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Stay in the loop with the latest developments in e-commerce and omnichannel businesses. This roundup highlights a range of updates, from advancements in generative AI assistants, inventory management solutions, and live streaming capabilities to marketplace enhancements and international shipping innovations.
We intend to maintain this post as a regularly updated resource.
Shopify and Amazon: Easy ‘Buy with Prime‘ Integration Coming soon: Shopify merchants can offer ‘Buy with Prime’ directly in their checkout process. Thus, Amazon’s upcoming Shopify app will allow U.S.-based sellers using Amazon’s fulfillment to add this feature while keeping control of their brand and data.
Walmart’s Marketplace Evolution: At the ‘Let’s Grow! Marketplace Seller Summit,’ Walmart announced expanded fulfillment options, catering to larger items like canoes and patio sets. Furthermore, they’re also promoting Brand Shops for businesses to create custom pages. Walmart Marketplace now spans Canada, Mexico, and the U.S., with plans to include Chile next year for cross-border sellers.
DHL Express revamps Same Day service: DHL Express has relaunched its international Same Day service in the U.K., catering to customers with urgent delivery needs or items that cannot be sent through the Express network. This service offers customization options, including onboard couriers for hand-carrying items, dedicated vehicles for temperature-sensitive shipments, and specialized transport for dangerous goods.
BoxHero Empowers Businesses with Barcode Innovations: BoxHero, the go-to inventory management solution designed for small and medium-sized enterprises, introduces two game-changing tools. The first is a complimentary online barcode generator, simplifying the creation of 1D and 2D (QR code) labels. The second is an API, facilitating effortless integration with various external programs and platforms, including seamless point-of-sale connections with Shopify, WooCommerce, Square, Clover, and a host of other options.
CommentSold’s Shopify Integration: CommentSold, a live-selling platform for fashion apparel, has unveiled Videeo for Shopify. This feature enables Shopify merchants to live stream directly on their websites and social media channels, with multi-casting and transaction capabilities on Facebook and Instagram. Consequently, multiple-source video streaming allows guest hosts to take over live shows from any location without additional installations. Users can engage with customers through guest appearances, live reviews, and a consolidated chat feed.
Bloomreach Teams Up with TikTok: Bloomreach, the ecommerce experience platform, has forged a strategic partnership with TikTok. This collaboration empowers marketers to seamlessly integrate TikTok ads into the Bloomreach engagement ecosystem. By harnessing real-time customer data, advanced audience targeting, and precise segmentation, marketers can effectively reach and engage high-value audiences with tailored advertisements. This integration adds to Bloomreach’s existing partnerships with Snapchat, Facebook, and Google.
Royal Mail and Etsy Simplify Shipping: In the UK, Etsy sellers can now utilize Royal Mail for hassle-free shipping label printing. When UK-based merchants purchase domestic shipping labels on Etsy’s desktop or mobile web versions, they can present the label’s QR code at any Royal Mail post office for complimentary label printing. Please note that QR codes are not available through the Etsy Seller app. To access this service, sellers must be based in the UK and accept either Etsy Payments or PayPal.
eBay’s ‘Magical’ Listing Tool Upgrade: eBay has introduced an enhanced version of its image-based listing tool, allowing sellers to capture or upload photos within the eBay app (available on iOS only) and watch as AI automatically populates item details. This AI-driven feature generates titles, descriptions, and vital information like product release dates, detailed categories, and sub-categories, and even suggests listing prices and shipping costs.
Epson’s Colorful Shipping Labels: Epson has introduced Label Boost software, enabling businesses to transform black-and-white shipping labels into colorful and engaging messages. With Label Boost for Epson ColorWorks printers, companies can add full-color coupons, targeted advertisements, and dynamic content to their shipping labels. Furthermore, this versatile tool can also be used to apply secondary labels, such as regulatory or shipping-and-handling labels, or to highlight essential information like parcel counts and expedited shipping details.
HubSpot’s AI-Powered Assistants: HubSpot, a prominent marketing and CRM platform, has unveiled AI-powered assistants for the purpose of assisting teams in content creation, image generation, blog idea generation, website building, and report production. Automated agents, set to launch in early 2024, will eventually enhance customer service across live chat and email. Some AI features, such as AI Insights and ChatSpot, are already available in HubSpot’s suite of AI products.
Unific Simplifies Shopify B2B Transactions: Unific, a HubSpot ecommerce app and Diamond Agency partner, has introduced Quotific CPQ for Shopify B2B merchants. This tool allows businesses to effortlessly create and manage Shopify Draft Orders directly from HubSpot, eliminating the need to switch between platforms. Users can accurately select Shopify products and variants, mirroring their Shopify setup.
Etsy’s ‘Share & Save’ Program: Etsy has rolled out ‘Share & Save,’ a program that rewards sellers for driving traffic to their Etsy shops. Sellers share unique links on external channels to promote their items. When buyers visit an Etsy shop through these links and make a purchase, Etsy takes 4% off the seller’s bill. Participation is free, and all sellers are eligible.
Sprinklr’s Enhanced Customer Experience: Sprinklr, a leading customer experience management platform, has integrated its AI+ platform with Google Cloud’s Vertex AI, offering unified customer experience management. With Google Cloud’s Vertex AI APIs, Sprinklr customers can now access new features across all its product suites, including Sprinklr Service, Sprinklr Social, Sprinklr Marketing, and Sprinklr Insights. This integration allows businesses to use their own models from Vertex AI or create and integrate new ones.
Instacart’s Shopify Integration: Instacart, a grocery technology company, has introduced a Shopify app that empowers emerging consumer packaged goods brands on Shopify to access Instacart Ads. This app enables merchants to track overall sales on Instacart, create an Instacart Ads Manager account, and view high-level ad performance metrics. Once installed within Shopify, the Instacart app allows merchants to establish a free Instacart Ads Manager account.
BigCommerce introduces the B2B Edition Invoice Portal: This new portal streamlines the integration of invoice payments into a centralized purchasing workflow for B2B merchants. According to BigCommerce, this innovative platform enables merchants to pay multiple invoices for both online and offline orders, easily reconcile payments with ERP systems, simplify the invoice payment process, and expedite transaction processing.
Faire and Shopify Join Forces in Wholesale Marketplace: Faire, a B2B marketplace, has announced a global partnership with Shopify. This partnership designates Faire as Shopify’s recommended B2B marketplace and Shopify’s point-of-sale platform as the preferred provider for Faire’s independent in-person and online retail community. Faire and Shopify will introduce new ways for businesses to expand and manage their B2B offerings across both platforms in the coming months.
Shopify Enhances Audiences for Targeted Advertising: The new version of Shopify Audiences, a tool for ad platforms to assist merchant advertisers, helps North American merchants find more customers across major ad platforms, expanding beyond Meta, Google, and Pinterest to include TikTok, Snapchat, and Criteo. Additionally, Shopify has introduced a benchmarking feature for merchants to compare their ad performance with competitors.
Amazon enhances product authenticity tool: Amazon has upgraded its product authenticity tool, Amazon Transparency, to fight counterfeit goods. The tool now integrates with a brand’s product serialization system. When a product is listed on Amazon, the code is verified to ensure only genuine products reach customers. Amazon states that brands can enjoy Transparency’s protective benefits within as little as two weeks after enrollment.
In November 2023, expect more exciting updates in the world of ecommerce and omnichannel commerce. Stay tuned for the latest developments to keep your business ahead of the curve.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates in the world of ecommerce and omnichannel commerce!
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