Welcome back eCommerce enthusiasts, this month has been a whirlwind of innovation! From AI innovations to emerging wearable tech, the industry is constantly pushing boundaries. Here’s a closer look at the popular trends in the industry.
PLATFORM UPDATES
1. Streamline Your Checkout Experience With The New Shopify Editor
Shopify recently rolled out a new tool called the checkout and accounts editor. This is available for merchants subscribed to Basic, Shopify, and Advanced plans.
The editor simplifies the checkout process for your customers. Here are the updates-
- All-in-one editing: The update provides a centralized platform to make changes. You can now customize branding, functionality, and appearance of the checkout page, thank you page, and more, on a single platform.
- App integration: The editor allows you to customize and preview apps designed for the Thank you and Order status pages.
- Easier customization: Customizing workflows is relatively simpler and provides a smoother experience.
Branding options: With this update, you can use the editor to include branding elements such as logos, colors, fonts, and background images in the checkout process.
2. Shopify Filters Get A Visual Boost: Browse Products with Images
Shopify stores get a boost with an improved product filtering system on their storefronts. This update specifically benefits merchants using Shopify and Discovery apps. The new storefront filters help customers narrow down product searches and offer better image support.
Merchants can now upload icons, logos, and detailed imagery alongside their filter options. It is beneficial for customers too as they can easily understand what each filter indicates without having to read detailed descriptions. And, find products that match their preference more easily.
3. Shopify Introduces New Theme- “Trade”
Shopify recently unveiled a new theme called “Trade”. It is specifically designed to improve customer experience for businesses who make wholesale purchases.
Here are the key features of the Trade theme-
- Focus on Bulk Orders: “Quick add” functionality allows buyers to easily add products and variations to the cart directly from the product listings, thus, simplifying the process of making bulk product purchases.
- Customization options: The theme can be easily modified to match your brand identity.
- B2B features: Shopify Plus plan users get additional benefits. This plan provides features such as quantity rules and volume pricing which help manage wholesale orders.
Look at Trade Preview on the Shopify theme store.
4. Boost Productivity! Adobe Launches New Tool- Acrobat AI
Adobe introduced a new feature for Acrobat software called Acrobat AI. The Acrobat AI assistant is an artificial intelligence powered tool that helps enterprise customers be more creative when using Adobe Acrobat Reader and Acrobat software with PDFs.
By using AI, the assistant can answer questions directly from PDFs, summarize documents, and even generate citations for sources. With this automation, Adobe aims to enable employees to focus on more strategic work. In addition, the new tool comes with enhanced data security and information governance. They give businesses control over who can access the assistant and what data it uses.
5. Adobe And IBM Partner On Generative AI
Adobe and IBM are exploring new possibilities of generative AI. Generative AI refers to the type of Artificial Intelligence that can create entirely new content such as text, images, or code. With this collaboration, Adobe’s creative tools like Photoshop and Premiere Pro, etc. will be able to utilize generative AI to automate tasks and generate new ideas, for designers and marketers. Furthermore, IBM will potentially integrate Adobe’s content supply chain helping businesses efficiently create and manage their personalized content at scale. The partnership promises to deliver customized content experiences to all users.
6. Create On-Demand Content With Adobe Express for Enterprise
Adobe announces its new product- Adobe Express for enterprise. This new product is developed to help businesses create consistent and high-quality content across different departments.
The tool offers simple templates, design tools, and AI-powered features to create content that aligns with the brand identity. Businesses can customize brand elements like logos, colors, and fonts within the platform, ensuring consistent brand identity. Moreover, the tool allows seamless collaboration of various departments of the business. Additional features include bulk content creation, regional customization tools, and effortless integrations with other Adobe platforms.
ECOMMERCE UPDATES
1. Retail Gets A Tech Makeover: Shopify, Google Cloud And Cognizant Join Forces
In a recent update, Shopify, Google, and Cognizant joined forces to transform digital retail experiences. By working together they aim to create a comprehensive solution for large retailers. This is said to include a modernized commerce platform by Shopify that is a scalable and user-friendly platform that simplifies managing online stores. Google brings with it advanced cloud infrastructure that is secure and capable of handling large volumes of data and transactions. In addition, Google’s AI tools can personalize customer experiences, recommend products, and potentially even utilize generative AI for creative marketing. Cognizant, on the other hand, provides consulting and implementation services. This package caters to the diverse requirements of enterprise retailers.
2. Youtube Integrates Interactive Qr Codes To Ads
Youtube announced branded QR codes at its 2024 Brandcast event. This new feature targets advertisers and aims to enhance viewer interaction with ads. These unique ads will be displayed alongside the videos and feature the advertiser’s logo. The viewers can scan the QR code and proceed to the product page/website. This provides viewers with the opportunity to learn more about the product with ease, potentially increasing viewer engagement and conversions.
