New Ecommerce Tools: February 13, 2024

Every week we publish a rundown of new products from companies offering services to ecommerce and omnichannel merchants. This installment includes updates on fulfillment, reverse logistics, international shipping, omnichannel commerce, retail analytics, and headless ecommerce.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.

Product Releases: February 13

Shippo launches Addresses API for ecommerce merchants. Ecommerce shipping platform Shippo has launched Addresses API, enabling merchants to validate, parse, and store customers’ shipping addresses. With Addresses API, merchants can (i) validate addresses upstream during customer checkout, (ii) convert a string of text into up to 10 fields, including street, city, and phone number, (iii) expedite the address entry process for customers during checkout, and (iv) store customer addresses and minimize errors during label creation.

UPS launches weekend residential delivery of standard service to Canada. UPS has launched in Canada Saturday residential delivery of Standard Service. Customers who normally receive residential deliveries on Monday will now receive them on Saturday. The service will be available in Montreal, Laval, Calgary, and Greater Vancouver by March. Once fully implemented, most addresses in metropolitan Canadian cities will be eligible for weekend delivery.

Amazon offers discounts to FBA sellers through the “Ships in Product Packaging” program. Amazon has launched the Ships in Product Packaging program (formerly “Ship In Own Container”). The program allows FBA sellers to ship products in custom-branded packaging without Amazon-added material. For FBA sellers, SIPP allows lower fulfillment fees for eligible products. Merchants can customize branding and packaging to display a brand to customers during delivery. Also, with less packaging, merchants use less space on trucks, lowering the number of vehicles and carbon emissions.

BigCommerce unveils Catalyst storefront technology. BigCommerce, an ecommerce platform for B2C and B2B brands, has announced the availability of Catalyst, a simplified starting point for merchants, developers, and agency partners to build online stores using a composable architecture. A key component of Catalyst is Makeswift, a composable page builder for websites built using the Next.js framework. Makeswift simplifies the visual administration of storefronts and content pages.

Nuvei rolls out enhanced omnichannel payments for unified commerce. Nuvei Corporation, a Canadian fintech company, has launched enhanced omnichannel payments for merchants and platforms. Nuvei’s unified commerce offering, now available to customers outside of North America, aligns its card-present and card-not-present technology for ecommerce, mobile, and in-store transactions. This enables merchants to unify online and in-store payment acceptance into a single integration.

Loop expands reverse logistics services for merchants and logistics partners. Loop, a returns management platform, has announced new service offerings for merchants and logistics partners. First, Loop has integrated with Two Boxes, a technology provider that helps brands and fulfillment providers improve return processing operations and data collection. Second, Loop has enabled warehouse partners to build item condition and disposition API endpoints, which connect data from the warehouse back into Loop. Third, Loop’s Dynamic Routing allows brands to specify certain conditions to route items to different destinations.

Deliveright and Wix launch AI-powered delivery platform for real-time order tracking. Deliveright, the company behind logistics platform Grasshopper, has partnered with website builder Wix. The partnership will simplify heavy goods shipping for Wix merchants and optimize delivery experiences for customers through automation. According to Deliveright, the partnership will enable Wix merchants to (i) control all stages of fulfillment, (ii) provide instant shipping quotes to shoppers, and (iii) offer various service levels ranging from curbside to full white glove delivery.

B2B identity startup Mesh launches business identity verification. Mesh, a real-time professional license verification provider, has announced the launch of a Multi-Factor Business Identity for marketplaces, ecommerce, and vendor and contractor compliance. Through a single API, Mesh delivers signals including business user identity, licenses, insurance, tax information, business risk, end-user risk, and documentary evidence, helping companies verify, onboard, and monitor any legitimate U.S. business.

Retail analytics platform Intelligence Node to serve marketplace retailers. Intelligence Node, a provider of retail analytics, has expanded its work to support retailers and third-party sellers. According to the company, this expansion will enhance online shopping by delivering an experience that better informs shoppers’ purchase decisions. Additionally, third-party sellers will benefit from a search-optimized content management platform, enabling enhanced visibility and clarity across product detail pages.

Headless ecommerce platform Saleor secures $8 million in seed funding. Saleor Commerce, a composable commerce platform, has closed an $8 million seed extension round led by Target Global and ecommerce giant Zalando, with participation from Cherry Ventures (backers of Moss and Spryker) and TQ Ventures (investors in Groove and Current). Saleor intends to use the funds to drive growth, expand its agency program, and bolster its core product.

Octup raises $4 million for ecommerce operations insights. Octup, a provider of operational AI-driven ecommerce insights, has secured $4 million in pre-seed funding from Tal Ventures, Bullet Ventures, HCS Investors Group, and World Trade Ventures. Octup focuses on processing and consolidating data from operational domains, including marketing, last-mile delivery, customer support, and warehousing. Octup detects anomalies, correlations, and trends to pinpoint the root causes of cost inefficiencies.