on BigCommerce to enhance site performance. Website Speedy, a provider of performance optimization tools, has launched on the BigCommerce app store, providing a solution to enhance website speed, search engine rankings, and user experience. The Website Speedy app offers a suite of features to maximize website performance, including asynchronous loading, resource prefetching, third-party script management, and detailed performance reports.

Shirofune releases Improvement Suggestion feature for Amazon Ads. Shirofune, a digital advertising automation management tool, has announced an enhanced Improvement Suggestion feature that proposes optimal keyword and search query settings for Amazon Ads. Shirofune’s Improvement Suggestion identifies keywords and search queries that increase costs without delivering the desired results, automatically listing those that need to be excluded or reviewed. It also recommends additional keywords to drive better performance. Additionally, the feature recommends excluding high-cost keywords and incorporating negative keywords.

Shirofune

Kinesso Commerce and Vudoo partner to launch ShopNow solution. Kinesso Commerce, IPG Mediabrands’ commerce division, has partnered with technology and content commerce company Vudoo to launch ShopNow, an always-on commerce media solution. ShopNow combines Kinesso Commerce’s activated media with Vudoo’s advanced shoppable ad technology, enabling content to be shoppable all the time across the open web and leading commerce partners, including Amazon. The global partnership will launch in Australia.

Fast Simon launches merchandising aI Assistant. Fast Simon, a provider of AI-powered shopping optimization, has launched a merchandising AI assistant. Merchants can chat with an AI assistant to help create an assortment and display for shoppers in real time based on product attributes, availability, performance metrics, and more. According to Fast Simon, the AI assistant reduces the time and effort required for manual and rule-based merchandising while leaving merchants in control of what shoppers see.

Cart.com launches Constellation warehouse and transportation management systems. Cart.com, a provider of unified commerce and logistics software and services, has launched Constellation WMS and Constellation TMS, making the company’s proprietary warehouse and transportation management systems available as standalone offerings. These modules join Constellation OMS, Cart.com’s distributed order management system, already available. The products can be used independently or combined for receiving, inventory management, picking and packing, rate shopping, shipping, returns, and labor management.

Cart.com

Creator commerce platform LTK launches video-first shopping app. LTK, a creator commerce platform, is launching a new LTK app video experience to help creators reach shoppers on the platform. LTK’s app includes Full-Screen Continuous Video (a shoppable video feed showcasing a creator’s videos back-to-back) and Daily Drops (a quick way for shoppers to view the latest shoppable video content published in the last 24 hours from the creators they follow).

Mondi partners with CMC Packaging Automation for sustainable ecommerce packaging. Mondi, a supplier of sustainable paper and packaging, has partnered with CMC Packaging Automation, a provider of automated packaging on-demand solutions. The collaboration will focus on developing packaging solutions for enhanced product quality and sustainability. It aims to meet the demand for sustainable ecommerce paper and packaging solutions, building synergies between CMC’s packaging on-demand technology and Mondi’s sustainable kraft paper products.

AI and ecommerce specialist Ocula raises £3.25 million in Series A funding. Belfast-based AI startup Ocula has raised £3.25 million ($4.17 million) in Series A funding, led by Praetura Ventures, with additional investments from Castelnau Group and Lloyds Banking Group. Ocula specializes in leveraging AI to optimize ecommerce performance. Its primary product, Ocula Boost, uses AI to enhance product pages, improve SEO, and generate insights that help retailers compete more effectively. The startup has secured over 25 major retail clients.

India-based Mystore unveils AI-powered semantic search for ONDC. Mystore, an India marketplace connected to the country’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), has added an AI-powered semantic search designed to enhance seller conversions through improved buying experience. This addition to Mystore’s offerings for ONDC sellers and buyers aims to provide granular search results through exact query interpretation. Mystore’s semantic search technology is designed to benefit sellers and buyers through accurate query interpretation, tailored product recommendations, quick search results for queries, optimized search performance for complex queries, and higher conversion rates.

Mystore

New Ecommerce Tools: July 25, 2024

We publish a weekly rundown of new products and services for ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This installment includes updates on AI-powered customer service agents, post-purchase platforms, logistics, business research resources, payments, and financing for ecommerce companies.

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

New Tools for Merchants: July 25, 2024

Salesforce launches autonomous Einstein Service Agent for chatbot experiences. Salesforce has announced Einstein Service Agent, the company’s first fully autonomous AI agent. Unlike traditional chatbots, Einstein Service Agent uses generative AI to create conversational responses, grounding its responses in a company’s data and tailored to a company’s brand voice, tone, and guidelines. Currently in pilot and generally available later this year, Einstein Service Agent can be set up in minutes with user-friendly interfaces, pre-built templates, and low-code actions and workflows, per Salesforce.

