Design & Development
The nuts and bolts of an ecommerce site are design and development. We address design innovation and trends — including layouts, colors, photography, logos, video, and more. We explain the basics of code — HTML, CSS, JavaScript — as well as platforms, themes, plugins, open source, and related topics.
Code | Design & Dev Tools | Platforms & Apps | Schools & Resources | Typography & Fonts | User Experience-
Platforms & Apps
20 Open Source Ecommerce Platforms
December 31, 2023 • Sig Ueland
Open-source platforms are flexible, composable, and highly customizable. Here's the all-new update to our longstanding list.
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Schools & Resources
Help for Mediocre Writers
December 29, 2023 • Eric Bandholz
To David Perell, writers and readers are thinkers and doers.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: December 25, 2023
December 25, 2023 • Sig Ueland
This installment includes new services for social commerce, buy-now-pay-later options, generative AI, video email, analytics, website builders, and more.
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Platforms & Apps
Postscript SMS Aims for Best in Class
December 22, 2023 • Eric Bandholz
Company president says focus on SMS for Shopify brands equates to market-leading performance.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: December 18, 2023
December 18, 2023 • Sig Ueland
This week's rundown includes new tools for headless commerce, cross-border logistics, payments, SMS marketing, and last-mile emissions.
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Design & Dev Tools
AI Tools for Video Timestamps, ‘Key Moments’
December 11, 2023 • Ann Smarty
Timestamps on a YouTube video help Google understand it for "key moments" in organic search results.
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Design & Dev Tools
Ecommerce Product Releases: December 11, 2023
December 11, 2023 • Sig Ueland
New products for merchants this week include tools for email marketing, B2B payments, streaming video ads, marketplaces, and more.
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Design & Dev Tools
AI Tools to Analyze Complex Documents
December 5, 2023 • Ann Smarty
Deciphering a long or complex document is daunting and time-consuming. Enter AI.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: December 4, 2023
December 4, 2023 • Sig Ueland
This installment of our weekly industry rundown includes new website builders, supply chain tools, fulfillment services, AI marketing platforms, and more.
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Design & Dev Tools
17 Free Web Design Tools, Fall 2023
November 28, 2023 • Sig Ueland
Every quarter we publish a rundown of new, free digital design tools. This installment includes color palettes, UX design, presentations, fonts, and more.
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Design & Dev Tools
Custom GPTs for Marketers
November 27, 2023 • Ann Smarty
Creative GPTs can generate logos, web layouts, content analysis, brand messaging, and much more.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: Nov. 27, 2023
November 27, 2023 • Sig Ueland
Many companies provide software and services for ecommerce merchants. Every week we publish a rundown of new updates and releases.
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Platforms & Apps
My Top Ecommerce Tools for 2024
November 24, 2023 • Andrew Broadbent
Any list of helpful ecommerce tools would be extensive. Here are five must-haves per our correspondent.
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Design & Dev Tools
Will Custom GPTs Boost Ecommerce?
November 20, 2023 • Armando Roggio
OpenAI and Amazon Web Services now offer custom generative AI builders. We see benefits for merchants, potentially.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: Nov. 20, 2023
November 20, 2023 • Sig Ueland
New releases this week address video commerce, ecommerce marketing, social commerce, cross-border payments, composable commerce, more.
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Platforms & Apps
21 New Shopify Tools to Explore
November 19, 2023 • Sig Ueland
Shopify's "Editions Summer '23" includes over 100 new platform features. Here are 21 of them.
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Platforms & Apps
Top Shopify Updates in Editions Summer ’23
November 13, 2023 • Andrew Broadbent
Shopify's latest Editions rundown included 100 new platform features. Our correspondent chooses his top six.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: Nov. 13, 2023
November 13, 2023 • Sig Ueland
This week: composable commerce, AI-powered shopping, open banking, tax compliance, cross-border logistics, holiday shopping promotions, more.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: Nov. 6, 2023
November 6, 2023 • Sig Ueland
This week's list of upgrades and rollouts includes same-day deliveries, customer intelligence tools, conversational commerce, payment options, and more.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: Oct. 30, 2023
October 30, 2023 • Sig Ueland
This week: AR try-on tools, reverse logistics, delivery insurance, AI-powered advertising, point-of-sale tools, cross-border payments, livestream shopping, more.
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Schools & Resources
13 Courses to Learn Ecommerce Skills
October 25, 2023 • Sig Ueland
Plenty of free or inexpensive courses can help advance ecommerce skills. Here's our rundown.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: Oct. 23, 2023
October 23, 2023 • Sig Ueland
This week: drone deliveries, generative AI, tracking, verified reviews, social media ads, shoppable videos, and livestream shopping.
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Design & Dev Tools
4 AI Tools to Condense Text, Audio, Video
October 17, 2023 • Ann Smarty
Sophisticated tools can now analyze, summarize, repurpose, and explain content — supercharging productivity.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: Oct. 16, 2023
October 16, 2023 • Sig Ueland
This week: holiday shipping, B2B payments, returns and reverse logistics, digital wallets, social media advertising, more.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: Oct. 9, 2023
October 9, 2023 • Sig Ueland
This week's updates include email marketing, generative AI, carbon-neutral delivery, returns delivery, B2B tools, point-of-sale tools, and full-stack commerce technology.
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Design & Dev Tools
Comparing 4 Image-to-text AI Tools
October 3, 2023 • Ann Smarty
Drop a photo into an AI vision technology tool and receive product descriptions, social media captions, and more. We test four leading providers.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: Oct. 2, 2023
October 2, 2023 • Sig Ueland
This week's updates include shipping labels, B2B tools, ad targeting, virtual experiences, fulfillment, and generative AI.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: Sept. 25, 2023
September 25, 2023 • Sig Ueland
Updates this week include fulfillment, point-of-sale platforms, social commerce, flexible payment options, and AI-powered customer service.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Game-changers (in 2014)
September 18, 2023 • Armando Roggio
We described in 2014 five technologies that would change ecommerce. They didn't.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: Sept. 18, 2023
September 18, 2023 • Sig Ueland
This week's installment includes updates to Amazon's shipping software, new Meta ad tools, new Pinterest ad formats, and much more.