Happy Returns Free for PayPal Checkout Merchants

| Mike O'Brien

PayPal is extending returns services through its Happy Returns unit for free to all PayPal Checkout merchant customers, while also naming Ulta Beauty as an in-store returns bar partner, adding 1,300 locations and bringing the total to more than 5k in the U.S. The returns portal is also localized to 8 languages for EU and Canada.

CommerceIQ Crosses Unicorn Line With New Funding

| Mike O'Brien

CommerceIQ, a startup with a platform that allows major CPG brands to manage their ecommerce sales into retailers and marketplaces, has crossed the unicorn line with the closing of a $115 million Series D funding, bringing the company’s total valuation to more than $1 billion.

The Fortia Group Lets Entrepreneurs Invest in Niche Aggregators

| Mike O'Brien

Fortia Group is pursing a vacant corner of the brand aggregator market, launching a new financing syndicate that gives entrepreneurs who have exited their ecommerce business an opportunity to invest in aggregators and reap the rewards of their growth.