Salesforce’s Einstein Service Agent

Loop and ReBound announce omnichannel returns partnership. Two returns technology providers, Loop and ReBound, have announced a partnership. Retailers using the Loop platform can now access ReBound’s omnichannel returns management services. The integration allows Loop users to leverage ReBound’s global logistics offering, including return shipments, advanced local processing, and consolidation. The companies stated they aim to maximize margins, improve customer service, and increase customer retention for retailers.

Clearco and Boundless partner to provide capital for ecommerce merchants. Clearco, an ecommerce invoice financing service, and Boundless, a capital marketplace for small and medium businesses, have partnered to provide access to working capital for ecommerce brands. Clearco will offer businesses direct access to Boundless’s marketplace, which includes lenders, financiers, and funding providers. Adding Clearco to Boundless’s marketplace provides a working capital provider specific to ecommerce.

WP Engine acquires NitroPack for managed WordPress site performance. WP Engine, a provider of premium WordPress hosting and other products, has acquired NitroPack, an all-in-one SaaS tool for improving site speed and performance metrics, including Google’s Core Web Vitals. NitroPack was previously introduced to WP Engine customers with the launch of Page Speed Boost, which leverages NitroPack’s WordPress optimization technology. The acquisition will further strengthen WP Engine’s website performance capabilities, providing customers with innovative features and flexibility for site optimization.

NitroPack

ReturnGO brings returns and exchanges to Salesforce Commerce Cloud. ReturnGO, a post-purchase service for ecommerce stores, has expanded its platform to include Salesforce Commerce Cloud, enabling retailers to benefit from automated returns and exchange processes. Key features for Salesforce Commerce Cloud merchants include streamlined returns, a user-friendly return process, and data-driven insights. This strategic move is part of ReturnGO’s broader initiative to support enterprise-scale ecommerce markets and enhance post-purchase experiences across diverse platforms.

Fashion marketplace Depop removes selling fees. Depop, a community-powered marketplace for secondhand fashion, is removing its 10% selling fee for U.S.-based users. The removal of selling fees is part of a wider Depop pricing update. A marketplace fee will continue to support investment across the platform. The new fee structure in the U.S. follows Depop’s move to remove selling fees in the U.K. earlier this year.

Logistics provider Cirro E-Commerce integrates with 17Track for post-purchase experience. Cirro E-Commerce, an ecommerce logistics provider, has integrated with 17Track, a global shipment tracking service platform. The integration improves access to real-time tracking information for marketplaces, ecommerce merchants, and consumers. By automatically sharing tracking data with 17Track’s partners and users, it becomes easy for all parties to stay informed about their orders. The tracking platform enhances traceability, ensuring updates are always available and accurate, boosting Cirro E-Commerce’s reliability with consumers.

17Track

Reshop launches returns platform featuring instant refunds. Reshop has launched a platform to manage refunds for consumers and merchants, debuting with premium lifestyle brands such as Alo Yoga, Steve Madden, and Orveon’s premium cosmetic brands, as well as post-purchase provider Narvar. According to Reshop, the platform removes ​​the wait time for shoppers to get their money back, freeing up funds that normally sit dormant.

LexisNexis launches Nexis+ AI, a generative AI platform for company research. LexisNexis, a provider of information and analytics, has announced the commercial launch of Nexis+ AI, incorporating generative AI to transform and accelerate corporate research, intelligence gathering, and business decision-making. Enhanced by more than 700 hours of in-depth customer interviews, Nexis+ AI offers companies the ability to quickly research and analyze business and legal information, summarize documents, compile and share content, create first drafts or outlines, and derive actionable business insights.

Embedded lending platform Jifiti introduces tap now, pay later. Jifiti, an embedded lending technology company, has released its tap now, pay later technology, enabling consumers to add approved loan or credit funds into any digital wallet. Tap now, pay later requires no integration with the merchant and can go live within hours. Jifiti’s white-labeled embedded lending platform enables banks, lenders, and merchants to offer financing options at any point of sale via virtual cards, API integration, or ecommerce plugins.

Design.com launches AI design tools for small businesses. DesignCrowd, an Australia-based design company, has launched Design.com, an online design platform for entrepreneurs and small businesses. The platform offers design tools to help small businesses and entrepreneurs launch and grow their ventures, including 500,000 design templates. ​​With the launch of Design.com, the company also announced two new AI products — an AI business name generator and an AI logo generator.

Design.com

15 Custom GPTs for Productivity

Custom GPTs are specialized ChatGPT versions created by OpenAI and users for specific tasks or topics. Custom GPTs offer innovative AI-powered productivity tools for businesses.

Here is a list of custom GPTs from the GPT Store to get things done. There are custom GPTs as virtual assistants and tools to help produce research and reports, write essays, create designs, translate documents, and more.

Custom GPTs for Productivity

AskYourPDF Research Assistant performs a wide range of tasks related to research, document handling, and citation management. Generate essays or articles from sources, extract information from PDFs, get summaries, and find research papers.

AskYourPDF Research Assistant

WebPilot gets answers from any web page. Extract and summarize information from web pages or PDF files and generate content based on the gathered information. Ensure the accuracy and relevance of content in real-time.

