New Ecommerce Tools: December 5, 2024

Every week we curate and publish a list of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on virtual stores, tax management, cross-border commerce, circular packaging, sponsored product display, product images, and quick commerce.

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

New Tools for Merchants

Walmart updates virtual store with seasonal shopping features. Expanding its Realm experience with virtual-world developer Emperia, Walmart has added four new virtual shops themed as mountain chalet, holiday party, the white elephant game, and the sweetest gifts. Influencers curate gift ideas within the virtual spaces. Walmart also debuted a feature to create and share wish lists. Earlier this year, Walmart launched Realm with three environments.

Walmart Realm

Shopify supports multi-currency payouts. Shopify now supports payouts in multiple currencies for European merchants. The feature is available for users of Shopify Advanced and Plus in six European countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, and Austria. Payout currencies include the U.S. dollar, Australian dollar, Canadian dollar, Danish krone, euro, Hungarian forint, Hong Kong dollar, Japanese yen, New Zealand dollar, Norwegian krone, Polish złoty, Romanian leu, Singapore dollar, South African rand, Swedish krona, Swiss franc, and Czech koruna.

Solidgate launches cross-regional tax management platform. Solidgate, a payment processing platform, has launched its tax compliance portal, a self-service, pay-per-use solution to simplify VAT and sales tax management for multinational businesses. The new portal automatically synchronizes data from hundreds of payment processors — including Worldpay, Adyen, Checkout.com, Nuvei, and Stripe — and calculates applicable taxes based on predefined parameters, such as customer location and transaction type.

Movopack raises funds to launch circular packaging in U.K. Movopack has secured $2.5 million in seed funding to launch its circular ecommerce packaging in the U.K. The company produces its reusable packaging from recycled plastic bottles and recycled polypropylene (plastic), designed to withstand postal handling and be reused up to 20 times. Movopack’s packaging can be returned via Royal Mail. The E.U. mandates that at least 10% of ecommerce packaging must be reusable by 2030, increasing to 50% by 2040.

Movopack

Flipkart to expand quick commerce to more cities. Flipkart, an India-based ecommerce company backed by Walmart, is planning to expand Minutes, its fast delivery service, amid rising demand for 10-minute deliveries. Flipkart Minutes is currently live in the pilot stage in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi. Flipkart began piloting Minutes in Bengaluru in August and expanded to the Delhi region in September. Flipkart’s move came in response to the rise of Zomato-owned Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, and Tata-owned BigBasket.

Walmart and DoorDash partner across Canada. DoorDash Canada and Walmart Canada have announced a collaboration spanning 300 Walmart Supercenters across 10 Canadian provinces. Customers shopping on DoorDash can now browse thousands of unique items from Walmart, ranging from fresh produce and kitchenware to pet food and electronics, including private-label brands. All Walmart Supercenters on DoorDash will be available on DashPass (a subscription program), providing $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders.

GroupBy and Topsort partner to optimize sponsored product display. GroupBy, a provider of ecommerce search and product discovery, has announced an integration with Topsort, an AI and auction-based retail media infrastructure company. By combining GroupBy’s AI-driven platform with Topsort’s retail media capabilities, merchants can increase visibility for sponsored products, ensuring only relevant products will be sent for validation in Topsort’s retail media platform.

GroupBy

Aiarty Image Matting released for ecommerce photos. Aiarty, part of Digiarty Software, has launched Image Matting, an AI-powered tool to streamline image processing for ecommerce businesses. Following the release of Aiarty’s Image Enhancer, Image Matting utilizes AI models for background removal and bulk background replacement. Together, the tools enable ecommerce sellers to enhance product visuals across channels and remove and replace the backgrounds on up to 3,000 images at once.

HSBC launches a platform for domestic and international payments. HSBC, a London-based bank and financial services provider, has launched Smart Transact, a one-stop domestic and cross-border payments platform. Users can access additional services, including corporate cards and integrated HSBC tools. Smart Transact is available in India, the U.K., the U.S., Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Ireland, The Netherlands, and France.

ImageKit unveils API to simplify video post-production and delivery. ImageKit, a developer of media solutions, has launched its video API to automate the time-consuming and repetitive tasks required to publish videos across the web. ImageKit allows users to resize and transform videos in real-time by modifying URL parameters and optimizing for any device or platform without manual effort. The video API features real-time tools such as resizing and cropping, adaptive streaming capabilities, overlays, styling options for captions, and more.

Mollie and PayPal partner on payments for marketplace platforms. Mollie, a payment processing company, has partnered with PayPal to deliver payment solutions for marketplace platforms across Europe. The partnership enhances Mollie’s range of Europe-based payment options, including credit and debit cards, digital wallets, bank transfers, buy-now-pay-later options, and local payment methods.

Mollie

New Ecommerce Tools: November 28, 2024

We publish a rundown each week of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on ecommerce platforms, marketplaces, search engines, APIs, reverse logistics, and local delivery.

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

New Tools for Merchants

Miva 10.11 launches with precision tools to enhance ecommerce control. Ecommerce pioneer Miva, Inc. has released version 10.11 of its platform. This update introduces tools for greater control over pricing, shipping charges, and fee management. Sellers can now set pricing with accuracy to less than $0.01 (one cent) and weight measurements smaller than two decimal places. An updated module provides flexible fee applications, control over taxability, and other rules to improve the checkout process.

Miva

Temu opens to all U.S. sellers. Over the last six months, China-based marketplace Temu has invited select U.S. sellers to join its site. Temu has now opened the application process to any U.S. brand or seller. According to Temu, applications take just 10 minutes and are typically reviewed within one business day. Plus, Temu sellers can now ship directly from U.S. warehouses.

Button announces general availability of an iOS Creator App. Button, a mobile commerce optimizer, has announced the general availability of its PostTap native mobile app, which enables creators to produce, optimize, and manage affiliate links. PostTap says it allows creators to generate and customize shortlinks instantly for sharing and monitoring across social platforms. Utilizing AI-powered technology ensures accurate attribution and in-app purchasing, per PostTap.

AI search tool Perplexity adds a shopping assistant. AI search engine Perplexity has debuted its “Buy with Pro” shopping recommendation feature within search results and the ability to place an order without going to a merchant’s website. For shopping-related searches, users receive visual cards containing product details, pricing, seller info, a short description, and the pros and cons of the item. Perplexity’s shopping assistant integrates with Shopify.

