Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-April from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on video content and format, accelerated mobile pages, shipping, customer requests, and artificial intelligence.
Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.
Ecommerce Product Releases
Smartly.io introduces creative platform to automate storytelling at scale. Smartly.io has launched a suite of services that combine creative automation, ad buying, and creative testing in a single platform. With the addition of the new Video Templates feature, Smartly.io customers can now automatically generate video and stills to fit a variety of ad formats on Facebook and Instagram, buy ads in real-time, and test their effectiveness.
Smartly.io
Adobe updates Spark Video for square format. Adobe has announced an update to Spark Video, a free online tool and iOS app for creating videos. Users now have the ability to produce videos in a 1:1 square aspect ratio, which is helpful for social sharing and mobile viewing.
BigCommerce adds Google AMP. BigCommerce has added native support for accelerated mobile pages, making it possible for BigCommerce merchants to deliver near-instant page load times for mobile shoppers. With AMP, an open-source framework launched by Google, BigCommerce merchants have the ability to easily generate a streamlined version of their website’s category and product detail pages on mobile devices, resulting in significantly faster page load times, and up to 20 percent higher click-through rates.
Boxed launches a free-shipping membership program. Online bulk retailer Boxed has launched Boxed Up, a paid membership tier. While Boxed still has a free membership plan, Boxed Up offers additional benefits, including free priority shipping for orders over $20, 2 percent cash-back rewards, price-matching, and preferred-customer service.
Boxed
Yotpo launches A.I.-powered Insights. Yotpo, a user-generated content marketing platform, has announced the availability of Insights, a new feedback analysis service. Insights enables marketing, customer service, and product teams to better understand customer feedback at scale, with real-time business intelligence to improve the overall customer experience, as well as inform operational, commercial, and product development strategies. Contact for pricing.
Kahuna launches tools marketplace sellers. Kahuna, an artificial-intelligence-based marketing technology company, has launched a suite of buyer and seller tools tailored exclusively for marketplace businesses. Kahuna’s SaaS for Marketplaces leverages a proprietary A.I.-based engagement platform to drive marketplace vibrancy, seller optimization, and buyer marketing. It is available as part of the broader open ecosystem with partners such as Oracle Responsys and Magento.
Promo integrates Shutterstock to enlarge video library. Slidely, the maker of video creation platform Promo, has announced a new content integration with Shutterstock, adding more than 9 million high-quality videos — from 3.5 to 12.5 million — to the Promo platform over the next few months. This integration enables a massive increase in Promo’s premium video library from 3.5 million to over 12.5 million.
Slide.ly Promo
ShippingEasy integrates with online marketplace Bonanza. ShippingEasy, a provider of cloud-based shipping, inventory management, and customer marketing solutions for ecommerce sellers, has integrated with Bonanza, an online marketplace of approximately 28 million items. Bonanza integrates directly with ShippingEasy, auto-downloading all order details and, also, syncing tracking numbers and status updates. ShippingEasy customers can also automate delivery through mapping or assign shipping preferences in real-time. Bonanza customers can take advantage of shipping automation, estimated USPS rates, multichannel integrations, customer insights and analytics, and more.
Synup launches CoinFriendly, a repository of Bitcoin-friendly businesses. Synup, a provider of SaaS-based location intelligence, has announced the launch of a new website, CoinFriendly.io. With 10,717 Bitcoin-accepting businesses listed on CoinFriendly, the website is the single largest repository of local businesses that accept cryptocurrency for transactional purposes. The new website will allow Bitcoin users worldwide to identify these stores and services in 20 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America.
Etsy adds purchase links in “Convo” screens. Now on Etsy, when a potential customer sends a request, a seller can tap the listings icon from the bottom of every conversation — “Convo” — in the “Sell on Etsy” app to create a custom listing. Buyers can then add that custom listing to their cart right from the Convo, making it easier to get the sale. The option is currently available for the Sell on Etsy app for iOS. It will roll out for Android in the coming weeks.
Braintree payment processing now available on Yahoo Small Business sites. Yahoo Small Business has partnered with PayPal to make Braintree payment processing available to online sellers. Braintree offers a seamless online checkout experience, as well as advanced fraud-detection tools. Braintree allows Yahoo Small Business ecommerce customers to get paid with credit cards, debit cards, and PayPal, with multiple settlement options.
Yahoo! Small Business