Our weekly digest highlights the latest innovations for online retailers. This installment covers developments from Perplexity, Shopify, Amazon, Commercetools, UPS, Veho, Pipe17, Chord Commerce, Contentful, Ordoro, and BlueSwitch.
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New Tools for Merchants
Perplexity partners with Firmly’s agentic shopping. Perplexity, an AI answer engine, announced it will integrate Firmly.ai’s agentic ecommerce technology to scale access to Perplexity’s native shopping experience. By integrating Firmly.ai’s Agentic Commerce platform, Perplexity says it will empower more users to complete their entire shopping journey, from product discovery to secure transaction, without leaving the platform. Merchants can tap into this new sales channel instantly while retaining their merchant-of-record status, ensuring control over transactions, customer relationships, and data, according to Perplexity.
Firmly.ai
Shopify’s AI-powered assistant Sidekick now supports 20 languages. Shopify’s Sidekick, an AI-powered commerce assistant, is expanding from English to 20 supported languages. Sidekick blends Shopify’s platform knowledge with each merchant’s store. Merchants can analyze data, enhance product descriptions, automate routine tasks, and more, according to Shopify. Sidekick automatically detects and responds in the merchant’s language.
Amazon launches AI-powered Interests feature for product discovery. Amazon has introduced AI-powered Interests to help shoppers discover products by checking new items on the marketplace in real time. With Interests, users create personalized shopping prompts, price limits, and preferences, from mainstream to niche, using everyday language. Interests is available to a limited number of U.S. customers, with a full rollout coming soon, per Amazon.
Commercetools launches Payment Hub. Commercetools, an enterprise commerce platform for brands, has launched Payment Hub, giving enterprises control over their payment strategy. Payment Hub allows businesses to negotiate directly with leading payment service providers. Commercetools has also expanded its partnership with Stripe, the first payment-provider integration with Payment Hub.
Commercetools’ Payment Hub
UPS unveils Global Checkout to guarantee cost of fees at checkout. UPS has launched Global Checkout to assist consumers worldwide with buying shipping. UPS Global Checkout guarantees upfront the amount online shoppers pay in duties, fees, and taxes, eliminating the possibility of unexpected delivery costs. Available in 43 origin countries, Global Checkout is one of several new tools UPS offers for cross-border ecommerce.
Veho and Shippo offer 2-5 day delivery to ecommerce brands. Veho, a logistics and technology company that operates U.S. parcel delivery platforms, and Shippo have launched a 2-5 day premium delivery for ecommerce. The integration enables merchants to access Veho’s delivery network through Shippo’s platform, with features including simplified label creation, address validation, proactive tracking, and hassle-free returns. Shippo handles all carrier integrations.
Pipe17 order management partners with Shopify. Pipe17, an order management platform for brands and retailers, has partnered with Shopify. Powered by AI, Pipe17 orchestrates order and inventory updates and real-time visibility. Pipe17 provides Shopify merchants with a managed network of marketplaces, third-party logistics providers, and other commerce applications. The integration will help Shopify’s direct-to-consumer, B2B, and enterprise merchants by simplifying the complexities of omnichannel selling and fulfillment, according to Pipe17.
Pipe17
Chord Commerce raises $5.5 million for AI-driven marketing. Chord Commerce has raised $5.5 million to expand its AI-powered data and marketing platform. Combining AI-powered insights, attribution, and activation, Chord helps commerce brands make faster, more informed decisions and execute real-time marketing strategies, according to the company. Led by M13, with participation from Act One Ventures and GR0 Capital, the investment will help Chord grow its customer base and develop its AI orchestration platform.
Digital experience platform Contentful partners with Shopify. Contentful and Shopify have partnered to connect and synchronize content and commerce systems. Contentful is launching an app in the Shopify Liquid Storefront that empowers marketers to enhance content, streamline localization, and leverage AI-driven personalization.
Shipping platform Ordoro partners with multichannel operations portal SureDone. Ordoro, a shipping and inventory management platform, is partnering with SureDone, a multichannel ecommerce operations portal. According to the companies, SureDone’s capabilities in multichannel listing and automation combined with Ordoro’s shipping and fulfillment features will help online sellers manage operations.
BlueSwitch launches a B2B Shopify agency. BlueSwitch, an ecommerce software developer, has launched B2, a Shopify agency to help enterprise B2B businesses scale. Per BlueSwitch, B2 provides ecommerce solutions to enhance the front-end user experience and back-end technical performance.
B2 by BlueSwitch