New Ecommerce Tools: September 4, 2025

Every week we publish a handpicked list of new products and services from vendors of ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on email marketing, marketplace automation, AI agents, multi-site commerce, D2C subscriptions, interactive messaging, and website builders.

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

New Tools for Merchants

Getsitecontrol launches email deliverability tools. Getsitecontrol, an email marketing platform for ecommerce brands, has released features to help businesses monitor, understand, and improve email performance. Getsitecontrol provides live analytics for each campaign type. Users can now send email campaigns from their own domain instead of a shared one. Smart Sending mode uses AI to analyze each recipient’s behavior and deliver emails at the optimal time. Also, Getsitecontrol forms now support Google reCAPTCHA to verify subscribers.

Getsitecontrol

Amazon introduces Lens Live, an AI-powered visual search feature. Amazon Lens, a visual search tool in the company’s Shopping app, is adding Lens Live. When shoppers with Lens Live open Lens, the camera instantly scans products and displays matching items in a swipeable carousel. Shoppers can tap an item in the camera view to focus on a specific product, add items directly to their cart, and save to their wish lists. Lens Live also integrates with Rufus, Amazon’s AI shopping assistant.

Fortis expands embedded payments capabilities with Adobe Commerce extension. Fortis, a provider of embedded payments and commerce technology, has launched its FortisPay extension for Adobe Commerce, accepting e-checks, ACH, credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more. Users of the Fortis extension can (i) securely store payment information and monitor for expired cards, (ii) get real-time order status updates embedded directly in the ecommerce platform, (iii) access Level 2 and Level 3 processing for B2B optimization, and (iv) embed workflows with NetSuite, Microsoft, Sage, Acumatica, and other leading systems.

eBay releases regulatory resource for sellers. eBay has launched a guide on the laws and regulations that may apply to sellers on the platform. The guide provides a central location for key regulatory information, a discovery tool to help identify relevant laws and regulations, and direct links to guidance on how to comply. Enter your location and shipping destination, and the discovery tool will highlight potential applicable laws and provide info on how to stay compliant.

ChannelEngine and Salsify partner on marketplace expansion. ChannelEngine, a marketplace integration and automation platform, has partnered with Salsify, a platform for product experience management and content syndication, to enable brands to expand reach, optimize performance, and scale across retail channels. Users can (i) enrich and localize product content through Salsify’s PXM platform, (ii) activate listings across 950 global marketplaces via ChannelEngine’s direct integrations, (iii) automate operations such as inventory syncing, pricing, order flows, and returns, and (iv) track performance and optimize growth with built-in reporting and insights.

Salsify

Alibaba launches AI agents to boost efficiency for global merchants. Alibaba International has launched Marco, an AI tool to enhance global ecommerce operations. Marco assists ecommerce merchants across Alibaba’s ecosystem, handling over 60 tasks across marketing, marketplace compliance, and customer service. The company has also introduced three specialized AI agents for complex cross-border ecommerce tasks: Intelligent Refund Agent, HS Code Agent to automate customs classifications, and Merchant Recruitment Agent to identify and pre-qualify potential sellers.

Run Payments launches Merchant for payments, reporting, dispute management. Run Payments, a payments orchestration platform, has launched Run Merchant, an application to orchestrate credit card and ACH payment data across multiple gateways and processors. Merchants can (i) manage all transactions in real-time across every location, sales channel, and processor, (ii) accept payments via virtual terminal, hosted payment pages, or API, (iii) track, respond, and resolve disputes without leaving the portal, and (iv) stay compliant with B2B transactions by accommodating Level 2 and Level 3 interchange optimization under Visa’s evolving Commercial Enhanced Data Program framework.

RunDTC unveils Unify Accelerator to power multi-site commerce on Shopify. RunDTC, a digital commerce agency, has launched Unify Accelerator, a quick-launch platform for enterprise retailers, developed with Contentstack, an adaptive digital experience platform. Designed for large-scale commerce organizations, Unify provides an interface powered by Contentstack’s DXP, enabling marketers and merchandisers to manage content across Shopify efficiently and at scale. From a single interface, merchants can access scheduling, preview and staging functionality, and control who can create, approve, and publish content.

Cleeng unveils free D2C subscription platform. Cleeng, a developer of subscriber retention management solutions, has unveiled Pro, a direct-to-consumer subscription management platform that can be launched quickly. Free for up to 10,000 subscribers, Cleeng Pro offers subscription management, identity and entitlement control, advanced analytics, support, and optional Merchant of Record and payment orchestration services. Cleeng Pro features no-code onboarding, best practice guides, and a partner network that includes JWPlayer, Applicaster, Videodock, Urban Zoo, Alpha Networks, and Sportradar.

Cleeng

Genstore launches AI-native store builder with a conversational interface. Genstore, an AI-native store builder, has launched its platform, which enables small and micro businesses to start, run, and scale a store, combining a simple conversational interface, instant AI store setup, autonomous growth tools, and multichannel integration. Genstore lets users upload a product image in the chat and instantly generates a product page with descriptions, templates, and visuals. Sellers can create a site, list products, answer questions, and run campaigns — all by chatting.

WEX partners with Trulioo for digital onboarding and fraud prevention. Trulioo, an identity platform for personal and business verification, has partnered with WEX, a payment processing and fleet management company. WEX provides processing for customers in the areas of corporate payments,  employee benefits, and fleet services. Trulioo Document Verification combines advanced biometrics and machine learning to detect forgeries, deep fakes, and injection attacks.

Twilio introduces Rich Communication Services for branded interactive messaging. Twilio, a customer engagement platform for real-time, personalized experiences, has announced the global availability of Rich Communication Services messaging. Twilio’s RCS enables companies to send branded, verified messages with rich interactive features. RCS is available to all active customer accounts through Twilio’s Programmable Messaging and Verify APIs. Existing customers can upgrade, and new customers can implement both SMS and RCS through a single integration via the Twilio platform.

Miva launches Vexture, AI-powered search for ecommerce discovery. Ecommerce platform Miva has launched Vexture, a product discovery tool to help merchants deliver faster, more relevant search results based on real customer intent. Vexture combines local private AI embeddings from the merchant’s product catalog and other data, enabling it to interpret shopper language naturally and dynamically. Vexture leverages AI-driven natural language processing and store data to go beyond traditional keyword matching and understand what shoppers mean, not just what they type.