Perplexity

European AI search engines plan index with merchant rankings. Germany-based CO2-neutral search engine Ecosia and France-based privacy-focused search engine Qwant have unveiled plans to create their own AI-powered European search index, providing merchants an alternative to Google. The joint venture — called the European Search Perspective — plans to break from Google and Bing ranking systems by early 2025, potentially shifting consumer spending as the new index prioritizes European businesses. The combined search companies will initially focus on French and German results.

Coveo expands partnership with SAP to deliver AI capabilities across channels. Coveo, an enterprise platform for AI search and genAI functions, is expanding its partnership with SAP with an app called “Coveo AI Search and Recommendation for SAP Customer Experience.” Coveo says its AI search, recommendations, and generative answering can be used across multiple interfaces, from interfaces in SAP solutions to standalone search pages, in-app experiences, self-service portals and communities, and more.

Searchspring introduces dynamic custom profiles for ecommerce engagement. Searchspring, an ecommerce search and merchandising provider, has released dynamic custom profiles for personalized shopping recommendations. According to Searchspring, the profiles adjust in real-time based on shopper behavior and site variables, such as search terms, applied filters, and customer attributes. Dynamic custom profiles allow retailers to create a flexible framework that recommends products tailored to each shopper’s intent. Search results and product suggestions evolve dynamically without manually configuring profiles for every scenario, per Searchspring.

Appy Pie Endpoint introduces virtual try-on APIs. Appy Pie Endpoint, an AI API provider, has launched a suite of virtual try-on APIs that enable retailers to offer shoppers an interactive, customizable shopping experience. Shoppers can try on fashion, cosmetics, eyewear, or decor products before purchasing.

Appy Pie Endpoint

Stage TEN unveils a live show network for creators to sell Shopify products. Stage TEN has launched a live show network, enabling creators to blend content creation with commerce. With the platform, anyone can turn a live show into a storefront, connect with an audience in real-time, and monetize shows by featuring products from any Shopify store. By leveraging Shopify’s Collective and Collabs programs, Stage TEN’s live show network allows creators to select, showcase, and sell products.

MikMak expands API-first platform with launch of Insights API. MikMak, a provider of ecommerce enablement and analytics, has launched the MikMak Insights API. The API integrates MikMak commerce intelligence data, such as Purchase Intent and Attributable Sales, into data lakes, analytics platforms, and business intelligence tools, including Tableau, PowerBI, and Google Data Studio. According to MikMak, this enables multichannel brands to unlock a holistic view of their performance quickly and easily.

Cirro Fulfillment partners with Loop to streamline returns for retailers and brands. Cirro Fulfillment, a global provider serving ecommerce brands, has partnered with Loop, a reverse logistics platform, to enhance the returns process. Cirro says the integration with Loop’s automated portal enables customers to initiate returns, request exchanges, or secure refunds effortlessly. The streamlined process reduces manual tasks, making returns management faster and more efficient, thus enhancing the customer experience.

FedEx introduces enhanced visibility tools for secure package delivery. FedEx has upgraded package tracking and visibility features in its mobile app. Map View shows the real-time delivery truck location along with the latest timestamp. Picture Proof of Delivery Attempt provides customers with a photo of a door tag in the event of a missed delivery to see exactly when a delivery was attempted.

FedEx

New Ecommerce Tools: November 21, 2024

Every week we publish a selection of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on local search marketing, video generators, AI-powered shopping assistants, email marketing tools, conversational commerce, online review tools, and influencer marketing.

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

New Tools for Merchants

Google Maps launches product search. Google has updated Maps to include product-specific search. The update lets users search for products directly within Google Maps and find real-time inventory availability at nearby stores. Shoppers can find a wide range of items and have immediate access to local pickup options. For accurate inventory tracking, merchants should regularly sync with Google Merchant Center and ensure accurate Google Business Profile information.

Google Maps

TikTok launches AI-powered video platform to advertisers globally. ByteDance-owned TikTok has announced the global availability of Symphony Creative Studios, its generative AI video creation platform and a component of the Symphony creative content suite, which aims to help businesses, creators, and agencies customize content to their brands. The suite includes Symphony Creative Studios, Symphony Assistant, Symphony Digital Avatars, and TikTok ads manager. Symphony Creative Studios, which also includes a virtual assistant, helps users automate tasks to create content on the platform.

Alibaba releases AI search tool for small businesses in Europe and the Americas. China-based ecommerce giant Alibaba has released an AI-powered search engine for small companies in Europe and the Americas to source inventory. With a few text or image prompts, businesses can use the AI-assistant Accio to find wholesale products, including an analysis of their popularity with consumers and projected profit. The technology uses generative AI from Alibaba’s Tongyi Qianwen large language model. The initial version of Accio is web-based and supports English, German, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Bluecore acquires AI shopping assistant Alby for conversational commerce. Bluecore, a retail technology provider, has acquired AI shopping assistant Alby in preparation for a new conversational shopping release. Using Bluecore, retailers can soon make their ecommerce sites, email campaigns, SMS, and mobile apps conversational by anticipating and answering shoppers’ questions. The shopping assistant will leverage the retailer’s product catalog and customer lifecycle stage data to generate real-time prompts, responses, and recommendations that progress the shopper toward purchase.

Alby

PhaseZero launches commerce-ready AI agents. PhaseZero, an AI-native composable commerce provider, has announced commerce-ready AI agents integrated with its CxCommerce platform. Pricing Agent provides insights into competitive and channel pricing trends. Inventory Agent provides visibility into alternate products and suppliers for out-of-stock items. Visual Search Agent makes it easy for customers to find products matching pictures. SEO Agent enables improved rankings. Insights Agent helps merchants identify sales opportunities, perform data-driven planning, and maximize return on investment.

CommerceIQ launches Nexis, an omnichannel AI assistant for commerce. CommerceIQ, a retail ecommerce management platform, has launched Nexis, a generative AI-powered omnichannel commerce tool. Nexis is a role-based teammate that enhances Amazon Copilot and retail media management solutions with advanced AI capabilities tailored to ecommerce. With the sales module, merchants can enhance Copilot with tailored templates to generate insights from Amazon sales and operations data. With the marketing module, merchants can deepen analysis across global retail media platforms.

