Here is a list of product releases and updates for late July from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on customer chat, cross-border selling, live-streaming, social commerce, design tools, and local selling.
Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.
Ecommerce Product Releases
Shopify introduces Inbox for customer chat. Inbox is Shopify’s new home for customer conversations. Shopify merchants can add Inbox for free and customize store chat, saved responses, and more from the Shopify admin. According to Shopify, merchants can talk to customers and manage conversations from their online store, social media, and email from Inbox’s mobile and web apps. Metrics in the Shopify admin can monitor how chat is performing.
BigCommerce and Mercado Libre partner to power cross-border ecommerce growth. Ecommerce platform BigCommerce has announced a partnership with Mercado Libre, a leading marketplace in Latin America. BigCommerce merchants now have the ability to sell across Latin America to nearly 133 million unique consumers on Mercado Libre’s marketplace. It also marks Mercado Libre’s first partnership with a major North American ecommerce platform and complements its recent expansion into the United States. BigCommerce merchants can find Mercado Libre via the BigCommerce Channel Manager.
GoDaddy introduces Studio for SMBs. GoDaddy has introduced Studio, a suite of creative tools for small and medium-sized businesses looking to make a big impact on social media. GoDaddy Studio includes thousands of customizable templates and easy-to-use tools, providing small business owners with various options to develop visual assets. Features include the ability to layer video over images to produce attention-grabbing posts.
BigCommerce acquires Feedonomics. BigCommerce has acquired Feedonomics, a data-feed management platform helping mid-market and enterprise companies integrate with hundreds of advertising channels and marketplaces and then syncing the resulting order data back into existing systems to streamline operations. Together, BigCommerce and Feedonomics will provide merchants with the ability to connect their back-end operations and their sales, marketing, and advertising channels.
Twitter launches Shop Module to let users shop from profiles. Twitter has launched Shop Module, a pilot ecommerce feature that lets brands, businesses, and merchants showcase products directly on a business profile. Followers can then scroll through a carousel of product images and tap on a product they’re interested in purchasing. That tap opens the business’s website inside Twitter for additional product info or to make a purchase. The feature is available currently only to a small group of select brands with a Professional Profile.
Astound Commerce expands partnership with Klarna for flexible payment options. Astound Commerce, an ecommerce technology provider, has expanded its partnership with Klarna, a payments provider. Astound Commerce’s U.S. clients can now offer flexible payment services and marketing tools under the Klarna for Business platform, including Klarna’s interest-free “Pay in 4” service. This expansion follows an Astound and Klarna partnership in the U.K. launched in 2020.
Pinterest introduces new ways for creators to earn money and partner with brands. Pinterest has launched new ways for creators to build their business and earn money with the ability to make their Idea Pins shoppable, earn commissions through affiliate links, and partner with brands on sponsored content. Creators can tag their Idea Pins with any Product Pins on Pinterest. Creators producing branded content have an easier way to disclose paid relationships with a new tool that will add a “paid partnerships” label. With these updates, creators can make their content more actionable and shoppable, earn money, and easily partner with brands’ Pins. The Idea Pins product tagging tool is available to all business accounts in the U.S. and U.K. and will continue rolling out to international creators.
Walmart offers technologies and capabilities to other businesses and announces a partnership with Adobe. Walmart has announced it will begin offering several of its own technologies and capabilities to other businesses and brands. Walmart also announced a partnership with Adobe to integrate Walmart’s Marketplace, online and in-store fulfillment, and pick-up technologies with the Adobe Commerce platform. Businesses can reach new customers on Walmart’s Marketplace, where they can leverage Walmart’s Fulfillment Services to offer 2-day shipping nationwide.
Google releases new ways to find deals and shop. Google is rolling out new tools in the U.S. to bridge the connection between consumers and businesses looking to sell products. Google is showcasing deals directly on its Shopping tab. Additionally, promotions and deals uploaded in the Merchant Center will be automatically visible to consumers on the Shopping tab, regardless of whether businesses advertise on Google. Google is now offering live-stream shopping on YouTube through select creators and brands. And finally, starting in October, people shopping on Google Search will be able to swipe through and discover the most popular deals for major retail events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Mercari announces nationwide delivery partnership with Uber to expand its no-meetup Local Marketplace. Mercari, a marketplace to shop and sell preowned items, has announced a nationwide U.S. partnership with Uber to expand Mercari Local, which provides casual sellers and avid collectors with an easier way to exchange items. Uber’s technology platform matches nearby delivery people, helping to enable the on-demand delivery of almost anything within hours of purchase. No packaging is required. The launch follows rollouts in San Francisco, New York, and Houston.