Gantt Chart GPT is a free project management assistant that can auto-generate an editable Gantt chart from your project files (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, CSV, more). Upload project files or enter project info to get started.

Code Copilot is an AI programming assistant that helps with coding tasks in Python, JavaScript, Java, C++, C#, PHP, Ruby, and more. It can write code snippets based on your requirements or review and fix your code for bugs, readability, and efficiency.

Canva helps create design elements such as presentations, logos, and social media posts. Quickly generate a promotional poster for a sale or an inspirational social media story. To get started, prompt the GPT with the essence of the design you wish to create, such as the message to convey or the occasion for the design.

Canva

Translate GPT provides accurate and context-aware translations across multiple languages. This comprehensive translator can handle a wide range of content, including technical documents, legal contracts, and everyday speech.

Image Generator specializes in generating images based on your descriptions using a mix of professional and friendly tones. Generate visual scenes for your product, design a logo from a new startup, and more. To get started, provide a detailed description.

PDF AI PDF is a tool for handling and processing PDF documents. Automatically convert scanned documents. Search documents, get summaries, and extract information. Use the AI Drive Chrome extension to manage and access your files.

Write For Me is a tool to generate tailored, relevant content with a word count. Just specify the word length and subject to generate copy. Produce SEO-friendly content, meta descriptions, and keyword research. Summarize and proofread content and gather relevant information. Generate whitepapers, user manuals, essays, and more.

Scholar AI can assist with scientific research and patent exploration. Find pertinent patents and relevant scientific paper abstracts using keywords and citations. Analyze the full text of research papers for detailed insights. Add papers to a personal knowledge base.

Scholar AI

Excel GPT is an assistant to create and utilize Excel worksheets. Perform calculations, filter data, and create summaries. Generate charts and reports.

Consensus is a research assistant to utilize scientific literature and academic papers. Get evidence-based insights, summarizing key findings in simple language from the original research. Ask any scientific question or request specific research tasks.

Diagrams can create a variety of visuals to help understand information, processes, and concepts. Generate sequence diagrams, mind maps, timelines, and flowcharts.

Resume Builder is a tool for job seekers. Create a professional resume from scratch. Analyze an existing resume to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Tailor your resume to match specific job descriptions.

Presentation and Slides GPT is a tool to generate a presentation or a slide deck to convey an idea or introduce a product. Search for relevant images and browse the web to gather up-to-date information. Create entire presentations, including an introduction, content sections, and a conclusion.

Presentation and Slides GPT

New Ecommerce Tools: July 18, 2024

Every week we publish a list of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This installment includes updates on AI-powered shopping assistants, crowdfunding, social commerce, big data, livestream shopping, subscriptions, app development, and cross-border payments.

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

New Tools for Merchants: July 18, 2024

eBay launches cash advance services for sellers. eBay is launching Business Cash Advance, a financing product provided by Liberis, a global embedded finance platform. According to eBay, Business Cash Advance offers eligible U.S. eBay sellers up to $1 million in working capital in as little as 24 hours. The program features flexible payment schedules that scale with the seller’s sales cycle. There is no minimum payment and no early payment penalty.

Liberis

Amazon’s AI-powered shopping assistant Rufus available to all U.S. customers. Amazon’s generative AI-powered conversational shopping assistant, Rufus, is now available to all U.S. customers in the Amazon Shopping app. Rufus is designed to help customers save time and make informed purchase decisions by answering questions on various shopping needs and products. Customers can ask Rufus for product details, recommendations, and comparisons as well as access product updates and shopping history.

Etsy introduces Creativity Standards for sellers. Etsy has reorganized its policies into new Creativity Standards, which underscore the specific work that a seller does for each item in the marketplace. An item on listing pages is now labeled as one of the following: Made by ShopName, Made by ShopName, Handpicked by ShopName, or Designed by ShopName. Etsy is also adding more options to the listing form for sharing details about processes, materials, and tools.

Crowdfunding platform Indiegogo launches marketplace IndieShop and new features. Indiegogo, a crowdfunding platform, has launched IndieShop, a curated ecommerce marketplace offering crowdfunded products. IndieShop launched in beta in May and currently features more than 40 products. Beyond IndieShop, the platform added new features, including prelaunch reservations, pay-over-time financing, cart volume discounts, cross-platform campaign importing, and gifting. Indiegogo also plans to launch an in-store retail partnership to feature crowdfunded projects.

IndieShop

TikTok Shop U.K. starts £1 Million Club to grow brands and SMBs. TikTok Shop U.K. has launched £1 Million Club, a plan to help new merchants hit £1M in revenue through incentives and support at no extra cost. According to TikTok, The £1Million Club brings benefits to new merchants: up to 90 days of 0% commission-free sales, free storage and fulfillment through Fulfilled by TikTok, and seller support priority service. TikTok Shop will also provide dedicated promotion support for merchants.