Miva

New Ecommerce Tools: August 28, 2025

This week’s rundown of new products and services from vendors of ecommerce merchants includes AI-generated product images, fulfillment, social commerce, digital advertising, affiliate marketing, less-than-truckload shipping, autonomous ground deliveries, and more.

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

New Tools for Merchants

Google Ads launches Asset Studio beta. Google Ads has released, in beta, Asset Studio, a built-in creative hub streamlining how advertisers produce and scale ad assets with AI. Asset Studio appears in Google Ads under “Tools” and provides native creative features directly in the Ads interface. Advertisers can use it to generate images with text prompts, create lifestyle product visuals, edit photos, bulk edit assets at scale, create and trim ad-ready videos, and add voice-overs for video and audio ads.

Google Ads

Shopify announces built-in fulfillment capabilities. Shopify is launching partnerships with the largest global carriers, introducing bulk order processing, and streamlining shipping workflows, all of which can be managed directly in the Shopify admin. Carrier partnerships include DHL, USPS, UPS, FedEx, Canada Post, Purolator, Royal Mail, Australia Post, and Flexport. For international shipping, merchants can collect duties and taxes at checkout and purchase Delivered Duty Paid labels from DHL Express and DHL eCommerce. New bulk order processing accommodates up to 250 orders simultaneously.

Walmart announces new seller tools and resources at Marketplace Seller Summit. At its Let’s Grow! Seller Summit, Walmart announced a suite of new tools and initiatives. The Seller Advisors Program provides feedback and insights to help foster impactful solutions. An AI-powered listing tool helps with setup for single and bulk items, while Smart Assistant provides support. Sellers who self-fulfill can now automate delivery promises by region. The Brand Portal safeguards sellers and identifies fraudulent activity with a heightened focus on product authenticity.

Wix integrates with Pinterest for social commerce. Wix merchants can now promote and sell their products directly on Pinterest, the visual search and discovery network. By establishing a connection between their Pinterest account and their Wix site, merchants can sync their catalogs and run targeted ads on Pinterest. These ads drive shoppers back to the merchant’s Wix site for a streamlined checkout experience.

Wix

Domaine launches AI commerce suite for Shopify. Domaine Worldwide, a Shopify-focused design and development firm, has introduced AI Commerce Suite, combining large language model technology for automated product copy, imagery, and short-form video with adaptive search engine optimization and geo-targeting that respond in real-time to trending keywords and local demand. The new Suite delivers predictive search, personalized recommendations, and dynamic content to convert visitors into customers. Users can boost visibility in emerging search channels, guide shoppers to relevant products, and reduce time from idea to campaign launch, according to Domaine.

TestSquared launches free AffiliateTor directory for affiliate programs. TestSquared, an ecommerce tool developer, has launched AffiliateTor, a free directory to simplify how affiliates discover and connect with opportunities. Brands can showcase their programs to a network of potential partners and reach affiliates searching for programs. The directory is organized by industry niche.

Bandy AI launches to generate ecommerce product imagery with AI models. Bandy AI has launched its platform to help ecommerce stores and apparel brands create photorealistic on-model fashion images. According to Bandy AI, the platform enables brands to generate quality images of clothing and accessories on diverse AI models, with creative control over poses, backgrounds, and camera angles, all rendered within minutes. Bandy AI features a virtual try-on tool that digitally dresses photorealistic AI models with apparel and accessories.

Bandy AI

Visa expands Click to Pay across Asia Pacific for enhanced ecommerce checkout. Visa has announced the expansion of Click to Pay across Asia Pacific through strategic partnerships with payment enablers 2C2P, Adyen, AsiaPay, and Worldpay. According to Visa, Click to Pay offers a seamless and secure online checkout experience, with biometric authentication through payment passkeys for enhanced security. By allowing customers to retrieve their saved, tokenized payment details using a mobile number or email alias, Click to Pay eliminates the need to enter card information manually.

BestBuy.com launches marketplace. Best Buy is launching a marketplace for third-party merchants to sell on BestBuy.com and through the app. According to the company, customers can shop from hundreds of brands and from categories such as seasonal décor, automotive tech, office and home, and movies and music. Best Buy says it will soon introduce licensed sports merchandise. Customers can return marketplace products at their local Best Buy store, in addition to shipping them to the seller.

Netcore Cloud integrates with Shopify for real-time ecommerce engagement. Netcore Cloud, a marketing technology company, has launched its plugin on the Shopify platform. Users can (i) access both Shopify and Netcore data in one place for improved segmentation and deeper customer understanding, (ii) leverage Shopify purchase history, product views, and browsing patterns to create campaigns that reflect individual customer interests, (iii) set up event-triggered journeys, from abandoned cart nudges to post-purchase sequences, and (iv) deliver highly contextual outreach across email, SMS, and WhatsApp, all according to Netcore Cloud.

Just Eat Takeaway teams with Rivr to pilot robot food delivery in Europe. Just Eat Takeaway.com, an on-demand delivery service, is partnering with robotics company Rivr to pilot doorstep delivery with autonomous ground robots. The Rivr ground robot combines wheels for efficient travel with legs for climbing stairs and curbs. Functioning with physical AI, the robot avoids obstacles, vehicles, and pedestrians. The Rivr robot will initially deliver food orders in Zurich, with plans to expand to other European cities later this year, and potentially into retail and convenience stores.

Rivr

Pinterest debuts Thrift Shop, targeting Gen Zs. Pinterest has introduced Thrift Shop, a shopping space for thrift lovers, particularly Gen Zs. According to Pinterest, Gen Zs (ages mid-teens to late 20s) now account for more than 50% of Pinterest users; searches for “dream thrift finds” have skyrocketed by 550% amongst that cohort, while searches for “vintage fall aesthetic” are up 1,074%. The Thrift Shop will launch in September, enabling users to browse and shop secondhand finds directly on Pinterest.

DoorDash expands its Commerce Platform to restaurants. DoorDash has expanded its Commerce Platform with tools to help restaurants grow direct sales and deepen customer relationships. Using menu, branding, and images already on DoorDash, restaurants can instantly launch a search-engine-optimized website. Built-in customer management tools allow restaurants to automate, segment, and personalize email and SMS campaigns. The loyalty program rewards guests whether they order from a restaurant’s own app or website, the DoorDash Marketplace, or in-store, according to DoorDash.