MailReach releases tools for email marketing campaigns. MailReach, a provider of email deliverability solutions, has launched a suite of tools to enhance email marketing campaigns. The tools feature email warmup, advanced spam testing, real-time analytics, A/B testing, and integration with popular ecommerce, CRM, and marketing automation platforms. The platform’s intelligent inbox placement tester and domain health checkup tools help businesses address deliverability issues proactively to overcome spam filters and achieve higher engagement rates.

MailReach

Thryv launches AI tool to help small businesses respond quickly to online reviews. Thryv, a small business software platform, has launched Thryv AI Review Response, allowing businesses to respond quickly to positive and negative feedback on Google Business Profile listings, YP.com, Trustpilot, and 20 other popular review sites. Thryv aggregates review sites into one view. Users select the AI wand to generate review responses. Other AI-enhanced platform tools include social media management and Pro Campaign Editor.

StackAdapt integrates with the Shopify platform to optimize merchant campaigns. StackAdapt, a multichannel advertising platform, has announced its latest application on the Shopify App Store. Shopify store owners can now automatically install the StackAdapt pixel through the App Store or directly from StackAdapt. The integration enables users to onboard pixels and audience activations, tracking conversion events for monitoring and optimization. StackAdapt also offers predefined templates that enable users to define their audiences with rule-based segmentation.

Popcorn AI secures funding to define conversational commerce. Popcorn AI, a conversational commerce developer, has announced a $500,000 pre-seed funding round, with participation from Spring Studios. Popcorn AI says the funding will accelerate its development of conversational commerce for business-customer interactions, advancing the platform’s conversational AI capabilities and expanding its team of AI and commerce experts. Popcorn AI’s platform creates intelligent AI agents that handle the entire customer journey, from personalized product discovery to payment processing, all within life-like conversations.

BrandLink launches an influencer marketing platform for businesses and creators. SooNet Inc., a business application developer, has launched BrandLink, a mobile-first platform to provide accessible and affordable influencer marketing solutions for businesses of all sizes. BrandLink allows firms to search for and connect with influencers based on specific filters such as niche, location, and audience size. Influencers, in turn, can set their own rates and customize service packages, making the platform flexible and transparent for both parties, according to BrandLink.

BrandLink

Perplexity Shopping Tests Ecommerce SMBs

Search and chat provider Perplexity AI has launched a new shopping assistant with the potential to disrupt ecommerce marketing, advertising, and search engine optimization.

Perplexity’s “Buy with Pro” feature combines product research with one-click checkout and free shipping, making online shopping easy for American consumers who never have to leave that website or app to complete the purchase.

The feature also includes “Snap to Shop,” a visual shopping tool not unlike Google Lens. A Pro subscriber can take a picture of a product and have Perplexity source it.

Perplexity’s AI will also customize recommendations and guide shoppers to specific products.

“When you ask Perplexity a shopping question, you’ll still get the precise, objective answers you expect, plus easy-to-read product cards showing the most relevant items, along with key details presented in a simple, visual format. These cards aren’t sponsored — they’re unbiased recommendations, tailored to your search by our AI,” the company wrote in its announcement.

Perplexity Pro subscribers can ask buying questions and receive research results and product recommendations.

Merchant Program

Perplexity’s shopping assistant is integrated with Shopify, giving it “access to the most recent and relevant information on products across Shopify-powered businesses globally that sell and ship to the U.S.”

Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke has invested in Perplexity, as has Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

In addition to the Shopify connection, Perplexity has invited “large” retailers to join its merchant program. Selected retail partners will have relatively more visibility in Perplexity’s product recommendations and access to a dashboard for this new channel. There is no cost to apply or participate — only a five-question Typeform requesting contact info and the merchant’s URL.

Perplexity’s five-question merchant application did not request sales details.

Perplexity’s shopping assistant will likely make buying online easier for consumers, but it and the inevitable assortment of similar AI-driven tools could complicate existing ecommerce businesses.

I see seven concerns small-to-midsize ecommerce businesses should consider if tools like Perplexity’s shopping assistant become widespread.

Seller Concerns

Customer relationships. With Perplexity’s shopping AI, the consumer never leaves the search environment and doesn’t visit the merchant’s online store. Without direct engagement, building and maintaining brand loyalty becomes more difficult.

Product visibility. Ecommerce shops are accustomed to familiar channels such as advertising, SEO, and social media to attract shoppers. Each of these has challenges, but they are known. With Perplexity and any similar AI assistant, products from large retailers or shops with robust data integrations will be favored over small to midsize ecommerce businesses.

Price pressure. One would hope that AI shopping assistants would consider a merchant’s reviews and reputation, but the assistants will likely focus on the price, pressuring SMBs to compete. Many sellers make similar complaints about online marketplaces — AI could be much worse.

Dependency. If one-click shopping becomes a common feature in AI search, online sellers, especially SMBs, could become dependent on AI platforms for sales, risking significant impacts if platform policies or algorithms change.

Promotion. Sellers frequently use marketing and advertising to drive ecommerce sales, but with the addition of various AI shopping assistants, reaching customers could become far more complex. Marketing teams may need to optimize data feeds for several AI platforms or advertise in dozens of new AI channels to remain competitive.

Fluctuating demand. AI recommendations could create sudden spikes in demand that are hard, if not impossible, to predict. Stores could suddenly sell out. Once inventory is gone, the shop might fall out of consideration, meaning sales might be slow to return.

Technical barriers. Perplexity has stated it wants to make it easier for stores to provide product data. However, as AI shopping assistants become more common, stores, especially small ones, will likely face challenges around data optimization and integration.

Opportunities

Assuming its shopping assistant represents a trend, Perplexity may be similar to Amazon, Temu, Mercari, and similar marketplaces and offer opportunities.

Product visibility. Perplexity’s Shopify integration could level the field, allowing small and mid-sized stores to compete with massive retailers. Any improved visibility might lead to increased sales without additional advertising costs.

No fees. Perplexity shopping assistant is free for sellers. Compared to other marketplaces (with fees), integrating with Perplexity and similar tools might improve seller margins.

Next Steps

AI shopping assistants such as Perplexity present challenges and opportunities for sellers. To participate:

• Apply for Perplexity’s merchant program, and be on the lookout for similar providers.
• Start optimizing and differentiating product data, ensuring it is complete, accurate, and unique.
• Add product feeds to existing marketplaces. AI assistants will likely partner with existing product data tools.
• Pay attention to AI shopping news.