Behavioral modeling platform Synerise raises $8.5 million for growth. Synerise, a provider of AI-driven behavioral modeling and big data solutions, has announced a $8.5 million investment from Vtex, a composable commerce platform, and angel investors as part of its Series B+ funding round. Synerise provides advanced AI and big data technology solutions to over 150 markets across ecommerce, retail, banking, and other industries. This strategic investment will bolster Synerise’s expansion into new markets and reinforce its position in behavioral AI.

Ecommpay adds a recurring PayPal payments feature. Ecommpay, an ecommerce payments platform, has added a feature that allows merchants to collect recurring PayPal payments from customers alongside subscription card payments and direct debits that they have been using to date. Merchants can handle all subscriptions from their PayPal dashboard with full control and visibility over billing cycles, amounts, and customer information. They can also make changes, track payment history, and handle cancellations.

Ecommpay

Wix releases new features for app developers. Wix, a website builder, has announced new features to help developers build applications more efficiently. The Wix Design System includes reusable components and Figma kits. The Wix Patterns library allows for rapid development of admin screens. Developers can (i) jumpstart app development from pre-designed templates tailored to different use cases, (ii) extend functionalities, enabling feature-rich plugins that integrate into Wix’s business apps, and (iii) get 100% revenue share in the first year.

Flipkart adds new recharge and bill payment categories (PDF ). Flipkart, an India-based ecommerce marketplace, has launched five new recharge and bill payment categories, including Fastag, DTH recharges, landline, broadband, and mobile postpaid bill payments on its app. These are in addition to the existing electricity and mobile prepaid recharge options. Flipkart has partnered with BillDesk, an India-based payment service, to help integrate the new services with the Bharat Bill Payments System, developed by the National Payments Corporation of India.

Yuno and Openpay partner on digital payments in Mexico. Yuno, a payments orchestration platform, had partnered with Openpay, BBVA Group’s digital payments company, to boost online transactions in Mexico. The collaboration aims to create synergies within the local payment ecosystem. Yuno’s platform provides access to more than 300 payment methods, as well as one-click checkout, smart routing, and anti-fraud tools through a single interface. Openpay simplifies online sales for merchants by card, bank transfer, cash, or loyalty points via a single integration.

HSN partners with Impact.com to launch creator platform. HSN, a platform for livestream shopping via online and TV channels, is launching a creator platform with Impact.com, an affiliate management site. Through the new HSNfluencer platform powered by Impact.com’s technology, HSN can recruit, engage, manage, and analyze creator partners through a customized experience. Within the platform, influencers and content creators can collaborate with HSN and use curated product collections to inspire content stories and generate affiliate product links for their posts.

Impact.com

New Ecommerce Tools: July 9, 2024

Our rundown of new tools for merchants this week includes social commerce, flexible payments, luxury shopping, fulfillment, AI-powered pricing, and shopping in the metaverse.

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

New Tools for Merchants: July 9, 2024

Walmart helps sell used collectibles. Walmart Marketplace is allowing sellers to list collectors’ items without incurring referral fees until September 30, 2024, along with additional perks. Sellers can (i) display the conditions of collectibles through a new grading system, (ii) build anticipation around a new drop by offering pre-orders for products, and (iii) select a preferred return policy: no returns, a 15-day return with sealed, or the standard 30-day Walmart return policy.

Walmart Marketplace

Captiv8 integrates with TikTok Shop. Captiv8, an influencer marketing platform for enterprise brands, has expanded its partnership with TikTok to include an integration with TikTok Shop. The integration into Captiv8’s Commerce Suite enhances its social commerce capabilities, strengthening efforts to advance the creator economy and maximize the earning potential for creators. The collaboration follows the recent launch of Captiv8’s Brand Exclusive Storefronts.

Klarna partners with Adobe Commerce on flexible payment options. Klarna, the buy-now-pay-later service, has partnered with Adobe Commerce to enable merchants to implement Klarna’s BNPL and other payment options, such as direct payments, pay-after-delivery, and installment plans. According to Adobe Commerce, consumers are embracing the flexibility of BNPL services, with Adobe Analytics data showing over 11% growth in 2024.

e.l.f. Beauty to sell physical items on Roblox. e.l.f. Beauty is testing real-world commerce, powered by Walmart, on the Roblox virtual universe gaming platform. e.l.f. has created a virtual kiosk within its e.l.f. UP! experience on Roblox, where U.S. visitors can purchase Roblox-exclusive limited-edition physical products. The e.l.f. UP! experience is developed in partnership with Egen (cloud development) and Supersocial (metaverse services).

e.l.f. UP! on Roblox

Luxury platform Senser expands to the U.S. Senser, a luxury shopping platform, is entering the U.S. market. Senser partners with over 2,500 brands across 60 countries, offering a curated selection of more than 500,000 luxury items. The platform serves over 2 million high-net-worth customers. All products are shipped directly from European boutiques, allowing consumers to purchase their desired items at 30-60% off retail prices while enjoying a VIP-level professional fashion service experience.

