January eCommerce Updates from Trellis Partners

Kate Dubovikova

Kate Dubovikova

As we step further into 2024, the eCommerce landscape continues to evolve at a breakneck pace. At Trellis, we’re committed to keeping you informed with the latest updates from our esteemed partners. This month, we’ve gathered essential insights and exciting developments that promise to enhance your online store’s performance, streamline operations, and unlock new growth opportunities. Tune in to our latest January eCommerce Updates.

The image is a graphic displaying the text "Partner Updates" against a background that fades from pink to light blue, suggesting a tranquil, early morning or evening sky. In the top left corner, there is a symbol that appears to be a company logo, consisting of crossed lines forming a fragmented diamond shape. On the top right, the word "January" is encapsulated in a dark, rounded rectangle, indicating the month these updates pertain to. Below the main text, there are logos of various tech and e-commerce companies, suggesting they are partners involved in the update. The logos include "yotpo.", "algolia", "shopifyplus", "bloomreach", "REBUY", "Stamped.", and "VERTEX". These logos are typically associated with services and platforms in the digital marketing, shipping, search technology, and e-commerce sectors. The design conveys a sense of collaboration and connectivity between the various partners.

What’s New in eCommerce

ShipBob released their Third Annual State of Ecommerce Fulfillment Report. It reveals trends and priorities for 2024 based on proprietary data and surveys from over 500 eCommerce executives. The report highlights that 83% of eCommerce brands saw growth in 2023, with significant sales concentrations in nine U.S. states. Those states include California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia and Washington. It also notes the expansion of sales channels, with TikTok Shop emerging as a new focus. Furthermore, 21% of brands intent to start fulfilling orders in new countries.

A few more highlights from the report include:

  • 48% of brands already sell on 3 or more sales channels.
  • 64% of brands will add at least one new sales channel in 2024.
  • 46% of brands leverage some form of customization for their orders (branded packaging, inserts, etc.).
  • 27% of brands always offer site-wide free shipping for domestic orders.
The image depicts a digital cover of a report titled "State of Ecommerce Fulfillment Report (2024 Edition)." The top left corner features the logo of ShipBob, suggesting that it is the company that has published or is associated with the report. The main visual is a photo of a warehouse with tall shelving stocked with numerous boxes, indicating an environment where goods are stored and managed for shipment. In the center of the warehouse aisle, there is a person wearing a safety vest walking away from the viewpoint, which adds a human element to the image and illustrates the scale of the operation. The color scheme is dominated by shades of blue and brown, with the ShipBob logo in blue, complementing the warehouse setting. There are three vertical dots on the right side, which often indicate more options or content is available, suggesting this image may be part of a slideshow or interactive content.
State of Ecommerce Fulfillment Report: 2024 Edition by ShipBob

​​For merchants, this report underscores the importance of diversifying sales channels and exploring international markets to drive growth. The data points to a strategic shift towards omnichannel retailing. Additionally, customization will be required to meet evolving consumer demands and stay competitive.

January eCommerce Updates from Shopify

Shopify unveiled its Winter ’24 Edition. It showcased a series of updates and new features to enhance the platform for merchants and developers alike. Released on January 31, 2024, this edition promises to bring fresh innovations to help businesses thrive in the digital marketplace. Here’s a sneak peek into the key updates that are poised to redefine the commerce experience for Shopify users:

Semantic Search

Shopify has introduced Semantic Search, an AI-powered feature designed to enhance the storefront search experience. Unlike traditional keyword matching, Semantic Search delves into the intent behind a customer’s query. Therefore, it allows for searches using natural language and delivering more accurate, relevant results. This innovation is exclusive to Shopify Plus, aiming to make search interactions more intuitive for users.

This image shows a digital mockup of a search engine interface for a website, possibly for winter clothing or accessories. The name "ZRO CHILL" is prominently displayed at the top, suggesting it could be the brand name or a tagline emphasizing a focus on cold weather gear. Below this, there's a large banner featuring an icy beach landscape with the text "HIGH STYLE BELOW ZERO", implying that the website offers stylish clothing for very cold conditions. The search bar in the middle of the image has the placeholder text "Something warm to wear in the winter", indicating the user can search for winter clothing on the site. Below the search bar, there are two smaller images. The left one has a label "ULTIMATE APRÈS" with a picture of a person wearing a puffy jacket, indicating a section for post-skiing or outdoor activity wear. The right one is labeled "SURF ESSENTIALS" with a picture of an individual holding a surfboard by the icy sea, which might suggest gear for cold-water surfing. The overall theme of the interface is winter and cold-weather activities.
Semantic Search from Shopify

For merchants and their customers, the benefits of Semantic Search are significant, as it enhances the shopping experience. Understanding the intent behind queries leads to higher conversion rates, as customers find what they’re looking for more efficiently. For a deep dive into how Semantic Search works and its advantages, explore Shopify’s documentation.

