New Ecommerce Tools: December 12, 2024

This week’s rundown of new products and services for merchants includes generative AI app builders, virtual commerce, product image tools, customer experience platforms, blockchain payment solutions, and drone deliveries.

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New Tools for Merchants

Amazon introduces Nova foundational models for genAI apps. Amazon has announced Nova, a new series of foundation models, available in Amazon Bedrock, a generative AI application builder. The Nova models lower costs and latency for almost any generative AI task, per Amazon, including analyzing complex documents and videos, understanding charts and diagrams, producing videos, and building sophisticated AI agents.

Amazon Nova Foundation Models

Seguno introduces Shopify Connect for Canva. Seguno, a provider of built-for-Shopify apps, has released Shopify Connect for Canva, an app to streamline content creation and allow users to move seamlessly between Canva and Shopify. Per Suguno, the app enhances product photos and brings consistent designs across storefronts and other marketing channels. The integration also streamlines file management, allowing media to flow in both directions.

Alibaba International launches Pic Copilot, an AI-powered ecommerce design tool. Alibaba International has announced the U.S. launch of Pic Copilot, an AI-driven design tool to help ecommerce businesses save on photography and design costs. Pic Copilot provides 12 AI design features for swapping image backgrounds, editing images and videos, generating ads, and more. The tool’s virtual try-on facilitates multiple skin tones and body types, featuring more than 160 models. Pic Copilot also allows users to upload personal images for product try-ons.

Adobe and Amazon Web Services partner to bring Adobe Experience Platform to brands. Adobe has announced an expanded partnership with Amazon Web Services to make Adobe Experience Platform available on AWS. The collaboration enables brands to strengthen customer relationships through highly personalized experiences, per Adobe. Applications powered by AEP — e.g., Real-Time CDP, Journey Optimizer, Customer Journey Analytics — will also be available on AWS. According to Adobe, brands can create and engage with high-value audiences, orchestrate personalized customer journeys, and analyze and optimize campaigns.

Adobe Experience Platform

Roblox begins closed beta of Shopify integration. Roblox, the gaming platform, has allowed select developers to gain access to Shopify integration tools, including the creators of the Roblox experiences “Catalog Avatar Creator,” “Tower Heroes,” and “Creatures of Sonaria,” with more experiences expected to launch soon. The Shopify storefronts participating in the closed beta primarily sell merchandise tied to the in-game experiences rather than movie tickets or goods from external brands.

Amazon successfully tests delivery drones in Italy. Amazon has completed a test of delivery drones in Italy, the first country in Europe to receive the service. The test occurred in San Salvo, a town on the central Adriatic coast, with the new MK-30 drone, an automated Amazon system prompting drones to move away from obstacles and avoid other aircraft.

Nuvei launches blockchain payments in Latin America. Nuvei, a Canada-based fintech company, has launched a blockchain-based payment service for merchants across Latin America. Through Nuvei’s partnerships with Rain, a vertically integrated issuing partner for global platforms, BitGo, a digital asset custodian and wallet solutions provider, and Visa, Nuvei is enabling businesses to utilize stablecoin, including USD Coin, for faster global settlement and reduced reliance on traditional payments rails. The new service enables payments from a digital wallet anywhere Visa is accepted.

Nuvei blockchain payment service.

Clearco and Boundless launch integration to streamline funding for ecommerce brands. Clearco, a working capital provider for ecommerce brands, and Boundless, a capital marketplace, have announced an integration that builds on their partnership for working capital access. Clearco offers companies direct access to Boundless’s marketplace, while Boundless connects ecommerce brands to Clearco to secure funding in as little as 24 hours.

Asendia USA launches multi-service direct entry for ecommerce shipping to Mexico. Asendia USA has announced the launch of direct entry shipping to Mexico for ecommerce sellers. The offering provides Asendia logistics — from U.S. origin hubs through customs clearance and final Mexico delivery. The new service includes both delivered duty paid and unpaid options, multiple entry points to Mexico, simplified customs clearance, improved transit times for both expedited and standard deliveries, and enhanced tracking.

ShipStation provides U.K. SMBs with discounted daily collections from DPD. ShipStation, a shipping software provider, is serving small businesses in the U.K. with the launch of discounted daily parcel collections through DPD, the Geopost-owned parcel delivery company. This offering makes daily pickups for ready-to-ship packages more accessible and cost-effective for small businesses using ShipStation. U.K. consumers also have access to one-hour delivery windows with DPD Predict, real-time tracking through the DPD App, 10,000 drop-off shops, and next-day delivery seven days a week.

Maropost unveils AI-powered email marketing for commerce brands. Maropost, a connected commerce platform for mid-market merchants, has announced two AI-driven features for its Marketing Cloud product. The new eRFM harnesses AI to process and analyze four key dimensions of customer behavior: recency of interactions, frequency of interactions, monetary value, and enhanced metrics on other behavioral data points. Marketing Cloud’s new AI-driven product recommendation engine automatically populates email campaigns with personalized offers based on real-time purchase data and customer behavior.

Marapost