Here is a list of new product releases and updates from companies serving e-commerce and omnichannel merchants. There are updates on loyalty programs, live sales, generative AI, video players, scam reviews, return shipping, search engines, and virtual goods.
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Product releases: January 10
Visa Launches Web3 Loyalty Program for Brands to Engage Consumers. Visa launched its Web3 loyalty engagement program. The new value-added service helps brands engage next-generation customers in digital and virtual worlds through immersive programs such as gamified giveaways, augmented reality scavenger hunts and new ways to earn and burn rewards. Loyalty points. The new service, powered by SmartMedia Technologiescan provide brands with an enterprise platform that bridges Web2 innovation with Web3 innovation and can be customized to create curated experiences and offers for consumers.
Visa Web3 Loyalty Engagement Program.
Poshmark offers webinars on hosting live sales events Posh Show. Chic brand offers webinars to teach sellers how to host live sales events called Posh Shows. According to Poshmark, “Intro to Posh Shows” will teach merchants how to go live for the first time and how to use the different features to maximize a show. Sellers can bypass the waitlist to become hosts by attending an introductory Posh Shows webinar. The Zoom-based webinars will take place on January 10 and 17.
OpenAI to launch online store for custom versions of ChatGPT. OpenAI is launching an online store to let people share personalized versions of the company’s ChatGPT chatbot. OpenAI announced at its developer conference in November that users could start creating GPTs, its term for custom versions of ChatGPT, without any coding. With this option, users can quickly create chatbots, such as teaching math or creating cocktail recipes.
Ex.co launches vertical video players for publisher websites. Ex.co, a video technology platform for publishers, has launched a vertical video player, optimized for mobile web viewing, as well as a desktop version. Ex.co’s player is designed to play vertical video content in a 10:16 format, similar to the experience on social platforms. The player also includes familiar swipe gesture controls for navigating between videos.
Ex.co
Factlix uses AI to identify fakes in consumer reviews. Factlix is a newly launched AI-powered technology to identify fraudulent consumer reviews before they are published. Factlix claims that it is based on decision-making AI, identifying and understanding patterns in online content and associated cohorts and using these patterns to assess the authenticity of the content in question. Factlix detects fraudulent content generated by humans and machines.
AI-powered search engine Perplexity AI raises $73.6 million. Perplexity AI, a search engine startup, has raised $73.6 million in Series B funding from leading venture capital firms and tech investor-entrepreneurs. IVP led the round with continued support from seed and Series A investors (including NEA, Elad Gil, Nat Friedman and Databricks) as well as new investors (including Nvidia, Jeff Bezos, Tobi Lutke and Bessemer Venture Partners) . Perplexity AI has raised $100 million in total.
Pitney Bowes and PackageHub Launch Boxless, Labelless Return Drop-off Network. Pitney Bowesa global shipping and courier company, and PackageHub, a franchise system for retail stores, has launched a returns drop-off network to enable box- and label-free returns at nearly 1,000 locations across the United States. Ecommerce brands already using the Pitney Bowes returns service will have immediate access to the drop-off network, with no additional integration required. This launch strengthens the existing network of 30,000 postal locations offering Pitney Bowes label-free returns.
Pitney Bowes
Walmart and Unity are partnering to bring immersive commerce of physical goods into games. Walmart And Unit, a real-time 3D content creation platform, announced plans to give Unity developers the ability to integrate Walmart’s commerce APIs directly into their games and applications. The integration allows creators to sell physical objects in real-time 3D experiences across more than 20 platforms, paving the way for new ways to connect customers’ virtual and physical lifestyles and establishing new Monetization channels in games and experiences created with Unity.
Vencru integrates with Shopify to automate SMB accounting. Vencruan all-in-one accounting and inventory management software, launched its Shopify the integration. According to Vencru, the integration helps simplify and automate accounting and inventory management for Shopify stores. Vencru offers multi-channel sales tracking, real-time inventory management, financial reporting, automatic journal entries, sales tax calculation, multi-currency support, and more.
B2B food company Fresh2 Group acquires cross-border food e-commerce platform Youfood Group. Fresh2 Group, a B2B e-commerce and supply chain management company for the restaurant and food industry, has agreed to acquire Youfood Group, a cross-border B2C food e-commerce platform. According to Fresh2 Group, the acquisition will connect Asian and South American food resources with customers in North America.
MarketGap Improves Its Amazon FBA Calculator for Sellers. Market gapa research tool intended to help sellers find a gap in the Amazon marketplace by estimating product sales, announced improvements to its Amazon FBA Calculator with more precise AI-based calculations. According to MarketGap, its Amazon FBA calculator can estimate potential profits by taking into account factors such as FBA fees, sales volume, raw materials and shipping costs.
MarketGap Amazon FBA Calculator