New Ecommerce Tools: November 14, 2024

This week, our rundown of new tools from companies offering services to ecommerce merchants includes updates on holiday marketing campaigns, drone deliveries, analytics and insights, search, video generators, and several AI-based platforms.

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

New Tools for Merchants

Amazon opens Virtual Holiday Shop, a 3D shopping experience. Amazon has launched Virtual Holiday Shop, a virtual shopping experience that uses three-dimensional technology powered by the Amazon Beyond virtual store. Inside the shop, visitors experience music, animations, and a guided search for gifts. Visitors can add products directly to a cart and then check out as usual. Per Amazon, the Virtual Holiday Shop spotlights selections of the top 100-plus gifts, stocking stuffers, holiday decor, and premium products, including customer favorites.

Amazon’s Virtual Holiday Shop

WPForms launches AI-powered form builder for WordPress. WPForms, a WordPress plugin, has released an AI-powered form builder to automatically generate customizable forms for contact-us, surveys, registrations, and feedback. Users describe what they want through an AI chatbot, and WPForms AI generates a form. The builder can translate entire forms into multiple languages, automatically set up conditional logic, and tweak or adjust forms afterward.

eBay mobile app adds traffic and performance data. Performance Insights is now live on the eBay mobile app to help merchants understand and improve their businesses. With Performance Insights, sellers can view real-time traffic graphs, track listing views, and monitor click rates and traffic sources — all on the go.

CapCut launches a video content platform for ecommerce merchants. Short-form editing app CapCut by ByteDance has launched Commerce Pro, a platform for ecommerce sellers and creators to produce and scale ads and branded content. The AI video generator instantly converts the URL of a product into ad videos with links to the products. AI-generated presenters assist with product demonstrations, explainer videos, and more. AI models can virtually try on products and generate photos for showcasing.

CapCut Commerce

Buy-now, pay-later provider Affirm expands to the U.K. Affirm, a U.S.-based fintech firm, has launched its BNPL loans in the U.K. According to Affirm, the U.K. offering will include both interest-free and interest-bearing payment options. Interest on its plans will be fixed and calculated on the original principal amount, so it won’t increase or compound. The U.K. expansion is Affirm’s first outside of the U.S. and Canada.

Coveo partners with Shopify on scalable AI search and commerce experiences. Coveo, a commerce experience platform that leverages search and generative AI, has partnered with Shopify to bring its AI capabilities to enterprise customers. Coveo says its platform enables Shopify enterprise merchants to manage AI models and strategies for search relevance, personalization, real-time recommendations, unified indexing, and generative shopper experiences for product discovery and session optimization.

Contentsquare expands its analytics platform with advanced AI features. Contentsquare, an analytics provider, has upgraded its AI-driven Experience Intelligence platform to help marketing, product, and tech teams work more efficiently — with flexible purchasing options for businesses of all sizes. According to Contentsquare, the genAI CoPilot offers immediate insights and recommended next steps, summaries of customer sentiment, automatic session replays, and more. Contentsquare has also added heatmaps, enhanced customer feedback, and expanded analysis.

Contentsquare

Zenapse launches AI-powered marketing platform on Google Cloud Marketplace. Zenapse, an AI-powered marketing platform utilizing emotional intelligence, has launched the ZenImpact Optimization Studio on Google Cloud Marketplace. Zenapse states Google Cloud Marketplace users can access its AI-driven psychographic signals, which analyze consumer thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, combined with demographic and behavioral data, to predict in real-time which content, products, and offers will resonate most with an audience. This launch will help marketers enhance business outcomes and gain deeper customer insights.

DreamHost partners with ecommerce solution provider Ecwid by Lightspeed. DreamHost, a provider of web hosting and managed WordPress services, has partnered with Ecwid by Lightspeed, enabling individuals and businesses to set up online stores and scale their businesses through multiple channels. According to DreamHost, the partnership means customers can quickly set up an online store without technical expertise. The solution includes built-in real-time reporting, marketing tools, and integrations for scaling. DreamHost customers have immediate access to Ecwid’s free tier.

Brizy launches a page builder for Shopify. Brizy, a London-based developer of website-building tools, has launched a landing page builder for Shopify store owners. With its drag-and-drop interface, users can design custom pages, product showcases, and marketing materials without needing any coding skills. For a limited time, Shopify users can try Brizy’s free plan. Brizy’s library includes over 90 templates and advanced elements such as countdowns, pop-ups, and alert bars.

Amazon expands drone delivery in Arizona. Amazon is expanding Prime Air drone delivery in the West Valley of metro Phoenix. Customers who live near Amazon’s Same-Day site in Tolleson, Arizona, and purchase an eligible item weighing five pounds or less can have it delivered by drone in under an hour. Tolleson’s Same-Day Delivery site is a hybrid — part fulfillment center and part delivery station. Amazon’s new MK30 drones will deploy from the facility.

Amazon Prime Air: Phoenix Metro Area Drone Deliveries

New Ecommerce Tools: November 7, 2024

Every week we publish a rundown of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on website builders, SMS marketing, AI-powered shopping assistants, reverse logistics, social commerce, and cross-border transactions.

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

New Tools for Merchants

Shopify launches portal for unified financial tools. The new Shopify Finance is a home for financial solutions on the Shopify platform. Merchants can access (in one place) Shopify Balance, Shopify Credit, Shopify Capital, Shopify Bill Pay, and Shopify Tax. View and manage all business finances from one dashboard in the admin. Manage state, county, and local sales tax obligations and repay Shopify Capital and Shopify Credit balances from a percentage of daily sales.

Shopify Finance

AliExpress launches incentives for U.S. retailers. AliExpress, the China-based marketplace, is targeting U.S.-based retailers to sell on the platform. During an introductory period, new sellers get 0% commission and $0 onboarding costs. AliExpress will also provide U.S. sellers with marketing, business, and customer service support, including buyer inquiry handling and after-sales disputes, without charge. The platform features tools for optimizing product listings, pricing, and promotions.

GoDaddy announces Website Builder API integration for third-party platforms. GoDaddy has launched a Website Builder API integration for third-party platforms. Businesses can access AI-driven tools to generate content and produce product descriptions from an uploaded image. Additionally, GoDaddy business customers gain access to tools such as Marketing AI assistant, Marketing Calendar, analytics, search engine optimization, AI-generated social media content, and more.

