Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-June from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on social commerce, cryptocurrencies, product protection, virtual try-ons, self-service subscriptions, mobile card readers, and the metaverse.
Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.
Ecommerce Product Releases
Twitter introduces Product Drops. Twitter’s new Product Drops helps shoppers stay on top of new items and provides select merchants with another way to engage prospective buyers. With Product Drops, a merchant can tweet about an upcoming launch, and users will see a “remind me” button at the bottom of the tweet. With one tap, users can request a reminder to receive an in-app notification 15 minutes before launch and at the time of the drop.
Adobe Analytics launches tools to track streaming media and the metaverse. Adobe Analytics now delivers a single workspace for brands to unify data and insights across all media types, including the metaverse and streaming media. The new service transitions data from other analytics products while preserving historical compliance with regulations such as Global Data Protection Regulation and California Consumer Privacy Act.
Salesforce connects merchants with TikTok. Salesforce is making it easier for Commerce Cloud merchants to engage with the TikTok community, including advertising to users and enabling product visibility. Merchants can publish products easily on TikTok via catalog-focused advertising with a one-click setup, which will sync existing Commerce Cloud catalogs on TikTok. TikTok Pixel will help merchants analyze ad performance and optimize campaigns.
PayPal supports more cryptocurrencies. PayPal announced that it now supports the native transfer of four cryptocurrencies — Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin — between PayPal and other wallets and exchanges. The new functionality rolls out to eligible U.S. consumers in the coming weeks. It allows users to transfer supported coins into PayPal, move crypto from PayPal to external crypto addresses, including exchanges and hardware wallets, and instantly send crypto to others on PayPal with no fees or network charges.
Yotpo launches self-service subscriptions for Shopify merchants. Yotpo, a platform helping brands communicate with consumers, announced the launch of Subscriptions for Shopify, an app to help merchants launch a subscription offering. Users don’t pay anything until they exceed $500 in monthly subscription sales. After that, they pay 1% per transaction. Subscriptions will integrate with Yotpo’s ecommerce marketing platform and bring advanced integration with other Yotpo solutions, including Loyalty & Referrals, SMSBump, and Reviews.
Etsy launches Purchase Protection. Etsy announced the launch of Purchase Protection. Starting August 1, buyers will receive a full refund for purchases on Etsy that don’t match the item’s description, are damaged, or never arrive. Etsy plans to invest at least $25 million per year in its Purchase Protection program to cover refunds on behalf of sellers for qualifying orders up to $250, enabling them to keep earnings from sales when things happen outside their control at no additional cost to sellers.
Amazon launches Virtual Try-On Shoes. Amazon Fashion released Virtual Try-On for Shoes, an interactive mobile experience that uses augmented reality to help consumers visualize how shoes will look. Consumers using the Amazon shopping app on iOS can use Virtual Try-On for Shoes with thousands of sneaker styles from major brands. Once they select a shoe, they can tap the “Virtual Try-On” button on the product detail page and point the camera at their feet to see how the shoes would look. Consumers can then move their feet to see how the shoe appears from various angles and use the carousel to swap colors of the same style without needing to exit the experience. Consumers can also take a photo of their virtual try-on experience and share the image with friends on social media by clicking the “Share” icon.
WooCommerce announces new functionality for its card reader. WooCommerce, a leading open-source ecommerce platform, announced expanded functionality for in-person payments with its card reader. The reader works with WooCommerce Payments and the WooCommerce mobile app. Merchants can now create an order in the WooCommerce mobile app, which automatically syncs inventory between in-person and online orders. They can also complete sales without needing to open a web browser. Additionally, the reader now supports Simple Payments, allowing merchants to collect payments without inventory adjustment. The new functionality allows quick orders directly in the mobile app and will save hours of manually updating inventory.
DePay brings a Web3 P2P payment gateway to Shopify merchants. Switzerland-based Web3 payment startup DePay announced its integration with Shopify, allowing peer-to-peer payments for eligible merchants. DePay’s multichain Web3 payments enable merchants to receive preferred tokens with blockchain-based asset conversion of incoming payments in real-time. Buyers can send direct payments to storeowner wallets with thousands of accepted tokens on supported blockchains.
1,000 storefront NFTs are now available from the Metaverse Commerce Network. The Metaverse Commerce Network (MCN) opened a whitelist for 1,000 storefront non-fungible tokens in the first decentralized metaverse-based commerce platform. Storefront NFT owners will be entitled to commissions and bonuses from merchants who will occupy their storefronts on the network. MCN is developing apps and templates to provide a frictionless and free way to migrate Web2 ecommerce brands to the metaverse and Web3, helping ecommerce merchants on Shopify, Etsy, and other platforms create their metaverse stores.