New Ecommerce Tools: September 12, 2024

Every week we publish a rundown of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This installment includes updates on biometric security, robotics, product images, ecommerce personalization, AI-powered sales assistants, cross-border payments, and selling in the metaverse.

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New Tools for Merchants: September 12, 2024

Shopify integrates Checkout into gaming platform Roblox. Shopify announced an alliance with Roblox as a commerce integration partner on the gaming platform. Shopify will add its Checkout solution into Roblox, with a larger launch in early 2025. Developers, creators, and brands on Shopify can sell physical items directly within their Roblox games without leaving that platform. Creators and brands can engage with a global audience of nearly 80 million daily active Roblox users.

Amazon partners with Covariant on AI models for robots. Amazon has entered into an agreement with Covariant, a Bay Area-based company that builds advanced AI models to help robots automate warehouse operations. Amazon receives a non-exclusive license to Covariant’s robotic foundation models (to develop new ways for Amazon’s robotic systems to learn and work for customers). A group of Covariant’s research scientists and engineers will join Amazon’s fulfillment technologies and robotics team for the implementation.

Mastercard selects India to launch its Payment Passkey Service. Mastercard has launched its Payment Passkey Service, debuting first in India as a pilot with payment aggregators, online merchants, and leading banks. Payment passkeys use device-based biometric authentication methods such as fingerprints or facial scans for secure online shopping. Mastercard’s Payment Passkey Service uses tokenization to secure a consumer’s payment details and biometric data, ensuring that no data is shared with third parties and is useless to fraudsters.

Bloomreach integrates generative AI into ecommerce search with Nvidia NeMo. Bloomreach, an ecommerce personalization platform, has announced the integration of generative AI, using Nvidia NIM embedding microservices, into its search and merchandising platform. According to Bloomreach, the NIM microservices (which leverage the Nvidia NeMo platform, part of the Nvidia AI Enterprise software stack) offer deeper search relevance with a flexible platform that allows for customizations by commerce teams. The integration into Bloomreach’s search and merchandising platform enables customized online shopping with flexibility, performance, and relevance.

Alibaba enables payment through Tencent’s WeChat Pay app. China-based ecommerce giant Alibaba has announced that its core Taobao and Tmall ecommerce platforms will allow payment through Tencent’s WeChat app. WeChat has more than 1.3 billion users globally, primarily in China. WeChat Pay is one of the biggest mobile payments apps in that country. By allowing users to transact through WeChat Pay on Taobao and Tmall, Alibaba seeks to increase its market share in less-developed Chinese regions.

ChannelEngine launches Vendor Hub to help Amazon merchants recover revenue. ChannelEngine, an ecommerce marketplace integrator, has launched Vendor Hub featuring a recovery management solution. This tool automates the recapture of revenue lost to operational discrepancies in Amazon’s first-party selling model. According to ChannelEngine, for brands selling through Amazon Vendor, approximately 3.5% of revenue remains unpaid due to unresolved disputes over shortages and pricing discrepancies. In addition to recovery management, Vendor Hub enhances operational efficiency with solutions to manage purchase orders and catalogs.

U.K.-based Warehow secures £2.1 million funding to enhance fulfillment services. Warehow, a U.K.-based ecommerce fulfillment platform, has received £2.1 million (USD 2.8 million) in a Series A funding round led by the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II. Warehow provides a solution for managing online orders, specifically for fashion and homeware businesses, and helps brands sell on popular marketplaces and platforms such as Shopify and TikTok, handling everything from storing inventory to shipping orders.

Amazon launches generative AI-powered shopping assistant Rufus in the U.K. Amazon is launching Rufus in beta to customers in the U.K. Rufus is an AI-powered shopping assistant trained on Amazon’s product catalog and information from across the web. Rufus can answer customer questions on shopping needs, products, comparisons, recommendations, and discovery. Rufus is launching in Amazon’s mobile app for a subset of U.K. customers and will add more in the coming weeks.

JD.com offers enhanced shipping options and free delivery in the U.S., Japan, and Singapore. JD Global Sales, JD.com’s international ecommerce division that caters to Chinese consumers globally, has announced enhancements to its shipping services for customers in the U.S., Japan, and Singapore. Shoppers will have access to improved logistics, including consolidated shipping and three direct shipping models: Air Express, Air Standard, and Sea Economical. JD Global Sales is also introducing free regional shipping services for qualifying orders.

Cymbio launches Cymagery AI to expedite product content uploads. Cymbio, a marketplace and dropship automation platform, has launched Cymagery AI, an image upload and editing suite. Cymagery AI automates product content marketing, from image upload to verifying copyright compliance. Users can (i) automatically adjust image size, margins, and file names, (ii) edit and remove backgrounds, (iii) expand images, (iv) access instant AI-generated swatches, and (v) convert image formats. According to Cymbio, Cymagery AI automates the order synchronization process for online marketplaces, expediting time-to-market for sellers.

DataFeedWatch by Cart.com introduces native AI to its feed management. DataFeedWatch by Cart.com, a platform for managing and optimizing product feeds, has integrated AI into its feed marketing engine. The AI uses all available product data to create keyword-rich titles and descriptions based on best practices for 200 product types. Marketers retain complete control and can decide whether to use AI-generated content.