Lili launches Connect for small business financial management. Lili, a financial platform for small businesses, is launching Connect. This embedded finance integration streamlines small business banking, accounting, and tax processes, allowing partners to offer Lili’s financial management tools directly through their platform. Partner companies can help business customers manage their financial needs in one place with Lili’s offerings, including a business checking account, automatic transaction categorization, smarter invoicing, bill pay solutions, automated financial reports, and tax-saving tools

Lili Connect

Bloomreach launches Rich Communication Services for marketing. Bloomreach, a platform for ecommerce personalization, has announced the launch of Rich Communication Services, allowing brands to deliver interactive experiences directly within native messaging apps. According to Bloomreach, RCS will enable real-time, two-way conversations beyond traditional SMS and bridge the gap between iOS and Android users.

Amazon expands generative AI shopping assistant Rufus in Canada. Amazon Canada will roll out Rufus, the AI shopping app, in the coming weeks. Canada-based customers in the beta can click on the icon in the bottom right corner on Amazon’s mobile app, and a Rufus chat box will appear on their screen. Customers can expand the chat box to ask questions and follow-ups.

Fast Simon delivers AI-powered search optimization for Shopify B2B. Fast Simon, an AI-based shopping optimization platform, has unveiled a no-code Shopify B2B product that optimizes AI search and merchandising to improve B2B and wholesale ecommerce experiences. Fast Simon now integrates with Shopify B2B to simplify wholesale and other forms of B2B ecommerce and deliver customer-specific product publishing, price lists assigned per customer, advanced search that automatically eliminates common input errors, product finders, Smart Rendering for improved performance, and SEO.

Fast Simon

Loop launches Offset to help merchants recover return costs. Loop, a returns and reverse logistics platform, has launched Offset, a pre-purchase returns solution that helps U.K. merchants recapture the costs of returns and reverse logistics. Offset helps brands offer a premium returns experience at no cost by giving customers the option to pay a small fee upfront during checkout in exchange for free returns later. The solution ensures merchants can recover return costs while providing customers peace of mind with easy, free returns.

Digimarc launches a brand protection app to combat counterfeit products. Digimarc, a provider of digital watermarking technologies, has launched the Digimarc Validate mobile app to combat counterfeit products. The app provides users with a tool for instant product authentication. The Digimarc Validate app allows authorized employees, supply chain partners, and third-party inspectors to authenticate products in the field using only a smartphone camera. Authorized inspectors can quickly authenticate products while real-time reports flow into the Digimarc Illuminate platform, delivering actionable data and insights.

Viably partners with Airwallex on cross-border ecommerce transactions. Viably, a provider of financial services for ecommerce, has announced a partnership with Airwallex, a global payments and financial platform. The partnership brings Airwallex’s capabilities into Viably, allowing businesses to simplify cross-border transactions and management of multiple currencies. The Viably Global Account, powered by Airwallex, allows sellers to pay vendors and suppliers worldwide, collect payouts from various marketplaces, and manage all financial aspects.

TikTok Shop integrates with Venmo. TikTok Shop has announced a partnership with Venmo. On TikTok Shop, U.S. customers who purchase for the first time from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 can receive 25% off when they spend $45 (for a maximum of $20 off) using Venmo for payment. Shoppers who have previously purchased on the platform can receive 25% off when they spend $85 (for a maximum of $35 off) using Venmo.

TikTok Shop

Top AI Search Engine Features Compared

AI-powered search engines have profoundly impacted how we obtain information and are lessening our reliance on established providers such as Google and others. Even Meta is reportedly working on AI-powered search.

Here is a list of AI search engines to explore, offering new options for research, marketing, and even advertising. In addition to new disruptive AI startups, I’ve included recent AI enhancements and applications from established providers.

AI Search Engines

SearchGPT is a new feature within OpenAI’s ChatGPT. OpenAI says the search offers up-to-date sports scores, news, stock quotes, weather info, and more, powered by real-time search and partnerships with data providers. ChatGPT will choose to search the web based on what users ask, or they can manually choose to search by clicking the web search icon. Search will be available at ChatGPT.com⁠ and its desktop and mobile apps. Access to free users will roll out over the coming months.

OpenAI’s SearchGPT

Google has included AI in its Search product to enhance its capabilities. Google also recently extended its real-time search for its Gemini AI platform, enabling its language models to access current information from Google Search. The Grounding with Google Search feature is available for Gemini API and AI Studio, enabling improved accuracy in the model’s responses. When it enriches results with data from Search, Google provides supporting links back to the underlying sources.

Additionally, Google recently launched AI Overviews, which summarizes search results into short paragraphs. Google Search is gradually making AI Overviews available to more users and regions, providing AI-generated snapshots on applicable searches with key information and links to dig deeper.

Microsoft Copilot, formerly called Bing Chat, is an AI-powered digital assistant that engages in conversations and helps people with a range of tasks, such as answering queries or creating images or text drafts. Users can choose their chat style, such as “More Creative” or “More Precise,” to generate their preferred style of help. Copilot also provides citations to ensure the information is reliable. It is powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 and is free to use but requires a Microsoft account.

You.com is an AI search tool and productivity platform for individuals and businesses. You.com says it’s the first company to connect an LLM to live web access for real-time responses with citations. The platform is built on ChatGPT, Claude, and other models for its LLM capabilities, enabling complex searches and accurate results by carefully controlling which models are prompted and how. It’s developing shared AI workspace tools where multiple users can add documents and then summarize or ask questions among a team. You.com aims to provide next-generation AI research with clickable citations that are deep-linked and in context.

Perplexity, backed by Jeff Bezos and Nvidia, is an AI-powered conversational search engine. The standard version uses OpenAI’s ChatGPT-3.5. Users can create a user profile so the search engine can optimize for personalization. The focus option tailors searches, such as Web, Writing, and Academic. Users can upload documents to get summary information and detailed insights. Users can enhance their search experience with the copilot feature for conversational interaction and thorough results. The free version of Perplexity offers unlimited quick searches and limits the conversational Pro Searches to five per day. The Pro version provides 300 daily searches, access to advanced AI models such as GPT-4 and Claude 3, unlimited file analysis, API credit, and more.

Perplexity

Brave is a privacy-first search engine built into the Brave browser. Brave uses multiple self-hosted open-source LLMs and erases the search query information when a session has ended. In June, Brave integrated its search results with its AI chatbot, Leo, enabling users to research information without navigating the search page. A premium version of Leo is also available, offering access to better models and higher limit rates. When accessing the AI search feature, users can choose an external LLM from a partner such as Anthropic, and Brave automatically shields the users’ IP addresses and identifiable information. Brave now allows users to link their models to the browser.

