Are you ready for the latest and greatest in ecommerce tools? Each week, we bring you the most exciting new products and updates from companies serving the ecommerce and omnichannel merchant community. This week’s lineup features virtual universe stores, customized checkout solutions, multichannel management platforms, AI website builders, cross-channel commerce tools, omnichannel fulfillment services, cutting-edge product image technology, and global sourcing innovations.
Do you have a new ecommerce product release to share? Email us at releases@practicalecommerce.com.
New Tools for Merchants: June 10
Ikea to open a virtual store on Roblox. Ikea is breaking new ground with the launch of a virtual store called The Co-Worker Game on Roblox on June 24. Dive into the immersive world of Ikea like never before, with a limited number of exclusive paid roles available. Witness Ikea’s venture into the gaming industry with this exciting new development.
Ikea’s The Co-Worker Game
Shopify acquires Checkout Blocks for customized checkouts. Shopify has made a strategic move by acquiring Checkout Blocks, a no-code solution that empowers Shopify merchants to personalize their checkout process. With Checkout Blocks, Shopify Plus merchants can enhance user experience by adding customizable fields, presenting new information to shoppers, and designing fully branded checkouts. Plus, Checkout Blocks is offering its starter plan for free to all Shopify Plus merchants, making it a must-have tool for optimizing the checkout experience.
Newegg launches SellingPilot, a multichannel marketplace management solution. Newegg Commerce has introduced SellingPilot, a comprehensive marketplace management platform that seamlessly connects with major platforms like Amazon and Walmart to streamline product listings and order management. By leveraging AI tools, merchants can optimize product descriptions, enhance keywords, and improve customer service efficiency. Additionally, SellingPilot empowers merchants to craft impactful email campaigns on popular platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, while providing access to real-time competitive pricing data.
Bluehost WonderSuite unveils AI Website Creator. Bluehost has unveiled its revolutionary AI Website Creator as part of the WonderSuite, a suite of tools designed to empower WordPress users to build personalized websites effortlessly. The AI Website Creator comes bundled with Bluehost’s WordPress hosting plans and offers a range of features including AI-driven onboarding, content generation, ongoing AI support, and ecommerce capabilities to boost online sales for small businesses.
Bluehost
Till Payments partners with BigCommerce on cross-channel commerce. Till Payments, a subsidiary of Nuvei, has teamed up with BigCommerce to deliver advanced transaction processing capabilities for B2C and B2B brands. Through Till’s Online Checkout for BigCommerce, merchants gain access to a range of features including payment acceptance, transaction management, 3DS2 authentication, multi-currency support, stored credit card payments, and embedded checkout integration. By utilizing Till’s payment solutions, BigCommerce’s multichannel merchants can seamlessly merge their in-store and online payment systems for a unified customer checkout experience.
Fintech Affirm expands payment offerings with “Pay in 2” and “Pay in 30” options. Affirm, a leading pay-over-time network, has introduced two new payment options, Pay in 2 and Pay in 30, to provide consumers with increased flexibility and affordability when using the Affirm app for transactions of all sizes.
eBay releases background enhancement tool for product images. eBay has rolled out an innovative AI-powered background enhancement tool that enables sellers to transform ordinary photos into studio-quality product images. Sellers can now remove backgrounds from images and place products in AI-generated backdrops, creating visually striking listings that stand out to buyers. This tool is currently available for iOS app users and will be coming to Android devices soon.
eBay’s AI-powered background enhancement tool.
“Alibaba Guaranteed” to simplify global sourcing for SMBs. Alibaba has introduced “Alibaba Guaranteed” to streamline global sourcing and provide a dependable supply chain for small and medium-sized enterprises in the U.S. This platform enables buyers to source products at fixed prices inclusive of shipping fees, with guaranteed delivery dates. Alibaba takes care of product fulfillment, finance, and after-sales services, offering peace of mind to SMBs in the procurement process.
Fulfillment platform OneRail acquires Orderbot for omnichannel fulfillment. OneRail, a prominent last-mile delivery fulfillment service with an extensive driver network across North America, has acquired Orderbot, a Vancouver-based enterprise inventory and distributed order management platform. This strategic acquisition integrates Orderbot’s inventory and order management capabilities with OneRail’s OmniPoint cloud-based last-mile operating system and delivery network, creating a holistic solution that streamlines fulfillment processes, reduces costs, and enhances order accuracy.
Mastercard partners with identity platform Trulioo to streamline onboarding. Trulioo, a globally recognized identity verification platform, has partnered with Mastercard to simplify digital onboarding processes for consumers on various apps and platforms. Leveraging Mastercard’s Identity solutions, Trulioo enhances its Person Match and Risk Intelligence products to provide additional identity insights and risk scores through a customizable dashboard. This collaboration expands Trulioo’s offerings beyond API-based products, elevating the consumer onboarding experience and bolstering Mastercard’s Onboard Risk Check product with global business identity verification services.
Bloomreach partners with Valantic and Commercetools to form B2B Accelerator. Bloomreach, a leading ecommerce personalization platform, has expanded its partnership with digital consulting company Valantic and composable commerce platform Commercetools by launching the B2B Accelerator. This innovative solution allows B2B brands to integrate a composable tech stack, including Bloomreach’s Discovery site search, to expedite their time to market, enhance value delivery, and alleviate risks associated with transitioning to composable commerce.
Bloomreach