New Ecommerce Tools: March 18, 2026

We publish a rundown every week of new services for ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on reusable packaging, dropshipping, product feeds, finance, fulfillment platforms, B2C marketing, agentic commerce, and AI-powered contact centers.

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

New Tools for Merchants

FedEx and Returnity launch reusable box solution for B2B shippers. FedEx has launched a reusable packaging system for B2B shippers, developed with Returnity, a packaging provider specializing in circular logistics. FedEx and Returnity have enabled FedEx’s U.S. B2B customers to switch from corrugated to reusable boxes without incurring additional handling fees. The program will expand to Australia and Europe soon, per FedEx.

Returnity

Doba launches beta of an AI dropshipping agent, Pilot. Doba, a dropshipping platform, has launched a beta version of Pilot, an AI dropshipping agent. Key capabilities include product discovery, automated setup for Shopify stores, AI-generated product listings, and real-time inventory synchronization across suppliers and store platforms. The capabilities leverage Doba’s established supplier marketplace and dropshipping infrastructure.

Squarespace Balance simplifies business finances for merchants. Squarespace, a website-building platform, has launched Balance, a tool to help merchants manage finances and earn rewards within the Squarespace platform. Integrated with Squarespace Payments, Balance allows merchants to access funds within hours, earn cash rewards on balances, and spend with a business Visa. By keeping earnings, spending, and cash flow management in the same place, Balance says it simplifies financial oversight and reduces operational complexity.

Ship.com integrates with Walmart Marketplace. Ship.com, a fulfillment and shipping platform, has announced its integration with Walmart Marketplace. The platform provides a centralized dashboard that syncs Walmart orders, generates batch shipping labels, and helps sellers manage fulfillment alongside other selling channels. According to Ship.com, the integration also gives merchants access to discounted carrier rates.

Ship.com

Spreetail introduces BEx, a marketplace visibility tool. Spreetail, an ecommerce marketplace accelerator, has launched BEx, a tool to provide real-time visibility into performance across marketplaces, advertising, and fulfillment operations. BEx creates a unified view of results from Spreetail’s tools, including Price Pulse, Promise Pro, and True Ads. BEx operates inside Spreetail’s live retail and fulfillment systems. Brands can track sales, inventory, and advertising performance with AI-driven recommendations.

Amazon introduces Shop Direct for products not on Amazon. Amazon’s new Shop Direct is an AI search experience that shows products not currently sold on Amazon and is powered by third-party product feeds such as Feedonomics, Salsify, and CedCommerce. Shoppers can click Shop Direct to purchase items directly through the external merchant’s store or, for some products, click Buy for Me to have Amazon purchase on their behalf.

DHL Supply Chain to transform U.K. facility into ecommerce fulfillment hub. DHL Supply Chain has announced an expansion of its logistics facility in Derby, U.K., into a shared-user ecommerce fulfillment center. The site will deploy advanced automation to support high-volume ecommerce operations, seasonal peaks, and wide product ranges. Once live, the site will handle up to 350,000 units per day, per DHL.

DHL Supply Chain

Meta introduces AI-powered features on Facebook Marketplace. Meta has introduced AI-powered selling features on Facebook Marketplace. Sellers can upload item images and automatically create a detailed listing, including a suggested price. Sellers can also offer shipping on listings, generate prepaid shipping labels, track orders, and use Meta AI to draft and send an automated reply with the listing description, availability, pickup location, and price.

Santander and Visa deliver payments powered by AI agents. Banco Santander and Visa have announced the successful completion of controlled agentic commerce transactions in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay. Visa Intelligent Commerce, which enables consent-driven transactions initiated by AI agents on behalf of consumers, powered the pilot.

BlueConic launches Agent Studio for brands. BlueConic, a customer growth engine for B2C marketers, has announced Agent Studio, an AI decisioning system that ensures agents evaluate what should happen for each customer in real time, improving performance over time.

BlueConic

eBay and Liberis launch flexible growth financing for U.K. small businesses. eBay U.K. has partnered with finance provider Liberis to introduce Flexible Growth Financing, which allows sellers to access funds when a need or opportunity arises. According to eBay, the program’s pricing and repayments adjust with sales to align cash flow. The feature is available starting April 2026 as part of eBay’s Seller Capital program.

Loxa raises £2.7 million to scale product protection across European retail. Loxa, an insurtech enabling retailers to offer product protection at the point of sale, has closed a £2.7 million ($3.6 million) funding round, backed primarily by angels, including the Lazaroo-Hood Group, facilitated by Angel Investment Network, FundMyPitch, and the Entrepreneur’s Collective. Loxa can build and launch insurance tailored to its retail partners. The new funding will drive E.U. expansion, scale Loxa’s retail network, and broaden product categories.

Salesforce introduces Agentforce Contact Center. Salesforce has introduced Agentforce Contact Center, a self-service portal unifying voice, digital channels, customer data, and AI agents natively in a single system. AI agents pull from the same data source to understand the customer’s history and incorporate insights from voice conversations, chats, texts, purchases, and marketing activity. Human agents can access the full transcript and customer history instantly.