Andi is an AI search tool that provides answers and content. Andi uses generative AI and large language models combined with live data, smart algorithms, and semantic search technology. Andi’s proprietary Trantora backend analyzes the meaning and credibility of web content, not just keywords. Andi provides accurate answers free from ads, spam, and misinformation. Recently, in the inaugural SearchBench AI benchmark, an independent evaluation of AI search accuracy, Andi received an accuracy score of 87% versus 71% for Google Gemini and 62% for OpenAI ChatGPT.

Komo is a free AI-powered search engine that creates personalized experiences for searchers with instant, reliable information, and no ads. It’s designed primarily to help individuals and businesses conduct in-depth research. Komo’s recent Search Everywhere feature enhances the journey by enabling users to dive deeper into any source of information. As they read through AI search responses, users can select text or click on the highlighted text, learn more, ask follow-up questions, get quick links to related websites, or explore opinions on the selected topic.

Arc Search from The Browser Company is an AI-powered mobile browser. Its “Browse for me” feature finds answers to a search query by generating a web page of information from at least six sources powered by models from OpenAI and others. Recently, Arc Search added an AI-powered “Call Arc” feature that lets users get quick answers on the go. Users access the feature by opening the app, holding the phone to an ear, and asking questions. The app provides instant voice responses; users can then ask follow-up questions.

Arc Search

Waldo AI is a search tool that delivers relevant and personalized results that consider user context, preferences, and previous interactions. Users can automatically generate scheduled or recurring research with insights, competitive intel, and trends, with full transparency on publication sources. Waldo integrates with paid-access sources and can pull sentiment data from the major social networks for up-to-date insights.

Consensus is an AI-powered academic search engine with a mission to make scientific and evidence-based knowledge more accessible. Consensus uses language models and search technology to surface relevant research papers and then synthesizes topic-level and paper-level insights. Its current source material comes from Semantic Scholar, which includes over 200 million documents across all domains of science, updated monthly.

Phind is an AI search engine for developers, finding and generating coding solutions with references. The Playground mode is a vanilla chat interface for learning about its models. The Ask mode is a default experience for answering technical questions, automatically deciding when to search the internet for additional context.

DuckDuckGo is an independent browser and privacy-focused search engine that doesn’t track a user’s search history. DuckDuckGo recently launched a beta of DuckAssist, a generative AI-assisted feature to provide instant, sourced answer summaries in search results. Answers are intentionally short, with prominently cited sources to click through and learn more. Additionally, DuckDuckGo has released DuckDuckGo AI Chat, a free and anonymous way to access four popular generative AI chatbots. The company says its AI chat can access popular chatbots such as Open AI’s GPT 3.5 Turbo, Anthropic’s Claude 3 Haiku, and two open-source models (Meta Llama 3 and Mistral’s Mixtral 8x7B), with more to come.

DuckDuckGo’s DuckAssist

New Ecommerce Tools: October 31, 2024

Every week we publish a list of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on ecommerce storefronts, buy-now pay-later, AI-powered assistants, fraud prevention, search engine optimization, logistics, and seller ratings.

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

New Tools for Merchants

Salesforce launches integrated ecommerce storefronts in Starter and Pro Suites. Salesforce has announced the availability of ecommerce storefronts in its Starter and Pro Suites, which are all-in-one sales, service, marketing, and commerce platforms. Salesforce says its ecommerce storefronts enable growing businesses to quickly build direct-to-consumer online stores to sell goods and services. Features include fast onboarding, a low-code designer, centralized merchandising tools to manage products and prices, and pre-built performance dashboards to help streamline operations and increase revenue.

Salesforce’s Integrated Ecommerce Storefront

Optiwise.ai launches genAI-powered assistant for Walmart Marketplace. Optiwise.ai, an AI-powered optimization platform for brands, has introduced Olivia, an interactive assistant for the Walmart Marketplace. Olivia identifies listing and ad opportunities, answers questions related to performance, and offers content suggestions, including keywords, titles, descriptions, and pricing, while taking into account holidays and retail events. According to Optiwise.ai, Olivia learns from a brand’s existing content and replicates it to meet Walmart’s standards, ensuring brands tell a consistent brand story across marketplaces.

PayPal and Global Payments partner to simplify checkout with Fastlane. PayPal has expanded its collaboration with Global Payments to transform checkout experiences. Global Payments will offer U.S. merchants enhanced PayPal and Venmo branded checkout solutions and accelerated guest checkout through Fastlane by PayPal, which enables users to complete purchases in as little as one click. Global Payments is a top acquirer of PayPal’s branded checkout solutions across Europe, the U.K., Canada, and beyond.

Mastercard and Noon Payments will launch the Secure Passkey Service in the MENA region. Mastercard has partnered with Noon Payments, a payment service provider in the Middle East and North Africa, to bring its Payment Passkey Service to the area for secure online checkout. Beginning in the United Arab Emirates, Noon Payments will be the first in the region to offer the solution, followed by a wider rollout. The Payment Passkey Service leverages Mastercard’s tokenization technology, which replaces the actual card number with a token so that no data is shared with third parties.

Mastercard Payment Passkey Service

Klarna integrates with Apple Pay to offer flexible payments in the U.S. and U.K. Klarna, a buy-now pay-later network and shopping assistant, is now available to users of Apple Pay online and in apps with iPhone and iPad. Eligible Apple Pay users in the U.S. and U.K. will have access to Klarna’s flexible payment offerings, including paying in three or four installments with no interest or over longer periods with low interest rates. The global expansion will continue in Canada, slated to launch in the coming months.

[cafeteria] launches to provide brands with insights from teens. [cafeteria] has launched as an insights platform on teens and their brands. Emerging from a three-month beta, [cafeteria] enables communication between teens and brands through a dedicated iOS app and real-time insights dashboard called “Albums.” [cafeteria] has on-boarded teens across 60 cities in the U.S. who are talking about roughly 200 brands, generating more than 30,000 insights around brand alignment, audience, purchase history, market positioning, share of wallet, influencers, and competitors.

