shopping
WhatsApp rolls out ‘Collections’ to make it easier to shop
WhatsApp is launching a new feature called “Collections” to make it easier for users to shop for items using categories. The Facebook-owned platform is rolling out catalog collections to small…
YouTube plans week-long live shopping event, following tests of livestream shopping with creators
YouTube announced earlier this year it would begin pilot testing livestream shopping with a handful of select creators. Now, the company is ready for a larger test of its live…
The Main Tab revamps luxury goods marketplace after picking up $1M in pre-seed funding
The company is launching a new website and app this fall with about 200 luxury retailers.
Google adds new ways to shop, like turning a website’s photos into shoppable products
Google today introduced new ways to shop through its platform, including both online and via its Google Search mobile app. In an update coming soon to the Google Search app…
Constructor finds $55M for tech that powers search and discovery for e-commerce businesses
One of the biggest problems in the world of e-commerce is the predicament of shopping cart abandonment: when shoppers aren’t getting to what they want fast enough — whether it’s…
Shipt’s new feature pairs members with their favorite, 5-star shoppers
Target’s same-day delivery service Shipt is launching a new feature that will pair customers with their favorite shoppers on future orders. This “Preferred Shoppers” feature will be available as a…
Pinterest rolls out new features that let creators make money from pins
Creators will be able to tag products in their Idea Pins — a video-first feature the company first launched this spring — to make their content ‘shoppable.’
YouTube to pilot test shopping from livestreams with select creators
YouTube will begin pilot testing a new feature that will allow viewers to shop for products directly from livestream videos. The feature will initially launch with just a handful of…
Repeat raises $6 million Series A for its service that makes reordering favorite products easier
Subscriptions have become a popular way to pay for digital services, like Netflix or Spotify, but they haven’t yet taken off as a means of reordering your everyday items or…
Facebook adds Shops to WhatsApp, among other e-commerce updates
Facebook is making it even easier to buy stuff while you scroll past photos of your high school lab partner’s dog. Yes, Instagram Shops and Facebook Marketplace are already displayed…
Shopify expands its one-click checkout, Shop Pay, to any merchant on Facebook or Google
E-commerce platform Shopify announced this morning its one-click checkout service known as Shop Pay will become available to any U.S. merchant that sells on Facebook or Google — even if…
Pinterest adds a Shopping List feature to round up your saved products
Pinterest has long positioned itself a source for inspiration that could ultimately lead to online purchases. And over the years, it has worked on features to better connect consumers with…
Instagram launches a new section for shopping product drops
Instagram today announced it’s adding a new feature to help connect online shoppers to product drops through its app. Drops, which are a newer e-commerce trend, help sellers create buzz…
PayPal announced today it’s acquiring Happy Returns, a returns solution provider that offers online shoppers access to easier ways to send back unwanted merchandise to retailers without having to box…
Retail giant Walmart announced this morning it’s acquiring the Tel Aviv-based startup Zeekit, which allows consumers to virtually “try on” clothing when shopping online. The company leverages a combination of…
A new YouTube feature will make its connected TV ads more shoppable
YouTube today gave advertisers a sneak peek at its plans to make its video platform more shoppable. The company will soon be introducing a new interactive feature aimed at advertisers,…
Amazon is opening a London hair salon to test AR and other retail technologies
Amazon announced this morning it’s opening Amazon Salon, the retailer’s first hair salon and a place where Amazon aims to test new technologies with the general public. The salon will…
Mercato raises $26M Series A to help smaller grocers compete online
The pandemic upended the way people shop for their everyday needs, including groceries. Online grocery sales in the U.S. are expected to reach 21.5% of the total grocery sales by…
Walmart to host a new livestream shopping event on TikTok, following successful pilot
In December, Walmart partnered with TikTok on the first pilot test of a new livestreamed shopping experience in the U.S. on the video platform. That test seemingly performed well, as…
Twitter confirmed it’s testing a new way to display tweets that link out to e-commerce product pages — like products on a Shopify store, for example. With a new Twitter…
Amsterdam’s Crisp, an online-only supermarket, raises €30M Series B led by Target Global
Crisp, an Amsterdam-based, online-only supermarket focused on fresh produce, has raised €30 million in a Series B financing led by leading Target Global and joined by Keen Venture Partners and…
Shopify expands its payment option, Shop Pay, to its merchants on Facebook and Instagram
Shopify announced this morning it’s partnered with Facebook to expand its payment option, Shop Pay, to all Shopify merchants selling across both Facebook and Instagram. This is the first time…
Amazon expands its biometric-based Amazon One palm reader system to more retail stores
Last fall, Amazon introduced a new biometric device, Amazon One, that allowed customers to pay at Amazon Go stores using their palm. Today, the company says the device is being…
BlackCart raises $8.8M Series A for its try-before-you-buy platform for online merchants
A startup called BlackCart is tackling one of the key challenges with online shopping: an inability to try on or test out the merchandise before making a purchase. That company,…
Curtsy, a clothing resale app aimed at Gen Z women, raises $11 million Series A
Curtsy, a clothing resale app and competitor to recently IPO’d Poshmark, announced today it has raised $11 million in Series A funding for its startup focused on the Gen Z…
Walmart to pilot test livestreamed video shopping on TikTok
Walmart and TikTok announced this morning they will be partnering on the first pilot test of a new shoppable product experience on TikTok’s social video app. Walmart, as you may…
Featured Article
Despite limitations, 3D and AR are creating new realities in retail
“Within the next five years, I think we’re going to see that having AR and 3D on your dot-com and beyond will be mandatory.”
Instagram launches shopping in Reels, its TikTok rival
Instagram today is launching Shopping in Reels, its TikTok competitor. The new feature was announced in October as something the company had in the works, as part of a ongoing…
US shopping app downloads on Black Friday reached a record 2.8M installs
Many U.S. consumers spent this year’s Black Friday sales event shopping from home on mobile devices. That led to first-time installs of mobile shopping apps in the U.S. to break…
Despite pandemic, forecasts predict US online holiday sales increase of 20%-30% or more
Strong e-commerce sales are predicted to help lift overall holiday retail spending in the U.S., according to forecasts released today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and eMarketer. Both firms…