TinyFish launches enterprise web agent platform. TinyFish, an enterprise web agent infrastructure provider, has launched with $47 million in funding (led by Iconiq) to transform complex business operations. TinyFish agents execute complete workflows mapped to measurable business outcomes. For ecommerce enterprises, TinyFish’s web agents enable brands to track competitor pricing, monitor inventory shifts, and capture promotional data across thousands of retail sites simultaneously. The company states it will use the funds for continued innovation.

Oway raises $4 million for AI-enabled ride-share freight platform. Oway, a San Francisco-based startup backed by Y Combinator and General Catalyst, has raised $4 million in a seed round to build a decentralized “Uber for freight” delivery platform. Using AI to help find and match cargo with empty trailer space and a convenient destination, along with automating standard shipping and insurance documentation, Oway seeks to reduce shipping costs by 50%. Ride-share cargo is made possible by electronic logging devices installed on long-haul trucks.

Oway

New Ecommerce Tools: August 13, 2025

This week’s rundown of new products and services from vendors to ecommerce merchants includes tools for automation, personalized marketing, localized payments, AI-powered search, logistics, agentic commerce, generative AI, and omnichannel distribution.

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

New Tools for Merchants

Wunderkind marketing platform launches on Shopify. Wunderkind, a performance marketing platform, has launched on the Shopify App Store. The app gives Shopify brands the ability to connect with Wunderkind’s Autonomous Marketing platform to unlock personalized, omnichannel marketing. Merchants gain access to Wunderkind’s suite of capabilities, including a proprietary identity network to recognize anonymous visitors, hyper-personalized omnichannel messaging, and real-time performance insights and optimization tools to enhance decision-making.

Wunderkind

ShipBob announces De Minimis Defense Program. ShipBob, a global supply chain and fulfillment platform for SMB and mid-market omnichannel merchants, has announced its De Minimis Defense Program to help businesses impacted by President Trump’s executive order suspending duty-free de minimis for all countries. This suspension starts at or after 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on August 29, 2025. To complement its De Minimis Defense Program, ShipBob’s network now includes multiple Foreign-Trade Zone warehouses

Fredhopper launches app for AI-powered product discovery on Shopify. Crownpeak, a digital experience management tool, has launched the Fredhopper Product Discovery Shopify App, enabling enterprise-grade AI search, personalized recommendations, and visual merchandising. Built for scaling brands with extensive catalogs and complex storefronts, the app extends product discovery capabilities to the Shopify platform. Features include AI-powered search, intelligent visual merchandising, localization compatible with Shopify Markets and region-specific catalogs, and native data sync. To launch Fredhooper, Crownpeak collaborated with Underwaterpistol, a Shopify Plus agency.

DCL Logistics launches SelectShip, an AI-powered shipping engine. DCL Logistics, a fulfillment provider, has launched SelectShip, a shipping engine to automate parcel decisions, reduce unforeseen delivery costs, and leverage real-time shipping market data. The AI-powered system automates shipping decisions in real time, optimizing for speed, cost, and reliability for each order, according to DCL Logistics, which states SelectShip requires no new tools, dashboards, or configuration from the customer.

DCL Logistics

Click Labs expands logistics footprint with acquisition of Evermile. Click Labs, a provider of logistics and on-demand delivery software, has acquired Evermile, a London and Tel Aviv-based retail operations platform for small and medium-sized enterprises. The deal marks Click Labs’ expansion into retail operations. Evermile will continue to operate as a standalone brand in the near term, while its technology integrates into Click Labs’ products, including JungleWorks, Tookan, Yelo, and Hippo.

Forter launches identity monitoring for agentic commerce. Forter, an identity and fraud-prevention tool for digital commerce, has announced capabilities to trust AI agents from discovery through payment, including browsing activity referred from AI agents, chatbots, and other tools, and advanced models to distinguish different types of agents. Future platform releases are set to include multiple agents for automating policies and building insights, per Forter.

Klarna payment platform is now available via Stripe for WooCommerce. Klarna, the buy-now pay-later platform, has expanded its ecommerce footprint with its Stripe for WooCommerce integration. Klarna’s payment methods are now available to WooCommerce stores using the Stripe plugin, with no additional setup required from merchants.

Graas raises $9 million to launch an autonomous agent platform for ecommerce automation. Graas, an AI-native data and automation company for ecommerce, has raised $9 million in a round led by Tin Men Capital. Graas will use the funds to accelerate the rollout of Agent Foundry, a proprietary environment for developing autonomous agents for commerce challenges, such as customer acquisition costs, pricing optimization, and inventory management. According to Graas, Agent Foundry enables agents to analyze real-time performance and execute decisions across channels, SKUs, and campaigns.

Graas

MetaFyAI launches commerce-focused generative AI suite. MetaFyAI has announced the release of its Generative AI Commerce Suite, a set of intelligent tools that enable retailers, direct-to-consumer brands, and marketplace sellers to automate operations, deliver personalized shopping experiences, and drive measurable revenue growth. MetaFyAI states its tool is trained on ecommerce data, giving it insight into industry nuances, consumer behavior, and platform-specific requirements, such as generating product descriptions and real-time dynamic pricing.

Cavallo expands SalesPad ecommerce capabilities for omnichannel distribution. Cavallo, a developer of distribution software, has integrated its SalesPad management platform with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Adobe Commerce. SalesPad supports sales-order export functionality, enabling orders placed through offline channels to be pushed from SalesPad back to the ecommerce storefront. This gives end customers visibility into their full order history, including fulfillment progress, tracking updates, invoicing, and cancellations, directly from the online portal, according to Cavallo.

