Here is a list of product releases and updates for late September from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on visual search, artificial intelligence, social media marketing, live-stream shopping, and international shipping.
Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.
Ecommerce Product Releases
Anyword launches a free social media copywriting tool. Anyword, a data-driven artificial intelligence copywriting platform, has launched its free Social Media Post Generator. This online tool creates quality copy for social media platforms and other mediums. Users can generate content with just a few clicks using AI-powered technology that’s ideal for social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Users must follow simple steps to create a post up to 600 words in length and will receive a prompt to provide background information on the type of content they want to create.
Google introduces new features for shopping. Google has enhanced its traditional search to produce more visual shopping methods. Searching the word “shop” now opens a visual feed of products, research tools, and nearby inventory related to that product. The shoppable search experience expands beyond apparel to all categories. To find complementary items for clothing, you can now “shop the look.” Trending products is another new feature in Search that shows you popular products within a category. Google is rolling out 3D images of products, starting with sneakers, available in the coming months and a new buying guide feature with page insights from other shoppers to help consumers shop confidently.
Amazon launches Veeqo, free shipping software for sellers. Amazon has announced the U.S. launch of Veeqo, a multichannel shipping software built to simplify fast-growth ecommerce. Acquired by Amazon earlier this year, Veeqo helps sellers cut shipping costs while increasing the speed of fulfilling orders. Sellers using Veeqo can connect their sales channels, including Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Shopify, and access discounted rates on UPS, U.S. Postal Service, DHL, and FedEx. Veeqo’s rate-shopping feature imports sellers’ orders and automatically locates the lowest shipping rate available based on size and weight. Previously priced at an average of $450 per month, Veeqo is now free for all sellers. Those who ship via Veeqo pay only for their chosen carrier labels, with no monthly fees.
WordPress VIP integrates with Salesforce. WordPress VIP, a content platform for teams and brands, has announced a new integration of WordPress and the Salesforce Marketing Cloud. WordPress for Salesforce is now available in the Salesforce AppExchange. This product integration lets marketers quickly access content from their WordPress VIP sites when creating emails in Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
CommentSold launches a point-of-sale tool on Stripe terminal. CommentSold, a live video commerce platform enabling retail businesses to unlock sales growth through live selling, has launched its point of sale system built on Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform for businesses. This addition to CommentSold’s suite of tools for retailers gives them access to in-person and online purchasing, inventory management, and seamless shopper experiences.
Amazon unveils additional analytics and data to empower seller success. Amazon announced new features to its Manage Your Experiments tool to help sellers optimize the content on product detail pages to drive higher conversion rates. Brands now have increased A/B testing and machine learning-based recommendations for product images and titles. Additionally, brands can now opt-in to auto-publish winning experiments to the product detail page, automating their A/B tests. Amazon enhanced the Product Opportunity Explorer and Search Analytics Dashboard with new capabilities to help brands analyze marketing campaigns and identify areas to acquire new customers and drive repeat purchases.
eBay releases its new international shipping program. eBay has launched International Shipping, a new service that removes many challenges, complexities, and fees associated with international shipping for U.S. sellers. eBay International Shipping handles customs clearance, tracking, and post-transaction requests at no extra cost to the merchant. eBay International Shipping oversees all aspects of international returns by replacing the Global Shipping Program. In addition, international fees no longer apply. Calculate final value fees based on the item’s price, shipping charges to the U.S. shipping hub, and any other amounts you may charge the buyer. Sales tax, international shipping cost, and import charges are not included.
Loox launches Shopify post-purchase upselling tool. Loox, a peer-to-peer marketing service for Shopify merchants, has announced the release of Loox Upsells, a tool for ecommerce sites to increase the average order value by enabling online sellers to display photo reviews next to post-purchase upsell offers. Loox currently works with 100,000 Shopify merchants, including over 1,000 Shopify Plus enterprise-level brands, such as Birchbox and Zumba.
Bold Commerce launches Curb Up to add upselling at curbside and in-store pickup. Bold Commerce, an ecommerce technology company that powers checkout and subscription experiences for retailers and direct-to-consumer brands has announced its newest curbside checkout feature for brick-and-mortar and omnichannel retailers. Curb Up enables retailers to recapture the high-margin impulse purchases lost with the growth of curbside checkout by introducing upsell and cross-sell opportunities after placing an order and during pickup. The new technology reimagines the experience of last-minute product discovery in the checkout area of stores – only it occurs on a shopper’s mobile device.
GoDaddy launches new Google Ads option. GoDaddy now offers Google Ads through its marketing dashboard, allowing customers to manage all their marketing activities from one place. The new integration simplifies customizing and creating any number of paid Google campaigns using keywords and themes selected from the same dashboard customers currently know. Entrepreneurs can include three ad titles and two ad descriptions to launch a campaign. Choose a predetermined selection based on Google’s algorithm or input by the business owner. Google will automatically combine different ad descriptions with titles across Google properties (Maps, YouTube, Search).
Amazon and Lendistry expand Community Lending Program. A year after its pilot launch, Amazon announced that it would roll out its Community Lending program as a long-term offering to help more sellers grow. In partnership with Lendistry, this program will continue to support urban and rural small businesses in socially and economically distressed communities through short-term loans at competitive and affordable rates. Since its launch, the program has loaned more than $35 million to over 800 sellers, surpassing the original goal of $10 million during the pilot. The program plans to lend more than $150 million to small businesses selling in the Amazon U.S. store in the next three years.