Mollie and Riverty partner on BNPL invoicing. Mollie, a Europe-based financial service provider, is partnering with buy-bow-pay-later provider Riverty, supported by Bertelsmann, the media company. Mollie customers now have an additional option to pay later — up to 30 days. Riverty’s solution is integrated with Mollie, allowing customers to activate it in their Mollie dashboard. Riverty is available for Mollie customers in Belgium, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. Mollie now offers more than 30 different payment methods.

Dunnhumby unveils AI-powered assortment tool for products. Dunnhumby, a provider of customer data science, has launched an assortment solution, harnessing AI to enable retailers to identify and curate product ranges. Retailers can deliver localized assortments tailored to the unique preferences of a customer base. Retailers can use the planogram feature to optimize layouts based on customer behavior and implement merchandising rules, restrictions, and AI-powered predictive analytics to quantify product arrangements.

Dunnhumby

Google Merchant Center releases Merchant API Beta. Google has released the Merchant API Beta, an update of the Content API for Shopping. The Merchant API can help showcase products with new features, modular design with isolated sub-API updates, and improved alignment with Google’s API improvement proposals. It allows multiple API feeds, enhanced management of supplemental feeds, and support for other shopping feeds, such as promotions. New features include simplified promotions statuses, local feeds, and more.

Co-op partners with Walmart Commerce Technologies for online fulfillment. Co-op is partnering with Walmart Commerce Technologies to implement its online fulfillment technology, Store Assist. The app allows retailers to manage pickup, third-party marketplace, ship-from-store, and last-mile delivery orders all in one place. This streamlined omnichannel fulfillment workflow will enhance in-store processes and operations, remove the need for colleagues to switch between quick commerce apps or different devices, and allow for faster delivery times to support Co-op’s commerce growth ambitions.

Amazon Q in Connect utilizes step-by-step guides to assist customer service agents. Amazon Q in Connect, a generative-AI powered assistant for contact center agents, now recommends step-by-step guides in real time, which agents use to resolve customers’ issues. Amazon Q in Connect uses real-time customer conversations to detect their intent and provides a guided workflow to solve the problem.

HyperFinity launches AI-powered pricing for retailers. HyperFinity, a decision intelligence platform for retailers, has launched an AI-powered pricing product. According to HyperFinity, the tool presents data and insights in an easy-to-consume format, replacing spreadsheets. Users can model commercial scenarios based on price change decisions to understand margin impact as well as create AI-driven actions against every product in the range.

HyperFinity

13 Custom GPTs to Generate Content

Custom GPTs are versions of ChatGPT that OpenAI and its users create for specific tasks or topics. Custom GPTs offer innovative, time-saving shortcuts for businesses.

Here is a list of custom GPTs from OpenAI’s GPT Store to generate content. There are custom GPTs to produce images, videos, logos, graphs and slides, copy for ads and content marketing, and more.

Custom GPTs for Content

Copywriter GPT generates copy for marketing campaigns. Define your product’s campaign goal to generate copy and an ad.

Copywriter GPT

DALL-E is a text-to-image generative AI model developed by OpenAI. Generate images from text prompts.

Canva provides visual design elements, such as presentations, logos, and social media posts. Quickly generate a promotional poster for a sale or an inspirational social media story.

Logo Creator generates professional logo designs and app icons. Define the style, simplicity, and type of logo and then refine it.

Logo Creator

Write For Me is a tool for generating tailored, relevant content with a specified word count. Just specify the count and subject.

Image Generator specializes in generating images using a mix of professional and friendly tones. It can generate visual scenes for your product or design a logo.

AI Humanizer is a converter that humanizes AI-generated content. Create human-like content while maintaining meaning and quality.

AI Humanizer

Video GPT by VEED generates video for social media. Create a script and generate a video with AI avatars, text-to-speech, music, and stock footage.

Data Analyst, by OpenAI, analyzes and visualizes data. Upload data directly to ChatGPT, and then ask questions. Identify trends and generate charts to visualize the results.

Consensus is an assistant to research scientific literature and academic papers. Ask questions, then prompt it to create content based on the results.

Consensus

Video AI generates videos with voice-overs in any language. Quickly create a marketing or how-to video. Generate a script from text prompts, or convert text to video.

Fully SEO Optimized Article including FAQs produces search-engine-optimized content, including titles, meta descriptions, and tags.

Presentation and Slides GPT generates a presentation or slide deck to convey an idea or introduce a product.

Presentation and Slides GPT

New Ecommerce Tools: July 2, 2024

Every week we publish a list of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This installment includes updates on shoppable media, AI assistants, personalization, returns forecasting, installment payments, shipping platforms, discount ecommerce, and marketplaces.

