New Ecommerce Tools: July 18, 2024

Every week we publish a list of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This installment includes updates on AI-powered shopping assistants, crowdfunding, social commerce, big data, livestream shopping, subscriptions, app development, and cross-border payments.

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

New Tools for Merchants: July 18, 2024

eBay launches cash advance services for sellers. eBay is launching Business Cash Advance, a financing product provided by Liberis, a global embedded finance platform. According to eBay, Business Cash Advance offers eligible U.S. eBay sellers up to $1 million in working capital in as little as 24 hours. The program features flexible payment schedules that scale with the seller’s sales cycle. There is no minimum payment and no early payment penalty.

Amazon’s AI-powered shopping assistant Rufus available to all U.S. customers. Amazon’s generative AI-powered conversational shopping assistant, Rufus, is now available to all U.S. customers in the Amazon Shopping app. Rufus is designed to help customers save time and make informed purchase decisions by answering questions on various shopping needs and products. Customers can ask Rufus for product details, recommendations, and comparisons as well as access product updates and shopping history.

Etsy introduces Creativity Standards for sellers. Etsy has reorganized its policies into new Creativity Standards, which underscore the specific work that a seller does for each item in the marketplace. An item on listing pages is now labeled as one of the following: Made by ShopName, Made by ShopName, Handpicked by ShopName, or Designed by ShopName. Etsy is also adding more options to the listing form for sharing details about processes, materials, and tools.

Crowdfunding platform Indiegogo launches marketplace IndieShop and new features. Indiegogo, a crowdfunding platform, has launched IndieShop, a curated ecommerce marketplace offering crowdfunded products. IndieShop launched in beta in May and currently features more than 40 products. Beyond IndieShop, the platform added new features, including prelaunch reservations, pay-over-time financing, cart volume discounts, cross-platform campaign importing, and gifting. Indiegogo also plans to launch an in-store retail partnership to feature crowdfunded projects.

TikTok Shop U.K. starts £1 Million Club to grow brands and SMBs. TikTok Shop U.K. has launched £1 Million Club, a plan to help new merchants hit £1M in revenue through incentives and support at no extra cost. According to TikTok, The £1Million Club brings benefits to new merchants: up to 90 days of 0% commission-free sales, free storage and fulfillment through Fulfilled by TikTok, and seller support priority service. TikTok Shop will also provide dedicated promotion support for merchants.

Behavioral modeling platform Synerise raises $8.5 million for growth. Synerise, a provider of AI-driven behavioral modeling and big data solutions, has announced a $8.5 million investment from Vtex, a composable commerce platform, and angel investors as part of its Series B+ funding round. Synerise provides advanced AI and big data technology solutions to over 150 markets across ecommerce, retail, banking, and other industries. This strategic investment will bolster Synerise’s expansion into new markets and reinforce its position in behavioral AI.

Ecommpay adds a recurring PayPal payments feature. Ecommpay, an ecommerce payments platform, has added a feature that allows merchants to collect recurring PayPal payments from customers alongside subscription card payments and direct debits that they have been using to date. Merchants can handle all subscriptions from their PayPal dashboard with full control and visibility over billing cycles, amounts, and customer information. They can also make changes, track payment history, and handle cancellations.

Wix releases new features for app developers. Wix, a website builder, has announced new features to help developers build applications more efficiently. The Wix Design System includes reusable components and Figma kits. The Wix Patterns library allows for rapid development of admin screens. Developers can (i) jumpstart app development from pre-designed templates tailored to different use cases, (ii) extend functionalities, enabling feature-rich plugins that integrate into Wix’s business apps, and (iii) get 100% revenue share in the first year.

Flipkart adds new recharge and bill payment categories (PDF ). Flipkart, an India-based ecommerce marketplace, has launched five new recharge and bill payment categories, including Fastag, DTH recharges, landline, broadband, and mobile postpaid bill payments on its app. These are in addition to the existing electricity and mobile prepaid recharge options. Flipkart has partnered with BillDesk, an India-based payment service, to help integrate the new services with the Bharat Bill Payments System, developed by the National Payments Corporation of India.

Yuno and Openpay partner on digital payments in Mexico. Yuno, a payments orchestration platform, had partnered with Openpay, BBVA Group’s digital payments company, to boost online transactions in Mexico. The collaboration aims to create synergies within the local payment ecosystem. Yuno’s platform provides access to more than 300 payment methods, as well as one-click checkout, smart routing, and anti-fraud tools through a single interface. Openpay simplifies online sales for merchants by card, bank transfer, cash, or loyalty points via a single integration.

HSN partners with Impact.com to launch creator platform. HSN, a platform for livestream shopping via online and TV channels, is launching a creator platform with Impact.com, an affiliate management site. Through the new HSNfluencer platform powered by Impact.com’s technology, HSN can recruit, engage, manage, and analyze creator partners through a customized experience. Within the platform, influencers and content creators can collaborate with HSN and use curated product collections to inspire content stories and generate affiliate product links for their posts.