3. Linkedin Unveils Ai Content Labels For Your Feed
Following the lead of other social media platforms, LinkedIn has also introduced labels for content created by AI. This means the user will be able to identify which posts on their feed were AI-generated. These labels provide transparency as they give users more context about the information, allowing them to make informed decisions about how to interact with them. It is particularly useful when it comes to identifying misleading content such as AI deepfakes. LinkedIn is partnering with Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) to leverage their technical standards for identifying and governing AI-generated content.
4. Meta’s Next Big Thing Could Be Camera Equipped Earbuds- Camerabuds
Meta is potentially venturing into a new arena of wearable technology- Camerabuds. It is speculated that these earbuds will combine the ability to capture photos or videos with functionalities of regular earbuds like listening to music or making calls. Although no official statement has been released regarding this product, Meta acknowledges privacy and security concerns surrounding the device and prioritizes user control over the product.
5. Jump Ahead: Youtube Uses AI to Help You Watch Smarter
Youtube recently introduced a new AI-powered feature called “Jump Ahead” aimed at improving viewer experience. This feature is based on machine learning to analyze watch patterns. When a user double-taps the fast-forward button on a video, the platform will display the “jump ahead” (on eligible videos). This helps the user to jump to sections they are interested in. The AI uses watch data to predict parts that the user might be interested in. This is particularly helpful for long videos or content intros or outros. This feature is currently available only for a limited number of videos on mobile Android devices.
6. Amazon Unveils Q: Ai Assistant to Supercharge Business Productivity
Amazon unveiled a new AI assistant called Amazon Q. This tool is built to help businesses improve productivity. It can assist developers with tasks such as code writing, debugging, analyzing data, and generating reports. It can further understand and respond to work-related queries and requests, answer complex questions about company data, and generate related reports. Q comes with security and access control to govern data sources that are accessible by it.
PAST EVENTS
1. Codilar At Seamless Middle East 2024
This year Codilar was proud to be part of Seamless Middle East 2024– a leading event for payments, fintech, and eCommerce industry. We actively participated in shaping conversation on the Future of Digital Commerce and presented insightful sessions titled “How to Improve Your eCommerce Performance” and “Turbocharge Your Magento Store: Experience Speed up to 100X”. Our booth- H2-C50, was a hub of innovation and lively discussions. The event provided a valuable platform to connect with industry leaders and innovators from across the globe.
2. AEM Magento Meetup 2024
Ecommerce enthusiasts in Bangalore converged for the first-ever AEM Magento Meetup, a pioneering event hosted by Codilar. The session explored Adobe Experience Manager and how it’s transforming the eCommerce industry. Esteemed speakers, Rakibul Islam, Sandesh Shivakumar, Naveen N, and Swaroop Kumar Reddy shared valuable insights on AEM implementation and its impact on the industry.
UPCOMING EVENTS
1. Meet Magento UK
It is the biggest eCommerce event in the United Kingdom dedicated to the Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source arena. It’s an annual event that brings together merchants, developers, and tech partners in the eCommerce sphere.
Date: 18th June, 2024
Location: The Mermaid, United Kingdom
Register now :https://meet-magento.co.uk/
2. Meet Magento Brazil 2024
One of the biggest gatherings for stakeholders in the eCommerce industry in Brazil. The event caters to merchants, developers, agencies, and anyone passionate about building a successful online business.
Date: 6th June, 2024
Location: Inovabra Habitat, Consolação, São Paulo
Register now: https://meetmagentobrasil.org/
3. Retail Innovation Conference & Expo
This annual event brings together retail leaders from around the world to explore trends and technologies in the eCommerce industry. The event covers a wide range of topics including omnichannel strategy, digital marketing, ecommerce, and more.
Date: June 4-6, 2024
Location: McCormick Place, Chicago
Register now: https://retailinnovationconference.com/
4. Digital Transformation Summit 2024-Saudi Arabia
This event is part of a global series of events. This summit will bring together business executives, directors, and tech heads to discuss the potential of AI, Web 3.0, IoT, quantum computing, cyber security, and more.
Date: 5th June 2024
Location: Crowne Plaza, Riyadh Minhal
Register now: https://digitransformationsummit.com/ksa/
5. Select USA Summit 2024
This is the highest-profile event in the United States designed to facilitate business networking and investment. It is a valuable event for both foreign and domestic businesses and will connect thousands of investors, EDOs, industry experts, etc.
Date: 23-26, June
Location: Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, Maryland
Register now: https://www.selectusasummit.us/