Simply Be Found launches Ai SEO Pixel to improve online visibility. Simply Be Found, which provides small businesses with search engine optimization tools, has launched AI SEO Pixel to make SEO more accessible and manageable. The AI SEO Pixel automates critical tasks, such as keyword research, content optimization, internal linking, and meta tag creation. The AI SEO Pixel is designed to provide a straightforward solution that helps businesses enhance their online visibility.

Sezzle partners with Shoplazza to offer merchants flexible payment options. Sezzle, a payments provider, has partnered with ecommerce platform Shoplazza. The collaboration will enable Shoplazza merchants doing business in the U.S. to offer flexible payment options through Sezzle. By integrating Sezzle’s buy-now pay-later service with Pay in 4 and Pay in 2 loans issued by WebBank, Shoplazza merchants can facilitate easier purchases without the immediate financial burden.

Shoplazza

Worldline partners with Visa Acceptance Solutions on fraud management. Worldline, a provider of payment services, is collaborating with Visa Acceptance Solutions to launch an optimized fraud management solution, augmenting Worldline’s payment services with Cybersource Decision Manager for fraud detection. By integrating into Worldline via an API, businesses can access AI-powered fraud management that automatically identifies good and bad customer behavior to quickly accept more transactions and help increase acceptance rates, backed by both Worldline and Visa’s data.

Nuvei partners with BigCommerce on customized payment solutions. Nuvei, a Canadian fintech company, has partnered with BigCommerce to enable access to Nuvei’s suite of omnichannel payment solutions. Nuvei says its offering for BigCommerce customers provides comprehensive transaction processing capabilities, including payment acceptance, pre-authorization, refund management, advanced 3DS2 technology, multi-currency support, stored card processing, and embedded checkout integration.

Amazon tests seller ratings on product search results. Amazon is testing a feature on its marketplace that displays seller ratings in product search results. Amazon’s test of seller ratings is being conducted on a limited number of product categories, with the goal of helping shoppers make more informed purchase decisions. Consumers typically click through to an item and then click on a seller’s profile to see a rating.

Cirro E-Commerce integrates with nShift for global shipping solutions. Cirro E-Commerce, a logistics provider, has announced an integration with nShift, a worldwide delivery and experience management provider. The partnership aims to simplify and optimize shipping processes for Cirro E-Commerce’s merchants while expanding nShift’s carrier network. Businesses utilizing Cirro E-Commerce will benefit from streamlined delivery workflows, automated label printing, enhanced tracking services, and simplified returns procedures.

Cirro E-Commerce

Top WooCommerce Extensions to Grow a Store

WooCommerce is the open-source plugin from Automattic that transforms a WordPress website into an ecommerce store. WooCommerce‘s many extensions provide additional tools and features.

Here is a list of essential extensions for WooCommerce to customize, manage, and grow a store. Some extensions are from WooCommerce directly, and others are from third-party developers. All are free to install but may require a subscription or fee afterward.

Essential WooCommerce Extensions

AutomateWoo brings automation tools to grow and manage a store. Create triggers, rules, and actions within WooCommerce. Build advanced logic so rules only trigger in certain situations, and define customizable actions when workflows are triggered. Price: $159 per year.

AutomateWoo

Yoast WooCommerce SEO helps increase the Google search visibility of a store and products. Automatically optimize your sitemap. Get search-engine-optimization recommendations for your product content and category pages for the best online results. Includes access to the Ecommerce SEO course in Yoast’s Academy. Price: $79 per year.

WooPayments from WooCommerce is an extension for accepting credit and debit cards and localized methods. Buy-now pay-later options Klarna, Afterpay, and Affirm are now available. Price: Free.

LiveChat for WooCommerce is a customer support tool for a store, as well as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. Engage shoppers using the automated chat invitations feature while they browse with coupons, deals, and announcements. Price: Free to install. Requires a third-party subscription.

LiveChat for WooCommerce

WooCommerce Tax automatically calculates sales tax upon checkout. Calculate how much sales tax to collect for orders by city, country, and state. Price: Free.

Product Recommendations is an advanced tool to offer upsells and cross-sells. Build intelligent engines that generate automated recommendations. The algorithm analyzes orders to discover meaningful recommendations and adapts to new trends and seasonal patterns. Deploy in-depth analytics to measure a campaign’s impact. Price: $99 per year.

Smart Coupons is a tool for running discounts and promotions automatically. Create advanced discount rules such as bulk discounts, dynamic pricing, percentage discounts, product-based discounts, tiered discounts, and time-based discounts. Price: $129 per year.

B2B for WooCommerce enables the optimization for wholesale customers. Define user roles and modify product visibility accordingly. Create and run a quotation management system. Adjust pricing for individual customers, user roles, and quantity levels. Add discounts on the cart level, in percentage or fixed amounts, and on total quantity or amount. Allow all or selected user roles to claim tax exemption. Restrict shipping methods or payments by those roles. Price: $179 per year.

B2B for WooCommerce

Google for WooCommerce syncs a WooCommerce product feed to the Google Merchant Center. Product listings automatically update with real-time prices, promotions, inventories, and details. Promote your products across Google, including search, Shopping, and YouTube. Price: Free.

Google Analytics for WooCommerce enables performance tracking on the leading analytics platform. Learn which of your store’s channels — search, social, ads, email — drive the most traffic. Track users from a product page to checkout. Compare traffic and transactions across projects. Identify shoppers’ needs by monitoring the pages they land on from search engines. Price: Free.

Jetpack for WooCommerce offers tools to enhance the security and performance of a WooCommerce store. Run automated malware scanning, authenticated customer logins, and brute force attack prevention. Utilize real-time backups to keep sales transactions and data safe. One-click restore enables reversions to any point. Jetpack provides at-a-glance data on orders, trends, and traffic in a centralized dashboard. Price: Free.

Facebook for WooCommerce connects a store to its existing Facebook page, Meta Business Manager, and Meta Pixel to reach prospects across Facebook and Instagram. Create Meta ads directly on WooCommerce — design an ad and set the targeting. Enable Meta Pixel and Conversion API (CAPI) to increase ad performance and improve measurement. Price: Free.

Facebook for WooCommerce

USPS Shipping Method for WooCommerce accesses the United States Postal Service’s API for domestic and international shipping rates. Show customers accurate rates automatically — for individual packs or the built-in box packer. Price: $109 per year.

