Every Thursday we handpick and publish a list of new products and services from vendors to ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on multilingual messaging, loyalty programs, global D2C and B2B storefronts, AI-powered shopping assistants, ecommerce payments, and shipping.
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New Tools for Merchants
Babeltext launches multilingual messaging for Shopify merchants. Babeltext, an AI-powered multilingual message platform, has launched its integration with Shopify, enabling merchants in Australia, the U.S., and the U.K. to provide real-time customer support across 195 languages and multiple messaging channels. With its Shopify API and omnichannel messaging engine, Babeltext enables merchants to communicate instantly with customers in their preferred language via web chat, SMS, WhatsApp, WeChat, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and Discord — all from a single dashboard.
Babeltext
Alibaba.com and Wix announce strategic partnership. Alibaba.com, a global B2B marketplace, and Wix, the website builder platform, have announced a strategic partnership aimed at empowering entrepreneurs, new businesses, and SMBs. This strategic collaboration will enable Wix merchants to expand their global wholesale capabilities through Alibaba.com while providing Alibaba merchants the opportunity to establish robust D2C and B2B storefronts powered by Wix’s commerce infrastructure. The platforms collectively facilitate global trade across over 200 countries and regions.
Productsup launches Google Comparison Shopping Services extension. Productsup, an enterprise feed management and syndication company, has launched a comparison shopping service add-on to help brands and retailers with Google Shopping campaigns. According to Productsup, the add-on enables businesses to manage campaigns, optimize product content, and drive more qualified traffic from a single, centralized solution. Productsup’s highlight feature, Keyword CSS, dynamically adjusts Shopping ad URLs based on the shopper’s search query and directs them to merchant-branded landing pages tailored to the query intent.
Alby introduces capabilities for AI shopping assistants. Alby, an AI shopping agent for ecommerce brands, has announced four tools — Product Advisor, Playbooks, In-Session Context, and Recommendations — to guide shoppers. According to Alby, (i) Product Advisor transforms product discovery into a conversational, human-like exchange, (ii) Playbooks enables brands to coach an AI agent using simple, natural-language instructions, (iii) In-Session Context enables the AI agent to remember what shoppers have already browsed, clicked, or searched during their session, and (iv) Recommendations enables contextual product suggestions to assist shoppers.
Alby
eBay updates tracking to reduce claims and improve customer experience. eBay has redesigned the tracking experience across Seller Hub and the buyer shipment flow. Seller Hub now offers a more consistent and intuitive tracking status visualization, such as on the View Order page, making it easier to manage shipments. Buyers view all deliveries for an order in a single, comprehensive view, including separate tracking for both outbound and return items. For delayed deliveries, buyers see a clearer status update to reduce uncertainty.
Meta launches enhanced marketing messages. Meta is introducing marketing messages on Messenger to help businesses re-engage and retain customers through chat. Businesses can (i) initiate promotional messages to people who have subscribed to receive them, and keep conversations going, (ii) add subscribers by leveraging existing CRM lists, custom audience lists, or ads that click to Messenger, and (iii) write messages for each customer, or broadcast one message to everyone. Down-funnel measurement helps businesses understand their results and inform their marketing strategy.
Talon.One secures $135 million for enterprise loyalty programs. Talon.One, an enterprise loyalty and promotion platform, has announced a $135 million funding round to deliver AI-powered intelligence and predictive insights. Participating investors include Silversmith Capital Partners, Meritech Capital, and existing investor CRV. With a headless architecture and intuitive Rule Engine, Talon.One says its loyalty and promotion software enables marketing and product teams to launch and manage any incentive through a unified system. Partners include Braze (an email and engagement platform) and Shopify.
Talon.One
Amazon Q Business launches customized responses. Amazon Q Business, a generative AI-powered assistant for finding information at work, has introduced response customization for Q Business applications, enabling organizations to tailor how their Q Business applications generate and format responses to user queries. With response customization, companies can provide instructions for identity, tone, and output style when configuring Q Business applications. This customizes the chat persona, communication formality, response length, and detail to match specific needs, per Amazon.
Finix launches WooCommerce plugin to simplify ecommerce payments. Finix, a payment processor for online and physical businesses, has launched its plugin for WooCommerce to accept credit and debit cards, ACH transfers, and Apple Pay. The plugin enables merchants to manage disputes, refunds, and ACH returns with built-in webhook support and real-time automation. Merchants can access interchange-plus pricing and get next-day deposits or same-day payouts.
Netcore Cloud launches Insights Agent for real-time marketing metrics. Netcore Cloud, a provider of AI-powered marketing automation and customer engagement, has launched Insights Agent, a marketing analytics agent that delivers campaign feedback instantly. According to Netcore Cloud, Insights Agent trains on marketing campaign data and contextual behaviors across email, WhatsApp, SMS, and push notifications. With AI-personalized recommendations, cross-channel intelligence, and instant access in Netcore’s UI, Insights Agent can reduce cognitive overload, reclaim valuable time, and enhance ROI across campaigns, per the company.
ShipStation launches features to optimize fulfillment operations. ShipStation, an ecommerce shipping platform, has launched four major feature updates to its logistics suite: Automated Rate Shopping, Returns and Exchanges, Analytics and Inventory, and Warehouse Management. Automated Rate Shopping allows businesses to find the most cost-effective and efficient delivery options without manual effort. The Returns and Exchanges update includes a branded customer returns portal and return management tools. Analytics includes seven new reporting dashboards. Inventory and Warehouse Management includes forecasting tools and lot tracking.
ShipStation