Shopline and Quay Acceleration partner to scale omnichannel brands globally. Shopline, an ecommerce platform, has partnered with Quay Acceleration, a startup tool, to launch a three-month program for omnichannel retail brands ready to scale across markets, platforms, and storefronts. Built for early and growth-stage companies operating online, in-store, and via social, the accelerator blends infrastructure, mentorship, and retail strategy to help founders grow across borders and sales channels. The fall program will include 40 retail founders in fashion, beauty, home, and consumer goods, per Shopline.

dLocal launches SmartPix for Pix payments in Brazil. dLocal, a cross-border payment platform for emerging markets, has launched SmartPix, a tool enabling merchants in Brazil to process tokenized Pix payments, including recurring and on-demand charges, without requiring customers to authorize each transaction manually. With SmartPix, merchants can securely store customers’ Pix credentials, similar to card-on-file, and initiate charges in real time. Pix is the instant payment platform managed by the Central Bank of Brazil.

dLocal

New Ecommerce Tools: August 7, 2025

Every week we publish a handpicked list of new products and services from vendors to ecommerce merchants. This installment covers AI-powered commerce platforms, embedded financial services, cross-border payment solutions, logistics optimization, marketplace incentives, and simplified transaction processes.

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

New Tools for Merchants

Wix launches financial services for merchants. Wix has launched Wix Checking and Wix Capital to help clients manage cash flow and fund growth. Wix Checking, powered by Unit, a platform for embedded finance, gives users an integrated business checking account. By syncing automatically with Wix Payments, Wix Checking removes the need for external banking tools and manual reconciliations. Wix has also introduced Wix Capital, allowing clients to request a cash advance in exchange for a fixed fee and a percentage of future sales.

Wix

Prepping for the holidays, Walmart Marketplace offers seller incentives. Walmart Marketplace will now waive referral fees to sellers on popular items. Plus, the company is waiving peak season storage fees from October 1 through December 31 for sellers using Walmart Fulfillment Services. Now through October 1, first-time users of Multichannel (shipping) Solutions get a 30% discount. Also, WFS has expanded international transport options with the addition of two ports in Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong.

BigCommerce rebrands parent company to Commerce, unifying BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift. BigCommerce has rebranded its parent company from BigCommerce Holdings, Inc. to Commerce.com, Inc., unifying BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift for an era of agentic AI. Commerce will focus on providing merchants with data infrastructure and intelligent storefronts. Commerce also unveiled the company’s vision for powering agentic agents, where AI acts on behalf of consumers to research, recommend, and even transact.

BigCommerce and Feedonomics deepen partnership with Google Cloud. BigCommerce and Feedonomics, a data feed platform, have announced a deepened partnership with Google Cloud. Feedonomics Surface will deliver AI-enriched product data directly to Google Merchant Center, boosting visibility across sales channels. Using Feedonomics’ new Google Cloud with Gemini features, merchants can automatically enrich product catalogs. By combining BigCommerce’s Model Context Protocol with Google’s Agent Development Kit, developers can build commerce-aware merchant agents.

Blockchain fintech OwlTing introduces OwlPay Stablecoin Checkout. OwlTing Group, a global blockchain fintech company, has launched OwlPay Stablecoin Checkout, an API-embedded stablecoin function set to go live this month. Designed for global enterprises in mobility, hospitality, ecommerce, and gaming sectors, OwlPay Stablecoin Checkout enables seamless USD to USDC conversions, allowing businesses to accept stablecoin payments and settle in USD through their own platforms or leverage the built-in feature on the user interface of the OwlPay Payment B2B tool.

OwlTing

Rakuten launches Rakuten AI. Rakuten, a Japan-based ecommerce marketplace and online services company, has launched Rakuten AI, an AI agent to enhance user experiences and streamline interactions across the Rakuten ecosystem, including shopping, lifestyle, fintech, travel, education, work, wellness, and entertainment. The initial rollout integrates Rakuten AI into Rakuten Link, a communication app for Rakuten Mobile subscribers, and offers Rakuten AI as a web app in beta. Rakuten AI is free to use in all its forms.

Octup raises $12 million for 3PL operations. Octup, a real-time AI operations platform for third-party logistics providers, has closed a $12 million seed round co-led by Shine Capital and JAL Ventures. Octup’s platform provides real-time analytics for warehouse operations, including automated billing, labor tracking, and service-level-agreement management, while also offering client-facing portals with self-service reporting capabilities. With this funding, Octup plans to accelerate AI-powered forecasting and exception management development. The company also plans to expand its presence in North America.

FlavorCloud launches Localized Market Pricing. FlavorCloud, a provider of cross-border shipping solutions, has launched Localized Market Pricing, a recommendations and analytics tool that enables Shopify sellers to display fully landed costs, including duties, taxes, shipping, and fees, as a part of SKU-level pricing. The platform can adjust pricing based on actual landed costs, allowing retailers to choose whether to absorb or pass on cost changes. Price updates are automatic, triggered by schedules or specific events.

FlavorCloud

Amazon introduces star-only ratings. Amazon has launched a simplified experience to provide feedback on sellers. Customers can now provide star ratings without (or with) written feedback. Customers will be required to select a reason before they can submit any rating below four stars. According to Amazon, the new process will help sellers collect more ratings faster and may lead to an increase in the average seller ratings.

Splitit and Antom partner on cross-border card-linked installments for merchants. Splitit, an embedded white-label platform enabling card-linked installment payments, and Antom, a provider of merchant payment and digitization services under Ant International, have announced a strategic partnership. Splitit will integrate its installment technology into Antom’s checkout experience worldwide. Customers can split purchases into monthly payments directly at checkout, using existing credit cards, streamlining cross-border commerce and international payment processing.

eBay debuts Secure Purchase checkout for vehicle transactions. eBay has announced the availability of Secure Purchase, simplifying vehicle transactions by managing payment, financing, registration, ownership transfer, and transport. Both the buyer and seller verify their identity and provide basic information about the vehicle. The buyer selects financing, transportation, protection, and insurance preferences in a few clicks. The seller uploads photos of the title, vehicle identification number, and odometer readings. Buyer and seller digitally sign the required documents, then transfer funds to initiate registration and title transfer.

AstroPay launches platform to embed global financial services. AstroPay, a digital wallet provider, has rolled out a platform allowing companies to build and launch their own global financial products using the same infrastructure that powers AstroPay’s consumer wallet. Businesses can leverage AstroPay’s connections to multiple local and international payment schemes, along with its multicurrency wallet, card issuing capabilities, and regulatory compliance framework across jurisdictions. Current support includes accounts in Brazil, Argentina, and Europe.

AstroPay

5 Ecommerce Platforms for Startups 2025

Ecommerce entrepreneurs getting started in 2025 should look for easy-to-use platforms that won’t bust the budget.

