Ecommerce Product Releases: March 1, 2023

Here is a list of product releases and updates for late February from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on payable domains, website builders, chatbots, analytics, group messaging, mobile payments, and shipping and fulfillment.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.

Ecommerce Product Releases

GoDaddy launches Payable Domains. GoDaddy has launched Payable Domains, branded pay links that create a secure checkout page, shareable via a link, that allow anyone to accept payments from a U.S.-based domain name, even if they do not yet have a website or online store. By sharing their enabled Payable Domain with customers, entrepreneurs can easily begin accepting payments — customers can check out securely by entering their credit card information. Payable Domains can be shared via social media, text, or QR code, and the checkout page can be customized to match the look and feel of the business or suite of products.

GoDaddy – Payable Domains

MikMak to acquire Swaven, upgrading its global ecommerce acceleration software. MikMak, an ecommerce acceleration platform for multichannel brands, has agreed to acquire Swaven, an ecommerce enablement and analytics software company. Bringing MikMak and Swaven together to create MikMak 3.0 offers consumer brands self-service solutions for both media campaigns and integrated website tools. The result is unmatched data accuracy and scale, with retailer-direct feeds that allow brands to know exactly how their marketing performs across search, social, video, display, influencers, website, and more.

Zenlytic launches data chatbot for ecommerce brands. Zenlytic, a commerce business intelligence tool, has unveiled Zoë, a data chatbot for ecommerce brands. With Zoë, commerce operators can ask questions about their brand in a ChatGPT-like interface (or directly in Slack). Zoë pulls information from all of the brand’s tools (storefronts, ad platforms, wholesalers, and SaaS apps) and provides chat-based answers to CFO-level questions down to details on individual orders. It’s possible by merging OpenAI’s GPT-3 with Zenlytic’s proprietary data model.

Web.com launches new quickstart website service. Web.com, a website solutions provider, has launched its professional quickstart service to help entrepreneurs rapidly launch their sites. The quickstart service leverages Web.com’s in-house experts to design, build, and establish a business-ready website in as little as a few days. The quickstart package costs $199 and comes with the website builder tool for ongoing maintenance, a free domain name, domain privacy, email address, and an SSL certificate.

Web.com

Amazon expands its free Small Business Academy. Amazon has expanded its Small Business Academy, a suite of free, interactive resources to support entrepreneurs from concept to launch and beyond. ASBA offers access to business education and industry experts to help aspiring and current small business owners. The new ASBA experience features three self-service tracks — Start, Build, and Launch — for a customizable experience based on where entrepreneurs are in their business journey. The program was designed in partnership with the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization.

Shippo launches embeddable shipping components. Shippo has announced Shipping Elements, a suite of embeddable shipping components that ecommerce platforms can quickly implement into their existing user interface, streamlining merchants’ access to critical shipping services to run their business. With Shipping Elements, ecommerce platforms can now offer feature-rich shipping capabilities natively to the millions of merchants they collectively serve.

Shopify announces multi-year initiative to transform Partner Program. Shopify is launching a multi-year transformation of its partner program, focusing on three areas: exceptional rewards, skills building, and a simplified partner experience. Partners can earn up to 2-times more from referrals in 2023 through revenue share and promotions. Shopify is also launching the first-ever certification program for its partners, with both business and technical certifications. Shopify certification courses and specialization badges will help partners demonstrate product expertise and quickly upskill their teams.

Grocerist launches new ecommerce fulfillment app. Grocerist, a grocery-specific ecommerce platform built on Shopify, has launched a new fulfillment app that enables independent grocers to cut ties with third-party marketplaces and run their own profitable ecommerce operations. The new feature is included in the Grocerist platform at no additional cost and can be used on any mobile, tablet, or desktop device. Unlike generic warehouse order-picking apps, Grocerist’s new fulfillment features were designed for the unique needs of grocers frustrated with other solutions. Capabilities include order batching, product substitutions, weight-based pricing adjustments, and easy bag label printing.

Grocerist

Stripe launches Tap to Pay on Android. Stripe, the payments platform, has announced support for Tap to Pay on Android, enabling businesses in six countries to accept contactless in-person payments using a compatible phone or tablet. Tap to Pay on Android helps companies build and customize in-person checkouts without needing point-of-sale hardware. With fast integrations and no additional hardware required, Tap to Pay requires minimal cost and effort, giving businesses across the globe that run on Stripe another way to capture revenue.

CommerceIQ launches Ecommerce Sales Management Pro. CommerceIQ, a player in retail ecommerce management, has announced the launch of Ecommerce Sales Management Pro, an all-in-one offering for brands to plan, monitor, and execute on Amazon. Building on CommerceIQ’s retail ecommerce automation platform, ESMP integrates new market share and forecasting features with sales, supply chain, and content automation to help brands maximize profitable growth. CommerceIQ’s ESMP enables brands to consolidate their tech stacks for a single source of truth, along with artificial intelligence and machine learning-powered automation, to drive both cost and team efficiencies.

Conjura unveils ecommerce product dashboards for enhanced analytics. Conjura, an ecommerce analytics platform, has announced Product Actions and Product Table, two new dashboards to address the priorities of most ecommerce businesses. The Product Actions dashboard provides insights to help ecommerce operators run their stores more efficiently. The Product Table dashboard is a one-stop shop for all product data and KPIs.

Meta launches Broadcast Channels on Instagram. Meta has debuted Broadcast Channels, a one-to-many chat tool for creators to engage with their fans. Creators can use broadcast channels to help followers stay informed with the latest updates and behind-the-scenes moments using text, photos, videos, voice notes, and polls. Followers can react to content. Meta is testing the new feature with a handful of U.S. creators and will roll it out to more creators soon while also adding more features.

Instagram – Broadcast Channels