In an unusual move, Amazon and Shopify have formed a partnership that lets Shopify merchants integrate Buy With Prime at checkout through an Amazon app in Shopify’s store, with the latter quick to note that merchants still control their brand and customer data within its administrative dashboard. The app will be available to all U.S. merchants in September.
It seems like a lifetime ago that U.S. retailer Nordstrom made waves with its “no questions asked” returns policy. There is even an urban legend that one customer returned a … Continue Reading →
Multichannel ecommerce means selling products across different channels online to increase revenue. While the idea is pretty straightforward, everyone’s approach to expanding will be a little bit different. Exploring new channels opens a business up to new potential customers, increasing the potential for revenue by huge amounts. Here are some solid tips to set you up for success.
While it’s been widely reported that Federal Trade Commission head Lina Kahn is planning to drop a massive antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, analysts at Baird argue in a research note that the move would be wrong-headed because the company’s success is based on innovation and investment, not monopolistic practices. The FTC has already accused Amazon of duping millions into signing up for Prime.
The problem of coupon code leaks from influencers and creators to discount sites like Honey and RetailMeNot, leading to misattribution of affiliate commissions, is being addressed by a startup that uses one-time links much like those in password recovery to ensure proper credit. Social Snowball started with a platform that automates the management of influencer and creator partners on Shopify.
UK startup Streetify hopes to gain traction with a two-year-old app that creates virtual versions of physical streets and stores, where retailers and brands can display offers, discounts and links, and hopefully drive traffic to physical stores as well. The company says there are 1 billion stores in virtual form, compared to 4.4 million sites for Shopify.
Wix, a platform for merchants to create ecommerce storefronts, has partnered with shipping services provider Shippo to add a set of natively integrated tools its customers can use to simplify order delivery and take advantage of volume discounts with carriers. Wix Shipping went live in November in Canada and has now launched in the U.S. and the UK, with plans to expand shortly to Germany.
Shopify has pulled the plug on its ambitious in-house logistics business built up in recent years, selling Deliverr to global supply chain provider Flexport and warehouse robotics firm 6 River Systems to UK-based fulfillment automation firm Ocado. “We are changing the shape of Shopify significantly today to pay unshared attention to our mission,” said Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke in a letter to employees.
Two Boxes, a software startup promising to make the dispositioning of ecommerce returns more efficient for brands and 3PLs, has launched with a $4.5 million seed round and advisors from Amazon, Shopify, Whiplash, Loop Returns and Rent the Runway. Funding was led by Vinyl Capital, with Matchstick Ventures and Range Ventures.
Amazon is aggressively expanding same-day delivery capabilities after a major pullback in planned fulfillment facilities which overshot demand when the pandemic boom receded. Feeling the competitive heat, Amazon is redirecting its investments toward smaller hubs closer to customers, making fast delivery a higher priority in 2023.