The ecommerce industry is maturing. The first online shop was likely the Boston Computer Exchange, launched in 1982. Amazon and eBay turn 30 this year.

For the most part, the technology underpinning online selling, such as displaying products or accepting payments, is standard and reliable. The difference in ecommerce platforms is not core functionality.

Bootstrapped and focused: launching an ecommerce business from the living room.

Key Elements

Entrepreneurs with limited capital and no technical help require ecommerce tools that work out of the box, grow with the business, and stay out of the way.

Thus new, bootstrapped ecommerce merchants should seek six platform characteristics, as follows:

• Easy to set up. It should be possible to launch in hours without hiring a designer or developer.

• Easy to maintain. Changing prices, updating products, and adding pages should be small tasks.

• Inexpensive or free. New entrepreneurs should invest in inventory and advertising. An ecommerce platform should be a marginal cost at worst.

• Comprehensive. The platform should perform all ecommerce functions with the stability described above.

• Able to scale. As it grows, a shop will need more features and throughput; the platform should be viable through a few million in annual sales.

• Easy to market. New stores depend on advertising. This means having good landing pages, email capture forms, and discount features such as coupon codes. Organic traffic from search engines and generative AI platforms is beyond reach, so startups require features that turn paid clicks into customers.

5 Platforms

No list of ecommerce platforms makes everyone happy. It’s especially true for the makers of the many capable software solutions not mentioned below. But here are my five recommendations for new ecommerce stores.

Shopify

Shopify, the leading industry platform, is built for growth. The Basic plan is $39.99 per month or $359 annually, plus transaction fees. That investment delivers a fully fledged online store with unlimited products, loads of payment integrations, and access to the platform’s massive app ecosystem.

It is reasonable to have a Shopify store up and running in less than an hour that can easily scale to the enterprise level.

Some parts of the platform may be confusing for a novice, but Shopify works for most ecommerce businesses.

Square Online

Ecommerce businesses sometimes originate from in-person experiences with point-of-sale software. This might be a business that sells handmade jewelry at local art shows, has an Etsy shop, and wants its own ecommerce site. Why not pick a platform from a supplier you already work with?

The Square Online platform is low-cost to start (just transaction fees) and integrates directly with Square’s POS system. The service is built on the Weebly platform, which Square acquired in 2018, and is simple to use and understand.

Ecwid by Lightspeed

The term “ecommerce platform” evolved with the software it described. Years ago, the industry called these tools “shopping carts,” and many could bolt on to just about any website someone had built.

Ecwid is both a freestanding platform and a bolt-on to an existing site, shopping cart style. So, the gardening blog turned organic seed seller doesn’t require a new website; it needs only to add Ecwid. The same is true for the social influencer selling directly from a profile page.

The Ecwid add-on is free for five products and remains reasonably priced as a store scales.

Wix and Squarespace

Drag-and-drop editors make it easy for some of the least technical ecommerce operators to produce functional and attractive online stores.

My final two recommended ecommerce platforms — Wix and Squarespace — are head-to-head competitors known for remarkable ease of use and clean website designs.

These platforms appeal to startup founders who want to prioritize branding, design, and speed to market without hiring developers. Ecommerce functionality is built in, and templates come optimized for mobile and desktop, although neither platform is ideal for scaling.

Both cost less than $30 per month to start.

Success

Every new, bootstrapped ecommerce entrepreneur would love to win the Google lottery and have hundreds of eager shoppers flood in, but organic search is not a viable way to drive site traffic to a new store.

A new shop, with relatively thin content, cannot compete for transactional intent keyword phrases against long-established ecommerce sellers.

Regardless of the ecommerce platform, success will come from paid or at least active customer acquisition.

New Ecommerce Tools: July 30, 2025

This week’s rundown of new products and services for merchants includes rollouts for cryptocurrencies, agent-based analytics, merchant financing, AI-powered shopping assistants, reviews, and fraud prevention.

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

New Tools for Merchants

PayPal launches Pay With Crypto, expanding into digital currencies. PayPal has launched Pay with Crypto to simplify cross-border commerce by leveraging cryptocurrencies and digital wallets, while reducing transaction fees. Pay with Crypto offers the ability to pay with more than 100 cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, USDT, XRP, BNB, Solana, and USDC, and digital wallets including Coinbase, OKX, Binance, Kraken, Phantom, MetaMask, and Exodus. The news follows the announcement of PayPal World, a partnership bringing together five of the world’s largest digital wallets.

PayPal World

Square launches Cash Advance in the U.K. Square‘s new Cash Advance provides U.K. businesses with access to loans. Eligible Square businesses can apply in a few clicks. Once funded, Square automatically deducts a percentage of every card sale until the balance is zero. Funding is for business purposes only.

Triple Whale launches Moby, an agentic system for commerce. Triple Whale, an analytics platform, has launched Moby, an agentic system to optimize commerce. Moby includes Chat, with real-time business context, and autonomous agents that analyze complex data and deliver step-by-step recommendations to optimize spend, efficiency, and performance. Moby’s analysis derives from brands’ transaction data on Triple Whale.

Constructor’s AI Shopping Agent now available in AWS Marketplace. Constructor, an AI-powered search and product discovery platform for ecommerce, has announced the availability of its AI Shopping Agent in the new AI Agents and Tools category of AWS Marketplace. Merchants can access AWS Marketplace to discover and deploy AI agent solutions, including Constructor’s conversational commerce and product discovery tools. According to Constructor, AI Shopping Agent helps ecommerce companies improve search experiences, supporting full-sentence and natural language queries.

Constructor

Chrome adds AI-powered store reviews. Google is introducing store reviews to Chrome in the U.S. to make online shopping safer and more efficient. The feature uses data from Google Shopping and popular review sites to provide consumers with insights when shopping online. Users click the icon to the left of the web address to access an AI-generated summary of reviews. The description will cover topics such as customer service, product quality, shipping, pricing, and returns.

PayPal integrates with Wix Payments to provide unified payments for merchants. Wix has expanded its partnership with PayPal to include it in the Wix Payments platform. Merchants can connect their PayPal Business account and manage transactions from a single dashboard alongside Wix Payments activity. The setup consolidates reporting, chargebacks, and payouts, helping merchants streamline day-to-day operations and deliver flexible payment options to customers. Merchants also gain access to PayPal’s broader suite of features, including Pay Later and Venmo.