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

New Tools for Merchants: July 2, 2024

Shopify embeds AI across its platform. Shopify has introduced AI-related products during its semi-annual showcase, Shopify Editions. New features among the 150-plus updates include (i) an AI tool to suggest personalized replies to customer emails, (ii) Magic, an AI-powered media editor, now instantly suggests personalized and intelligent recommendations for all product categories, assigning the right attributes to new products, and (iii) AI image editing is expanding to everywhere images are used, including in the Shopify mobile app.

Shopify’s Summer ’24 Edition

Amazon to launch a discount marketplace. Amazon plans to launch a new section dedicated to low-priced fashion and lifestyle items, allowing China-based sellers to ship directly to U.S. consumers. According to a presentation by Amazon to select sellers viewed by CNBC, Amazon’s storefront will feature unbranded items, many priced under $20. Amazon will ship the products directly from China to the U.S. and deliver them to shoppers within nine to 11 days.

Bloomreach unveils Loomi AI features for ecommerce teams. Bloomreach, an ecommerce personalization platform, has announced new premium features for its proprietary Loomi AI to customize, optimize, and automate personalization across the customer journey. Premium features for marketers include AutoSegments to automatically identify high-value customer segments, an analytics assistant with a conversational interface, and a variant generator to reduce campaign creation and testing time. New search features include Loomi Search+ with semantic and vector search tech, visual search, and search in 33 languages.

ParcelLab launches Returns Forecast AI to improve visibility for retailers. ParcelLab, a provider of post-purchase experience software, has launched its Returns Forecast AI. According to ParcelLab, the new tool leverages AI to estimate inbound parcels for retailer warehouses, allowing retailers to (i) forecast returns volumes and identify trend changes more accurately, (ii) better plan warehouse resources, and (iii) reduce processing times and operational costs. Returns Forecast AI is designed for retailers to strengthen their ability to anticipate and mitigate the financial impact of returns.

ParcelLab

Target partners with Shopify to add third-party sellers to its marketplace. Target has partnered with Shopify to discover new brands and hot items for Target’s marketplace. Shopify will help the retailer discover hot items and make them available for Target’s online shoppers. Target plans to put some popular items found through Shopify on store shelves. Unlike Amazon, Walmart, and eBay, Target only allows brands to join by invitation. It has more than 1,200 sellers. Target says its seller and product count have doubled over the past year.

Pear Commerce secures $10 million to transform shoppable media. Pear Commerce, a retail ecommerce marketing platform for omnichannel brands, has closed a $10 million funding round led by Stage 2 Capital. The funding follows Pear’s recent product launch, Pear Connect, a shoppable ad unit that integrates where-to-buy technology directly into the ad. Pear Connect enhances existing social and display ad creative by serving the in-stock product and retailer combinations most likely to be selected using Pear’s daily inventory scanning technology and ad platform algorithms.

Data analytic platform Baresquare launches AI manager for ecommerce revenue optimization. Baresquare, an AI-powered analytics platform, has launched an autonomous ecommerce AI agent called Tywin. According to Baresquare, Tywin monitors marketing campaigns and customer experience errors, creates revenue forecasts and targets, performs competitive pricing and inventory analysis, and checks online for search engine optimization and external factors such as weather and news events. Users can upload existing revenue plans or allow Tywin to generate forecasts based on historical data.

Baresquare

Adverio launches Amazon PPC Management Services for ecommerce advertising. Adverio, a digital marketing agency, has launched its Amazon PPC Management Services, designed to elevate the advertising performance and sales of ecommerce businesses on Amazon. The offering aims to streamline and enhance the pay-per-click strategies for sellers, leveraging advanced analytics and an understanding of Amazon’s advertising ecosystem. Adverio’s Amazon PPC Management Services cover all aspects of pay-per-click advertising, from initial setup and strategy development to ongoing optimization and performance analysis.

Qoo10 launches Wish+ to expand international sales channels. Two ecommerce platforms, Asia-based Qoo10 and U.S.-based Wish.com, have integrated. The integration provides a unified ecommerce experience on the upgraded Wish+ site and an expanded product inventory to encompass suppliers local to users along with Asia-based brands and manufacturers. The move combines Qoo10’s ecommerce ecosystem of merchants in Korea, Japan, and India with Wish.com’s North America and Europe market presence and inventory of regional and China-based manufacturers.

Visa expands payment options for Amazon customers in Canada. Visa has announced a collaboration with Amazon to provide Canadian consumers with more choices at checkout. When shopping online on Amazon.ca or the Amazon app, eligible RBC and Scotiabank credit cardholders will now have the option to select “Installments enabled by Visa” as their payment method for qualifying purchases. This payment option enables eligible consumers to convert their purchases into smaller, fixed payments over a defined period.

ShipStation streamlines ecommerce shipping in Australia. ShipStation, a cloud-based shipping platform from Auctane, has launched new features to help online businesses in Australia streamline their shipping processes and enhance customer experiences. New features include inventory sync, deliver-by date, harmonization code import, checkout rate control, custom labels, GlobalPost Carrier integration, add-on marketplace, and more. ShipStation also released its High Volume Plan for retailers in Australia and New Zealand, tailored to meet the demands of enterprise parcel delivery.

