Here is a list of recent ecommerce-related product releases and updates for mid-November. There are updates on fulfillment and distribution services, advertising networks and platforms, and buying products in virtual reality.
Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.
Ecommerce Product Releases
Shyp to provide outsourced fulfillment to Shopify merchants. Shyp has announced a new integration with Shopify to make the fulfillment process easier. Merchants in San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles can now fully outsource their fulfillment workflow, whereby Shyp will pick up, pack, and ship parcels on their behalf. Once orders are collected and packed, Shyp selects the shipping option indicated and sends parcels via one of their integrated carriers: USPS, FedEx, or UPS.
New tournament app drives mobile user engagement. Mobile rewards platform Meed has introduced Meed Tournaments, a new way to drive engagement and app awareness through tournaments. Tournaments reward an app’s best players, directly aligning a company’s marketing spend with its broader performance and loyalty objectives. Meed was launched in the summer of 2016 with a vision to create a complete mobile rewards platform. Contact on pricing.
Pepperjam and Magento accelerate retailers’ ecommerce businesses. Pepperjam, a performance marketing company, has announced a partnership with Magento Commerce. Magento merchants will receive instant access to the Pepperjam Network, providing an interface that helps them seamlessly activate and manage affiliate programs directly within their commerce platforms. For Magento merchants that are new to affiliate marketing programs, this integration offers complete support and education.
Facebook Expands ads. Facebook is testing video ads through its Audience Network that run on set-top boxes like Apple TV and Roku. Additionally, Facebook is letting businesses pay to promote their Messenger chat bot in users’ news feeds. And Facebook is also expanding the reach of its sponsored messages ads to allow brands to re-engage consumers who have an existing conversation with its business.
Adobe to acquire TubeMogul. Adobe has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire TubeMogul for approximately $540 million of debt and cash. TubeMogul is a leader in video advertising, with a single platform that enables brands and agencies to plan and buy video advertising across desktops, mobile, streaming devices, and televisions. Adobe’s acquisition of TubeMogul will create the first end-to-end independent advertising and data management solution that spans TV and digital formats, simplifying what has been a complex and fragmented process for the world’s biggest brands.
LightInTheBox launches SaaS ERP software for online and offline distribution companies. LightInTheBox has launched a cloud-based enterprise-resource-planning software-as-a-service solution. Designed for both online and offline distribution companies — retail and wholesale — the newly launched system comes with solutions to facilitate order management, procurement management, product category management, supplier management, and inventory management. It is designed for both small and large distribution companies that handle millions of orders per year and manage thousands of suppliers. Contact on pricing.
Sigmento launches on-demand product information platform for retailers. Sigmento, a data technology company, announced the launch of its product-information-as-a-service platform that provides retailers with optimized, on-demand product information for their entire catalog. Sigmento’s product-information-as-a-service platform provides product information that is statistically validated, optimized for search engines and marketplaces (such as eBay and Amazon; Google and Bing), while also formatting the data specifically for each of retailer. This allows retailers to add product pages to their website or marketplace stores without depending on manual data teams and inconsistent data feeds from manufacturers. Contact on pricing.
InMobi launches remarketing platform designed and optimized for mobile. InMobi, a mobile advertising and discovery platform, has announced the launch of its mobile-first, in-app remarketing platform in the U.S. The platform enables performance marketers and app developers to retarget existing users across InMobi’s global platform consisting of roughly 1.5 billion unique mobile devices. Advertisers can now execute a mobile growth strategy across the entire conversion funnel from prospecting and acquisition to driving post-install activation, engagement, and purchases. Contact on pricing.
Hormel launches virtual reality bacon shop. Hormel has launched The Black Market, a multi-sensory, virtual-reality shopping experience for consumers via a smartphone. Users can experience The Black Market in virtual reality by visiting BlackLabelBacon.com on a smartphone and positioning the phone in front of their eyes. To amplify the user’s experience, a limited number of custom bacon-scented Google Cardboard units are available, at no cost, on The Black Market.
YNAP sells $121,000 watches online. IWC Schaffhausen timepieces costing as much as $121,000 will go on sale on Yoox Net-a-Porter Group S.p.A.’s websites, as the Swiss watchmaker tests ecommerce limits. “IWC is the first watch brand that is going to bring the hard luxury category to the next level,” said IWC C.E.O. Federico Marchetti in an interview with Bloomberg. The company’s success in selling $25,000 Valentino handbags and Pomellato jewelry has shown there’s demand for such products, he said. “There’s no resistance on price.” YNAP’s watch and jewelry sales are expected to reach 100 million euros ($110 million) by 2020.
Letgo’s secondhand marketplace app launches in Canada. Letgo, a mobile marketplace to buy and sell locally in the United States, has launched in Canada. Already downloaded over 30 million times in its first year, Letgo helps users make money selling what they don’t need and find great local deals on what they do — from electronics and fashion to furniture, home décor, automobiles, and games. Letgo users can chat instantly and privately with local buyers and sellers without leaving the app. Letgo also integrates geolocation so users can easily browse or search for items nearby.