PCI Pal launches Fraud Management Suite. PCI Pal, a provider of secure payment tools, has launched Fraud Management Suite, with AI-powered risk scoring for customer engagements. Designed to protect against card-not-present fraud, the capability delivers real-time risk insights to agents and AI bots before collecting a payment. The Fraud Management Suite helps organizations respond to evolving threats with real-time AI-powered risk scoring, adaptive authentication (including 3D Secure and biometric wallet support), and advanced analytics and chargeback defense tools.

Interpublic launches Agentic Systems for Commerce to help brands. Interpublic Group, an advertising and marketing services agency, has launched Agentic Systems for Commerce to help brands manage complex ecosystems. ASC leverages Interpublic’s agentic system and is powered by data from Intelligence Node, its transaction data platform. ASC captures data signals for every product and its competitors, generating actionable intelligence into consumer searches, digital shelf position, product page content, pricing, and inventory levels.

Interpublic

Elavon and WooCommerce expand payments partnership to North America. Elavon, a payments provider owned by U.S. Bank, and WooCommerce are expanding their payments partnership to North America. For the past year, the companies have delivered online payment services in Europe. Installing the Elavon extension from the WooCommerce Marketplace gives North America SMB merchants instant access to Elavon’s payment services. Elavon will support merchants using the extension.

Doss acquires Shopify-based inventory platform Genie. Doss, an AI-native operations platform, has acquired Genie, an inventory management tool for Shopify merchants. Genie empowers more than 300 ecommerce brands to streamline operations, processing orders across over 20,000 suppliers and enabling merchants to manage inventory and reorder stock in minutes. Per Doss, the move aims to deliver composable, real-time ERP solutions, building on its $18 million Series A funding round and Genie’s $5.8 million seed round.

USPS offers free, box-free returns. The U.S. Postal Service is providing polybags at participating locations for eligible return items, eliminating the need for a shipping box or label. According to the USPS, the polybagged items will enter the mailstream directly without additional packaging, fees, or consolidation. The bags are part of USPS’s Packageless Returns capabilities for companies that want to improve the return experience for their customers, and for residential customer convenience.

Google launches Virtual Try-On feature. Google has launched a Virtual Try-On feature in the U.S., letting shoppers simulate trying on styles from the billions of apparel items in its Shopping Graph across Search, Google Shopping, and Google Images. Google has also upgraded its price alerts. When U.S. shoppers click “track price” to set an alert for a product, they can now specify preferred size and color, as well as the payment method.

Google’s Virtual Try-On

New Ecommerce Tools: July 23, 2025

Every week we publish a handpicked list of new products and services from vendors to ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on affiliate marketing, AI agents, marketplace platforms, ad networks, WordPress features, and recurring payments.

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

New Tools for Merchants

Amazon debuts AWS Marketplace category to simplify AI agent adoption. Amazon Web Services has unveiled “AI Agents and Tools” in AWS Marketplace, which allows customers to discover, buy, deploy, and manage AI tools from leading providers. According to Amazon, customers using AI Agents and Tools gain access to ready-to-integrate solutions for developing AI strategies with services that specialize in building, maintaining, and scaling agents.

AWS Marketplace

Rokt acquires Canal to bolster ecommerce offering. Rokt, an ecommerce post-purchase platform, is acquiring the marketplace platform Canal. According to Rokt, the acquisition enables Rokt’s ecommerce partners to broaden their product range by tapping into a curated network of third-party inventory from direct-to-consumer brands, without taking on production, logistics, or inventory management. Rokt says its acquisition enables brands to acquire customers through a premium, performance-driven distribution channel — an extension of Rokt Ads — by presenting their products in shoppable, contextually relevant formats during the ecommerce transaction.

Mirakl and Criteo partner on retail media for third-party sellers. Criteo, an AI-powered advertising platform for brands, retailers, and media owners, has integrated with Mirakl ads, a retail media solution. The partnership intends to serve third-party sellers and mid-to-long-tail advertisers seeking to invest in retail media but are outside the usual sales and media management channels. The integration provides advertisers with self-service tools and automated campaign management, enabling them to scale their retail media efforts across multiple marketplace platforms.

Cimulate launches CommerceGPT, an AI-native context engine. Cimulate has introduced CommerceGPT, an AI-native platform built for agentic commerce. CommerceGPT is a product discovery infrastructure, built for the shift from human to agentic shopping experiences. The launch also introduces the Cimulate MCP Server, which supports an emergent interface for agent-to-agent commerce. Merchants can build agents that “talk” to answer engine agents and can get products surfaced in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude.

Cimulate

2Performant launches BusinessLeague app on Shopify for affiliate marketing. 2Performant, an affiliate marketing platform, has launched its BusinessLeague app on the Shopify App Store to enable affiliate program integration for Shopify merchants across Europe. According to 2Performant, store owners can launch an affiliate program through BusinessLeague with just a few clicks. The platform connects merchants with performance-based marketers through a gamified affiliate program. Merchants gain access to key performance indicators, including clicks, sales, and conversion rates, with user leaderboards helping them identify effective growth partners.

Payabl expands platform with SEPA direct debit for businesses. Payabl, a U.K.-based financial technology company, has launched SEPA direct debit capabilities within its payment services for businesses. According to Payabl, the launch will facilitate the automatic collection of recurring euro payments for companies operating across the 36 countries of the Single Euro Payment Area. The functionality allows merchants to accept recurring payments from customers through Payabl’s gateway. The SEPA direct debit service also offers the ability to automate outgoing payments, including real-time notifications and approval workflows, per Payabl.

Pietra launches AI Assistants for ecommerce businesses. Pietra, an ecommerce operations platform, has launched AI Assistants, an operating system for entrepreneurs. According to Pietra, AI Assistance (i) automates sourcing, fulfillment, marketing, analytics and more, (ii) generates brand names, logos, packaging, product designs, ads, and social content, (iii) provides tailored go-to-market strategies, ads campaigns, influencer outreach, marketing calendars, and an AI coach to guide growth accross Amazon, Shopify, and TikTok Shop.