JetPack CRM​​ is a customer relationship management application for small and medium-sized businesses. Collect leads, create quotes, capture orders, and generate invoices to send directly to your contacts. Develop relationships via email and automation tools. See your team’s interactions with each contact and a performance snapshot on the sales dashboard. Price: Free to install. Requires a third-party subscription.

Back In Stock Notifications for WooCommerce lets you send automated emails to shoppers when their desired products are restocked. Turn sold-out products into waitlists anyone can join. Recover lost sales and build customer loyalty. Price: $59 per year.

Vimeo for WooCommerce provides tools to create, upload, and embed videos. Publish product videos to your WooCommerce storefront or share video ads to social media. Build videos with customizable templates using existing images and videos, or use Vimeo’s stock library and music options. Automate product videos from your page assets. Price: Free to install. Requires a third-party subscription.

Vimeo for WooCommerce

Min/Max Quantities lets you set minimum and maximum quantity rules. Specify lower and upper limits per product or order. Require products or categories to be purchased in predefined quantities and multiples. Exclude individual products from order rules. Price: $49 per year.

Product Add-Ons allows merchants to offer special options such as gift wrapping or personal engravings via text boxes, dropdowns, text areas, checkboxes, custom price inputs, and even sample images. Collect customers’ customization details at checkout without needing to follow up. Price: $79 per year.

Product Bundles facilitates offering related products together. Offer bulk discount packages, personalized product bundles, and assembled products. Create physical, virtual, or downloadable bundles. Group simple, variable, and subscription products. Recommend optional items and let shoppers choose the quantities. Price: $79 per year.

WooCommerce Memberships is a subscription system tied to your store. Sell standalone memberships, grant access to a membership as part of a product purchase, or assign memberships manually in an invite-only members area. Drip content over time to schedule when members have access. Price: $199 per year.

WooCommerce Memberships

New Ecommerce Tools: October 24, 2024

We publish a rundown each week of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce merchants. This installment includes tools for generative AI ads, digital marketing, local search, product returns, cross-border shipping, and holiday marketing campaigns.

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

New Tools for Merchants

Apple expands Business Connect for online businesses. Businesses of all sizes, even those without a brick-and-mortar presence, can now manage how they appear to Apple users using Business Connect. Verified businesses can create a consistent brand and location presence across Apple apps that customers use daily, including Maps, Wallet, and Mail. Through Business Connect, businesses can sign up to display their brand in the Mail and Phone apps and customize their logo in Tap to Pay on iPhone.

Apple Business Connect

Meta introduces AI integrations and tabs for Local, Explore, and Video. Meta is testing Local and Explore tabs that pull Facebook content from Reels, Marketplace, Groups, and Events. Meta is making it easier to find relevant information from public groups, pages, and creator posts with AI Comment Summaries and testing a customizable Group AI to help members find answers. Meta has also launched Messenger Communities for small- to medium-sized communities to connect over shared interests.

Amazon Ads launches AI tools for advertisers. Amazon Ads has introduced an AI creative studio and audio generator, two generative AI tools. The AI creative studio brings Amazon Ads AI-powered image and video generators into a single application where brands can conceptualize, create, and refresh content. Advertisers can use the audio generator to develop interactive audio ad creatives at no additional cost. Advertisers input their Amazon-listed product, and the audio generator will create a voiceover script based on the product information.

Shirofune integrates with BigCommerce to optimize ad campaigns. Shirofune, an advertising automation management platform, has integrated with BigCommerce to predict and optimize ad campaigns based on customer lifetime value. Shirofune states the integration allows advertisers to connect ad performance data with customer lifecycle insights, including whether customers are new or returning, their purchasing behaviors, and predicted lifetime value. Shirofune automatically allocates ad budgets towards campaigns and channels likely to drive higher lifetime returns on ad spend.

Shirofune

Fast Simon integrates with Shopify Markets. Fast Simon, a Shopify Plus Certified App Partner, has unveiled a no-code Shopify Markets feature with AI search and merchandising optimization to simplify and improve complex cross-market selling. Shopify Markets helps merchants sell to multiple countries from a single store. The combination of Shopify Markets and Fast Simon aims to provide an integrated solution to scale internationally, enabling merchants to offer different products with different prices in different markets.

Bonanza removing shipping assessment fees and tripling marketing investment. The Bonanza marketplace is removing the $2 shipping assessment fee for merchants starting in November. Bonanza is also (i) tripling its marketing investment to increase traffic and visibility for sellers and their products and (ii) offering automatic upgrades on purchases of its Vercado Standard Edition web store builder.

Amazon Ads unveils new tools for product launch, optimization, and measurement. Amazon Ads has released new product campaigns, a managed service to introduce products to shoppers within the first 90 days of launch. Advertisers using Amazon Marketing Cloud can now adjust their Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Products bids for audiences who have seen their streaming television ads and visited their website. Amazon Ads has announced a multi-touch attribution model that helps advertisers understand how their marketing works to drive conversions.

Amazon Ads

DHL Express introduces a label-free service for shipment returns. Global shipper DHL Express has introduced a label-free service for package returns, replacing the traditional printing option with a digital eco-friendly service. Customers receive a QR code and show it at a DHL ServicePoint for package drop-off or to a DHL courier for pickup. The service is live in over 50 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Adobe launches GenStudio for Performance Marketing. Adobe has released GenStudio for Performance Marketing, a generative AI application for brands to accelerate advertising and marketing campaigns. The new app provides brands with a single, self-service portal on Adobe to create social media ads, display ads, banners, marketing emails, and more by leveraging pre-approved, on-brand content. Adobe states the app merges the work of creative teams that define a brand’s voice, channels, and images with marketing teams that deliver variations at scale.

FedEx unveils import tool for trade in Asia Pacific. FedEx has launched an import tool to address the complexities of international trade in the Asia Pacific region. The tool helps reduce manual efforts in customs documentation and regulatory compliance. Features include a unified self-service platform to streamline the shipping process by centralizing document management and shipment tracking, a dashboard for greater visibility into shipments, notifications to expedite the clearance process, and extended monitoring to track shipments.

Feedonomics partners with YouTube’s shopping affiliate program. Feedonomics, a provider of product feed management for ecommerce businesses, has partnered with YouTube to streamline the integration of optimized product listings for the YouTube Shopping affiliate program. The program allows participating YouTube creators to tag products from eligible merchants in videos, shorts, and live streams, allowing viewers to shop as they watch. Feedonomics says it’s the sole feed provider partnering with YouTube.

Feedonomics