ShipStation in Australia

New Ecommerce Tools: June 27, 2024

Once a week we publish a list of new products from companies offering services to online sellers. This installment includes updates on AI-powered search, subscriptions, social commerce, chatbots, local shopping, reverse logistics, live shopping, and retail media networks.

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

New Tools for Merchants: June 27

Daydream raises $50 million in seed funding to build an AI-powered search engine for ecommerce. Daydream, an AI-powered platform designed to change how people shop online, has raised a $50 million seed round co-led by Forerunner Ventures and Index Ventures with participation from Google Ventures and True Ventures. Launching in beta this fall, Daydream will introduce its first shopping category, a personalized experience powered by a built-in search engine that offers a better way to find and discover women’s and men’s fashion.

Daydream

Amazon opens Subscribe & Save for seller-fulfilled orders. Amazon is expanding its Subscribe & Save program to seller-fulfilled products. Subscribe & Save offers discounts on frequently used products if buyers schedule future purchases. Amazon will automatically enroll eligible, replenishable products at the default discount set in Subscribe & Save settings. Previously set discounts for Fulfillment by Amazon Subscribe & Save will apply to a seller-fulfilled Subscribe & Save selection starting June 27.

TikTok introduces revamped location pages for local shopping and destinations. TikTok has enhanced the landing pages for select U.S. locations, including Boston, New York, and Texas. Instead of merely displaying videos tagged with a specific area, the platform now organizes content into categories such as “shopping” and “food & drink,” making it easier for users to find relevant videos. Additionally, a new “explore more places” button integrates with Apple Maps, providing a view of businesses in the area with details such as address and prices.

Captiv8 launches Branded Storefronts for social commerce. Captiv8, an influencer marketing platform for enterprise brands, has launched Branded Storefronts, which harnesses creator storytelling and personalized product curation to deliver a social commerce experience outside of social networks. Creators can now maintain a single storefront that enables all their social content to be shoppable. Branded Storefronts paired with Captiv8’s measurement and affiliate offerings allow companies to track, analyze, and optimize the shopper experience in real time.

Captiv8’s Branded Storefronts

Meta introduces AI chatbots, messaging tools, and a Threads API. Meta has introduced three products to help businesses and creators engage and grow. First, an AI chat feature (built with Meta Llama 3) for companies on Messenger will help consumers purchase products and obtain customer support. Second, using Ads Manager, select advertisers can soon create, organize, and send paid marketing on Messenger. Third, Meta is launching a Threads API to help businesses and creators manage their presence at scale.

Threekit launches Visual Discovery AI to help shoppers navigate ecommerce. Visual commerce specialist Threekit is launching Visual Discovery AI, enabling shoppers to explore product catalogs in a personalized way. According to Threekit, Visual Discovery AI can guide shoppers through educational brand experiences and technical product purchases. The search tool can interpret personal text or prompts and make associations based on user intent, producing personalized search results.

Reverse logistics solution firm ReturnBear expands into U.K. ReturnBear, a reverse logistics platform for ecommerce returns, is expanding its operations into the U.K. ReturnBear’s platform provides automated self-serve returns and optimized logistics strategies such as consolidated cross-border brand shipments, offering brands access to 1,000-plus Canadian locations, with processing hubs in Canada and the U.S.

ReturnBear

Target releases gen AI technology to team members. Target is rolling out a generative AI tool to team members at all of its nearly 2,000 stores. The tool, called Store Companion, is a custom gen-AI-powered chatbot that answers on-the-job process questions, coaches new employees, supports store operations management, and more. The initiative is part of Target’s broader strategic approach to using gen AI to empower its team, enhance the guest experience, and support the company’s long-term growth.

Button launches retail media inventory offering for retailers, publishers, and creators. Button, a commerce optimization platform, has unveiled a retail media offering, enabling retailers, publishers, and creators to access a retail media network. The inventory solution connects with ad platforms such as Microsoft Advertising and TripleLift, a programmatic ad platform. According to Button, the platform is designed to bridge the gap between retailers’ on-site advertising and the audience reach of publishers and creators. Retailers extend their on-site advertising capabilities to premium publisher and creator audiences while publishers and creators unlock a new revenue stream.

Live-shopping platform Voggt integrates with Amazon IVS Real-Time Streaming. Online marketplace Voggt, which combines live video and ecommerce, has integrated Amazon Interactive Video Service, a managed live-streaming service that uses the same streaming technology and global infrastructure as Twitch, the live-stream service. By implementing Amazon IVS Real-Time Streaming, Voggt says it dropped its average latency from 12 seconds to 60 milliseconds. Voggt averages 7,000 auctions and 300 shows per day on Amazon IVS, totaling around 30,000 live-stream broadcast hours per month.