Pietra

Amazon adds Fee Explainer tool. Amazon has launched a Fee Explainer tool to help merchants better understand charges to their selling accounts. For each fee type, the tool provides a definition, relevant attributes or variables, and the calculation to explain the amount. The tool covers the following fee types: subscription, referral, variable closing, fixed closing, refund administration, customer return, high-return rate processing, removal, and disposal. Amazon plans to add explainers for other fee types this year.

Edge Conversion releases custom AI systems for small businesses. Edge Conversion, an AI automation agency, has released a suite of AI systems to simplify operations for service-based and online businesses. The systems automate critical functions, such as lead generation, customer communication, and proposal creation. When a lead responds, AI-driven response systems instantly follow up to keep the conversation going. When a lead is ready to buy, dynamic proposal generators deliver client-ready quotes. Edge Conversion also offers systems for intake, onboarding, hiring, and customer-management optimization.

WP Engine launches AI toolkit for WordPress. WP Engine, a provider of tools for WordPress sites, has launched an AI toolkit. According to WP Engine, the toolkit makes advanced AI capabilities accessible to the WordPress community at scale, featuring smart search, recommendations, and a managed vector database with an open-source chatbot framework. Merchants can activate the toolkit’s features without coding, technical knowledge, or third-party tools.

Vivid and Adyen enable instant payments for SMBs in Europe. Adyen, a payment processing platform, and Vivid, a digital banking service, are launching a tool for small to medium-sized businesses in the E.U. to accept card payments (online and point of sale) and instantly access the funds. Vivid and Adyen aim to streamline the payment process for SMBs, catering to the demand for swift, flexible payment solutions.

Adyen

New Ecommerce Tools: July 17, 2025

Every week we publish a handpicked list of new products and services from vendors to ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on AI-powered shopping assistants, email and SMS marketing tools, ad management platforms, automated tax solutions, and last-mile delivery networks.

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

New Tools for Merchants

Genus AI launches Sage, an AI growth agent for ecommerce brands. Genus AI, a developer of AI tools for D2C brands, has launched Sage, an AI growth agent to help merchants scale across digital channels. Available for Shopify and Meta platforms, Sage is an AI agent that unifies creative generation, product catalog management, digital campaigns, customer insights, and order data. According to Genus AI, Sage can enhance product catalogs, optimize campaigns, and provide real-time visibility into the customer lifecycle.

Genus AI – Sage

Infobip brings voice calling to WhatsApp Business users. Infobip, a cloud communications platform for connected experiences across the customer journey, has launched WhatsApp Business Calling, enabling businesses to make and receive voice calls via WhatsApp. Users can start calls directly from WhatsApp chats, interactive messages, or deep links embedded in websites and apps. Integration with Infobip Conversations, the company’s cloud contact center platform, enables customer support agents to switch from chat to voice while maintaining a unified conversation history and context.

Xnurta expands full-funnel Amazon Ads support to five markets. Xnurta, an agentic AI-powered ad management platform for brands, has announced its continued international expansion with full-funnel support now live in Poland, Belgium, Sweden, Egypt, and South Africa. Xnurta equips advertisers in these five countries with advanced automation, performance insights, and AI-assisted campaign management across Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display, and Amazon Demand-Side Platform (DSP). Xnurta’s latest expansion brings its presence to nearly all of Amazon’s 23 international marketplaces.

Klaviyo introduces an AI shopping assistant. Klaviyo, an email and SMS marketing platform for B2C sellers, has launched its Conversational AI Agent to help brands deliver personalized, always-on support using real-time session context, storefront knowledge, and marketing insights, all powered by the Klaviyo Data Platform. Built into Customer Hub, Klaviyo’s Conversational AI Agent trains quickly using data from a brand’s storefront, including its product catalog and FAQs. The agent guides shoppers from discovery to purchase by answering common questions and recommending products.

Klaviyo

Avalara embeds AI-powered assistant into tax research. Avalara, a platform for tax compliance automation, has launched Avi, a generative AI assistant embedded within Avalara Tax Research. According to Avalara, Avi for Tax Research can (i) quickly obtain precise sales tax rates tailored to specific street addresses, (ii) instantly check the tax status of products and services through straightforward queries, and (iii) access real-time guidance that supports defensible tax positions and enables proactive adaptation to evolving tax regulations.

New Gen unveils AI-native storefronts for agentic commerce. New Gen, a company building infrastructure for the AI internet, now enables agentic commerce, powering secure, AI-initiated transactions through intelligent storefronts and embedded payment flows. The platform allows AI agents to quickly and securely check out from merchant sites across chat, voice, and (soon) through emerging agent-driven channels. New Gen leverages trusted payments infrastructure from Visa and is among the first collaborators in the Visa Intelligent Commerce sandbox.

UniUni simplifies ecommerce shipping for Canada-based sellers. UniUni, a last-mile delivery company, has announced the launch of Small Business, a system of local drop-off and service points to simplify shipping for Canada-based sellers. Through UniUni Small Business, merchants gain access to a full-stack domestic and cross-border shipping platform that includes broad carrier partnerships, an in-house last-mile delivery network, real-time tracking and automation tools, and an all-in-one dashboard for managing shipments. UniUni Small Business is now available in Toronto.

UniUni Small Business

Ordoro launches branded tracking pages for ecommerce. Ordoro, a provider of ecommerce logistics and inventory management tools, has launched Branded Tracking Pages to help merchants transform generic shipping updates into branded touchpoints. The feature provides ecommerce businesses a tracking page (already visited by customers) to reinforce their brand, answer common questions, and drive repeat purchases. Branded Tracking Pages are included with Shipping Premium.

Oro Inc. launches OroPay, a unified payment solution for B2B commerce. Oro Inc., a developer of open-source B2B digital commerce tools, has launched OroPay, an integrated payment platform for OroCommerce, its ecommerce platform. OroPay unifies invoicing, payments, ERP connectivity, and commerce. Powered by Global Payments, a technology provider, OroPay supports Level 2 and Level 3 credit card processing, dramatically lowering fees for high-value B2B transactions. Customers also benefit from advanced fraud protection, SCA/PSD2 compliance, tokenization, and support for local and global payment methods.

