Commerce Briefs: September 11, 2023

Here is a list of new product releases and updates from companies offering services to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. There are updates on shipping labels, green logistics, social commerce, B2B tools, AI product descriptions, headless commerce, and tools for consumer packaged goods brands.

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

Commerce Briefs: September 11

Ecommerce experience platform Bloomreach partners with TikTok. Bloomreach, an ecommerce experience platform, has partnered with TikTok, enabling marketers to integrate TikTok ads with Bloomreach engagement. According to Bloomreach, the integration will enable marketers to leverage real-time customer data, advanced audience building, and granular segmentation to reach relevant, high-value audiences with each ad. This adds to Boomreach’s integrations across Snapchat, Facebook, and Google.

Bloomreach

Etsy’s U.K. sellers can have Royal Mail print shipping labels. U.K. merchants buying domestic shipping labels on Etsy can present each label’s QR code at any Royal Mail post office to have the label printed for free. QR codes are only available from Etsy.com’s desktop and mobile web versions, not from the Etsy Seller app. To purchase Royal Mail shipping labels through Etsy, a merchant must be based in the U.K. and accept either Etsy Payments or PayPal.

eBay launches next version of “magical” listing tool. eBay has updated its image-based magical listing tool, allowing sellers to take or upload photos in the eBay app (iOS-only) and watch AI fill in item details. From a photo, AI can write titles and descriptions, add vital information, including product release date, detailed category, and sub-category, and combine with eBay’s other tech to suggest a listing price and shipping cost.

Epson introduces Label Boost software to add colorful messaging to shipping labels. Epson has released software for businesses to transform black-and-white shipping labels to color. Using the Label Boost software for Epson ColorWorks printers, businesses can add full-color coupons, targeted ads, and dynamic content to shipping labels. Businesses can use Label Boost to apply secondary labels, such as regulatory or shipping-and-handling labels, or to highlight critical information, such as parcel count or expedited shipping.

Epson – Label Boost

HubSpot announces cross-platform AI strategy. The marketing and CRM platform HubSpot has launched AI-powered assistants to help teams draft content, create images, generate blog ideas, build websites, and produce reports. Automated agents will launch in early 2024 to help businesses improve customer service across live chat and email. Certain features in HubSpot’s suite of AI products are already available, including AI Insights and ChatSpot in beta.

Unific launches Quotific CPQ for Shopify B2B merchants. Unific, a HubSpot ecommerce app and Diamond Agency partner, has introduced Quotific CPQ for Shopify B2B merchants. Quotific CPQ enables businesses to create and manage Shopify Draft Orders directly from HubSpot, eliminating the need to toggle between platforms. Users can choose Shopify products and variants accurately, just as they appear in Shopify.

Books-A-Million uses Walmart’s white-label delivery-as-a-service platform. Utilizing GoLocal, Walmart’s white-label delivery-as-a-service platform, Books-A-Million is introducing same-day and next-day delivery to customers across its 231 U.S. locations for orders placed online. Customers will select the “Same-Day Delivery” option during checkout. Orders placed before 3 p.m. will be delivered same-day. Orders placed after 3 p.m. will be delivered the next day on products in stock in a nearby store.

Walmart GoLocal

Etsy rewards sellers for driving traffic to their listings. Etsy has launched Share & Save, a program that rewards sellers when they bring sales to their Etsy shops. Sellers share unique links on channels outside of Etsy to promote their items. When buyers visit a seller’s Etsy shop via their link and make a purchase, Etsy will take 4% off the seller’s bill. All sellers are eligible to participate, and joining the program is free.

Customer experience platform Sprinklr expands partnership with Google Cloud. Sprinklr, a customer experience management platform, has integrated the Sprinklr AI+ platform with Google Cloud’s Vertex AI for unified customer experience management. With generative AI capabilities powered by Google Cloud’s Vertex AI APIs, Sprinklr customers can tap into new features across all four of its product suites: Sprinklr Service, Sprinklr Social, Sprinklr Marketing, and Sprinklr Insights. Sprinklr customers can bring their own models from Vertex AI or create and integrate new ones.

Global shipping company Maersk partners with Amazon on ECO delivery. Maersk and Amazon have finalized an agreement for the transport of 20,000 containers using green biofuel through Maersk’s ECO Delivery for ocean shipping. Amazon will benefit from a new feature of the ECO Delivery product, enabled by using green methanol and, secondarily, biodiesel. The new model also provides price stability and is de-linked from the fossil fuel market.

Maersk

Hong Kong-based Omnichat introduces WhatsApp Catalog. Omnichat, an omnichannel chat commerce provider, has unveiled its latest features, including WhatsApp Catalog, Chat-to-Order, and In-chat Payment. By importing the product catalog into WhatsApp, merchants can build a personalized e-shop where customers can use the Chat-to-Order function to place orders and finish the in-chat payment. With the integration of ChatGPT technology, Omnichat transforms into a digital assistant to generate promotional messages.

Merkle launches composable commerce accelerator for Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Merkle, a customer experience management company, has launched an accelerator for Salesforce Commerce Cloud, which, according to Merkle, enables brands to achieve a composable, API-first architecture faster. Developed to work with Contentful and Magnolia, the accelerator extends Salesforce Commerce Cloud and streamlines integration of the commerce platform with other enterprise content management platforms. Merkle enables businesses to implement enterprise-ready headless content management capabilities with Salesforce Commerce Cloud.

Instacart launches a Shopify app for merchant advertising. Instacart, a grocery technology company, has launched an app for Shopify, enabling emerging consumer packaged goods brands on Shopify to access Instacart Ads. According to Instacart, the Shopify app allows merchants to track their overall sales on Instacart, create an Instacart Ads Manager account, and see high-level ad performance metrics. Once they install the Instacart app within Shopify, merchants can set up a free Instacart Ads Manager account.

Instacart for Shopify app