Pacvue introduces AI integrations across its product suite. Pacvue, a retail media facilitator across marketplaces, has unveiled several AI capabilities to enhance its product suite. The new features include a copilot commerce companion, generative content for product images, AI review for real-time analysis, and AI insights for measurement and reporting.

Pacvue

New Ecommerce Tools: June 17, 2024

This week’s list of new products for ecommerce and omnichannel merchants includes generative AI, chatbots, digital payments, social commerce, subscriptions, media networks, and cryptocurrencies.

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

New Tools for Merchants: June 17

Intuit Mailchimp previews AI-powered revenue intelligence system. Intuit has previewed its new revenue intelligence technology, a system of always-on predictive and generative AI models for marketers. The company’s Mailchimp platform will utilize revenue intelligence to deploy Intuit’s data through AI technology to benchmark customers’ marketing against industry-specific financial inputs from Intuit QuickBooks and marketing performance data points. It will recommend the right time to target customers and generate more personalized and revenue-driving content. Additionally, Mailchimp is announcing the continued expansion of SMS features in the U.K.

Intuit Mailchimp

eBay includes Venmo as a payment option. eBay is expanding its checkout by adding Venmo, the popular payment platform among Gen Z and millennials, with more than 90 million users. Buyers can pay for purchases with their Venmo balance or bank account, debit card, or credit card linked to their Venmo account. Sellers need only to offer Venmo as a payment method. The addition of Venmo continues eBay’s push toward tapping into a younger demographic.

Fast Simon launches Personalization AI Embeddings. Fast Simon, a provider of AI-powered shopping optimization, has launched Personalization AI Embeddings, creating vectors that feed Fast Simon’s AI model. According to the company, Personalization AI Embeddings leverage complex logic and multiple AI inputs, including color, category, image matching, text descriptions, customer activity, and location. Personalization AI Embeddings can improve search results, optimize collection assortment, and suggest product categories for the shopper.

Sendbird provides AI chatbot for Shopify merchants. Sendbird, a communications API platform, has announced an AI chatbot for Shopify. Powered by OpenAI’s latest large language model GPT-4o, Sendbird’s no-code AI chatbot connects to merchant store data via Shopify’s APIs. The connection allows it to answer frequently asked questions, make product recommendations, and provide support contact information, boosting customer satisfaction and transactions. Merchants can customize and test their AI chatbot before deploying it on their Shopify store.

Sendbird

Pinterest partners with Vtex to help brands leverage social commerce. Pinterest has partnered with Vtex, a composable commerce platform. The collaboration is designed to help large brands expand their social commerce footprint and connect with regional customers. Vtex’s platform lets its 2,600 global brands reach and engage on Pinterest, where customers can integrate their product catalogs, create pins, and run performance shopping campaigns.

Costco launches beta version of its retail media network. Costco will launch its own retail media network, currently in beta testing. The network will leverage data from the retailer’s 74.5 million members, including their purchase history. Costco can map individual purchases to shoppers’ households in-store and online. Ads will be served both on- and off-network.

Contentsquare announces an AI-embedded Experience Intelligence platform. Contentsquare, a digital experience platform, has announced its new Experience Intelligence platform, connecting four analytics features: Digital Experience Analytics, Digital Experience Monitoring, Product Analytics, and Voice of Customer. Additionally, Contentsquare has integrated AI-powered insights across its platform to streamline analysis.

Contentsquare

Trustly launches AI-powered recurring payments. Trustly, an open banking account-to-account payment platform, has unveiled an AI-powered recurring payments feature to help merchants handle repeat transactions through a single integration. The technology enables businesses to accept recurring transactions directly from customers’ bank accounts. It expands upon the capabilities of Trustly Azura, the company’s proprietary data engine. Trustly Recurring Payments is a pan-European solution available through a single API from one platform.

Google’s Search Console provides ecommerce data on product listings. Google has introduced a feature in Search Console that allows merchants to track their Image Search product listings. The new data is accessible through the Performance report under the Google Search Image tab, and includes impressions, clicks, and other key metrics related to product showcases. The new Search Console data provides businesses with a more comprehensive view of their product visibility.

FreedomPay launches independent payment processing referral advisory for merchants. FreedomPay, a payment solution provider for commerce, has launched Merchant Centric Acquiring, an independent advisory service available to merchants in the U.S. and Canada to deliver a more equitable payment system for their businesses. Merchant Centric Acquiring allows merchants to partner with FreedomPay to explore a range of pre-qualified processing providers.

Helio upgrades Solana Pay plugin for Shopify, enabling crypto payments. Helio, a crypto payments provider, has upgraded its Solana Pay plugin for Shopify. The plugin provides multi-token payments, allowing buyers to make purchases in Solana or other cryptocurrencies with automatic swaps to stablecoins, meaning merchants always receive USDC (a crypto) or another currency of their choice. Solana Pay enables Shopify merchants to tap active communities by allowing buyers to spend meme coins in their online stores.

Helio