Clearco launches Rolling Funding for ecommerce brands. Clearco, a lender to ecommerce companies, has announced the launch of Rolling Funding, a continuous loan for D2C brands. Customer merchants pay weekly and can now automatically increase their available debt limit in real-time, dollar for dollar. This eliminates the need to submit new funding applications, providing founders and finance teams with real-time visibility into available and projected capacity through their Clearco dashboard.

Privy acquires Emotive to launch a unified email-SMS platform. Privy, an ecommerce marketing automation provider, has acquired Emotive, an SMS platform. The acquisition enables Privy to offer a unified platform where merchants can manage email campaigns, SMS automation, and on-site pop-ups from one place. Privy says it will soon roll out real-time 1:1 conversation capabilities and a slate of new features, including advanced marketing automations, more zero-party data collection options, and improved third-party integrations.

Privy

New Ecommerce Tools: July 10, 2025

Every Thursday we handpick and publish a list of new products and services from vendors to ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on multilingual messaging, loyalty programs, global D2C and B2B storefronts, AI-powered shopping assistants, ecommerce payments, and shipping.

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

New Tools for Merchants

Babeltext launches multilingual messaging for Shopify merchants. Babeltext, an AI-powered multilingual message platform, has launched its integration with Shopify, enabling merchants in Australia, the U.S., and the U.K. to provide real-time customer support across 195 languages and multiple messaging channels. With its Shopify API and omnichannel messaging engine, Babeltext enables merchants to communicate instantly with customers in their preferred language via web chat, SMS, WhatsApp, WeChat, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and Discord — all from a single dashboard.

Babeltext

Alibaba.com and Wix announce strategic partnership. Alibaba.com, a global B2B marketplace, and Wix, the website builder platform, have announced a strategic partnership aimed at empowering entrepreneurs, new businesses, and SMBs. This strategic collaboration will enable Wix merchants to expand their global wholesale capabilities through Alibaba.com while providing Alibaba merchants the opportunity to establish robust D2C and B2B storefronts powered by Wix’s commerce infrastructure. The platforms collectively facilitate global trade across over 200 countries and regions.

Productsup launches Google Comparison Shopping Services extension. Productsup, an enterprise feed management and syndication company, has launched a comparison shopping service add-on to help brands and retailers with Google Shopping campaigns. According to Productsup, the add-on enables businesses to manage campaigns, optimize product content, and drive more qualified traffic from a single, centralized solution. Productsup’s highlight feature, Keyword CSS, dynamically adjusts Shopping ad URLs based on the shopper’s search query and directs them to merchant-branded landing pages tailored to the query intent.

Alby introduces capabilities for AI shopping assistants. Alby, an AI shopping agent for ecommerce brands, has announced four tools — Product Advisor, Playbooks, In-Session Context, and Recommendations — to guide shoppers. According to Alby, (i) Product Advisor transforms product discovery into a conversational, human-like exchange, (ii) Playbooks enables brands to coach an AI agent using simple, natural-language instructions, (iii) In-Session Context enables the AI agent to remember what shoppers have already browsed, clicked, or searched during their session, and (iv) Recommendations enables contextual product suggestions to assist shoppers.

Alby

eBay updates tracking to reduce claims and improve customer experience. eBay has redesigned the tracking experience across Seller Hub and the buyer shipment flow. Seller Hub now offers a more consistent and intuitive tracking status visualization, such as on the View Order page, making it easier to manage shipments. Buyers view all deliveries for an order in a single, comprehensive view, including separate tracking for both outbound and return items. For delayed deliveries, buyers see a clearer status update to reduce uncertainty.

Meta launches enhanced marketing messages. Meta is introducing marketing messages on Messenger to help businesses re-engage and retain customers through chat. Businesses can (i) initiate promotional messages to people who have subscribed to receive them, and keep conversations going, (ii) add subscribers by leveraging existing CRM lists, custom audience lists, or ads that click to Messenger, and (iii) write messages for each customer, or broadcast one message to everyone. Down-funnel measurement helps businesses understand their results and inform their marketing strategy.

Talon.One secures $135 million for enterprise loyalty programs. Talon.One, an enterprise loyalty and promotion platform, has announced a $135 million funding round to deliver AI-powered intelligence and predictive insights. Participating investors include Silversmith Capital Partners, Meritech Capital, and existing investor CRV. With a headless architecture and intuitive Rule Engine, Talon.One says its loyalty and promotion software enables marketing and product teams to launch and manage any incentive through a unified system. Partners include Braze (an email and engagement platform) and Shopify.

Talon.One

Amazon Q Business launches customized responses. Amazon Q Business, a generative AI-powered assistant for finding information at work, has introduced response customization for Q Business applications, enabling organizations to tailor how their Q Business applications generate and format responses to user queries. With response customization, companies can provide instructions for identity, tone, and output style when configuring Q Business applications. This customizes the chat persona, communication formality, response length, and detail to match specific needs, per Amazon.

Finix launches WooCommerce plugin to simplify ecommerce payments. Finix, a payment processor for online and physical businesses, has launched its plugin for WooCommerce to accept credit and debit cards, ACH transfers, and Apple Pay. The plugin enables merchants to manage disputes, refunds, and ACH returns with built-in webhook support and real-time automation. Merchants can access interchange-plus pricing and get next-day deposits or same-day payouts.

Netcore Cloud launches Insights Agent for real-time marketing metrics. Netcore Cloud, a provider of AI-powered marketing automation and customer engagement, has launched Insights Agent, a marketing analytics agent that delivers campaign feedback instantly. According to Netcore Cloud, Insights Agent trains on marketing campaign data and contextual behaviors across email, WhatsApp, SMS, and push notifications. With AI-personalized recommendations, cross-channel intelligence, and instant access in Netcore’s UI, Insights Agent can reduce cognitive overload, reclaim valuable time, and enhance ROI across campaigns, per the company.

ShipStation launches features to optimize fulfillment operations. ShipStation, an ecommerce shipping platform, has launched four major feature updates to its logistics suite: Automated Rate Shopping, Returns and Exchanges, Analytics and Inventory, and Warehouse Management. Automated Rate Shopping allows businesses to find the most cost-effective and efficient delivery options without manual effort. The Returns and Exchanges update includes a branded customer returns portal and return management tools. Analytics includes seven new reporting dashboards. Inventory and Warehouse Management includes forecasting tools and lot tracking.

ShipStation