New Ecommerce Tools: December 19, 2024

Each week we handpick new products and services for ecommerce merchants and curate them in a list. This installment includes updates on returns, payment financing, AI-powered assistants, social commerce, shipping, and security tools.

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

New Tools for Merchants

eBay and Klarna expand BNPL partnership. eBay and Klarna have expanded their collaboration to European markets. eBay is offering Klarna’s buy-now-pay-later payments to shoppers in the U.K., Austria, France, Italy, Spain, and The Netherlands, with more markets coming soon. Payment options include interest-free “pay in 3,” pay in 30 days, or financing for larger purchases. The European expansion follows eBay’s recent announcement of free selling in the U.K.

Ebay and Klarna

Amazon integrates Intuit QuickBooks for sellers. Intuit QuickBooks is now a preferred partner of Amazon for financial management solutions — integrated directly into Amazon Seller Central starting in mid-2025. The expanded Amazon-Intuit partnership will allow sellers to bring their existing Amazon data into Intuit products to understand and optimize profitability, manage cash flow, access capital, and simplify taxes.

Wix releases AI-powered virtual agent for customers. Wix.com, a website builder platform, has launched the AI Site-Chat virtual agent. According to Wix, with AI Site-Chat, businesses can connect with visitors anytime, answer questions, and provide relevant information in real-time. The customizable Site-Chat attempts to recognize the intent behind each user query, allowing it to deliver more precise search results and tailored recommendations.

Shopify releases Winter ’25 Boring Edition. Shopify has released its Winter ’25 Edition, called The Boring Edition, with more than 150 updates. According to Shopify, cart loading times are reduced, and checkout buttons are up to 58% faster. New customization options include checkout blocks, chat integration, and expansion of draft orders. Shopify POS has been updated, and Shopify Flow now automates more tasks, including returns and exchanges, marketing campaigns, and targeting with segment-based triggers.

Shopify’s Winter ’25 Boring Edition

ShipStation and Adobe Commerce partner on shipping tools for merchants. ShipStation, a shipping software from Auctane, has announced an expanded relationship with Adobe Commerce to provide merchants with shipping options to compare prices, print shipping labels, automate workflows, and more. Adobe Commerce sellers can unlock shipping features through the ShipStation extension, including in-cart delivery options within online storefronts and shipping cost calculators.

TikTok Shop launches in Ireland and Spain. TikTok Shop has launched in Ireland and Spain. Per TikTok, upcoming features include live shopping, shoppable videos in the “for you” feed, product showcases, affiliate programs, shop ads, and secure checkout. The launch in Ireland is in collaboration with Guaranteed Irish, which assists in identifying Irish products and merchants for consumers.

Shipium partners with DoorDash to improve local delivery for merchants. Shipium, an end-to-end shipping platform for ecommerce sellers, has partnered with DoorDash Drive On-Demand, a white-label fulfillment platform. Shipium customers now have immediate access to DoorDash’s services through the pre-integrated carrier network. Customers establish a relationship with DoorDash Drive On-Demand and turn on services. DoorDash Drive On-Demand helps retailers offer and outsource local delivery.

DoorDash’s Drive On-Demand

Loop acquires Wonderment to expand its returns platform. Loop, a commerce returns platform, has acquired Wonderment, customer experience and order-tracking software for ​​Shopify merchants. Wonderment’s tracking product includes real-time shipment insights, page tracking, proactive alerts, one-click integrations, and more, all from a single interface. Loop says the acquisition brings its merchants AI-powered insights that transform shipping and returns data into actionable intelligence.

Bloomreach Discovery launches self-service features to accelerate integrations. Bloomreach has released features to accelerate integrations with Discovery, its AI search and merchandising platform. Self-service Catalog Creation allows partners to create and manage product catalogs. Catalog Management helps users manage catalogs programmatically using APIs. API Key Management simplifies the management of Discovery modules. Feed and Indexing enables users to upload and index product data. Finally, Web Typescript SDK streamlines the integration of Bloomreach search features for front-end developers.

GroupBy partners with adCaptcha to strengthen ecommerce security. GroupBy, an ecommerce search and product discovery provider, has partnered with adCaptcha, a verification platform, to combine security measures with personalized product discovery. GroupBy and adCaptcha’s partnership empowers merchants to identify and block malicious bot traffic. According to the companies, by reducing bot traffic with adCaptcha and by leveraging GroupBy’s AI-powered ecommerce search and product discovery platform, retailers can focus on serving real customers with intent-driven search results.

Cart.com acquires OceanX and deepens capabilities for health and beauty brands. Cart.com, a unified commerce solutions provider, has acquired OceanX, the fulfillment operations arm of Guthy-Renker., the multi-brand, omnichannel retailer. According to Cart.com, the acquisition strengthens its position in enterprise logistics and expands capabilities to support high-volume beauty, wellness, and lifestyle brands. Cart.com will add two new facilities totaling over 600,000 square feet to its network, including a distribution hub in Southern California and its third facility near Columbus, Ohio.

Cart.com