Better Product Creation and Classification

Shopify has revamped product creation and classification. They introduced a new taxonomy that aligns every product category with relevant attributes like color, size, and age group. This update simplifies the process of product setup, enhancing discoverability and facilitating cross-channel selling. Merchants can now more easily generate variants, saving time and effort in organizing their Shopify stores.

This improvement is aimed at making the backend work more efficient for online store owners. At the same time, it will improve the overall shopping experience for their customers. For more information on how this new system works, visit the Shopify website.

Variant Limit

Shopify has released new product APIs that support up to 2,000 variants per product. This is a huge update in favor of businesses with complex catalogs. Such a significant increase from the previous limit allows for greater flexibility in showcasing diverse product options.

Now the update is available in developer preview and set to roll out to select businesses in 2024. See how you can streamline product management on Shopify in the documentation on their website.

Combined Listings App

The Combined Listing App has been exclusively unveiled for Shopify Plus merchants. The update allows multiple variations of a product, like color or style, to be showcased from a single listing. Each variation benefits from its description, media gallery, and URL, enhancing the shopping experience with detailed, variation-specific content.

The image displays a stylized illustration of an online shopping interface, featuring a product page for swim shorts. In the center of the page, there's a large image of the shorts with abstract patterns in orange tones. To the right of the shorts, there are options to choose colors represented by colored circles, and size options labeled S, M, L. Below these, there's a quantity selector with a minus and plus sign, allowing the user to decrease or increase the number of items they wish to purchase. At the bottom of the interface, there are three smaller images of the shorts in different views, likely to show alternative angles to the shopper. On the bottom right corner, a pink cursor arrow with a starburst indicates a clickable area, possibly suggesting the location of a "buy" or "add to cart" button. The overall design has a playful and modern feel, with a pastel blue background that complements the summery vibe of the product.
ShopifyPlus Combined Listings

Merchants can streamline product organization and enhance discoverability across channels. For customers, it means a richer, more informative shopping experience. Now they can easily explore and compare different product variations without navigating away from the page. As a result, the Combined Listing app helps merchants boost conversion rates.

Shopify Magic Media Editor

Shopify has also introduced new features to its Shopify Magic suite. Now it’s easier to edit product images within the Shopify admin with AI. No more need for design skills, as its powerful AI tools give users full control over their images’ appearance. You can instantly change the background or even create a scene. Additionally, Shopify Magic can generate content for store pages, helping build customer trust. For more insights, visit Shopify Magic.

January eCommerce Updates from Yotpo

New Pricing Page

Yotpo has introduced new, lower pricing for its Reviews feature to start the new year, alongside a clearer pricing page. This change aims to simplify understanding Yotpo’s costs for merchants, ensuring transparency and accessibility.

SMS & Email

Merchants now have the enhanced capability to gather zero-party data directly from their customers using standard pop-ups. They can include fields for a first name and/or birthday. This update does not extend to Spin-to-Win or other interactive tools yet. However, it marks a significant step in personalizing customer engagement and data collection strategies.

Tapcart

With Tapcart’s latest update, customers now have the convenience of managing their subscriptions directly through Tapcart’s mobile app. This enhancement streamlines the user experience, offering more control and accessibility to users on the go. For further details on this integration and its benefits, please visit Yotpo’s Tapcart integration page.

Jebbit

Jebbit now offers a feature that rewards users with loyalty points for completing quizzes and surveys. This update will help merchants increase customer engagement, since it provides an incentive for participation and encourages deeper interaction with content.

January Updates from Bloomreach

Bloomreach continues to offer all its on-demand course material for free through the Bloomreach Academy. It provides valuable learning resources at no cost across free pillars:

  • Engagement Path for personalizing marketing across multiple channels in real-time;
  • Discovery Path, focusing on enhancing eCommerce search and merchandising to maximize revenue;
  • Content Path, which delves into creating, managing, and personalizing experiences using a headless CMS for commerce platforms.

These paths are designed to provide comprehensive learning experiences in key areas of digital commerce and marketing. For a deeper exploration of these educational paths, visit the Bloomreach Academy.

January eCommerce Updates from Algolia

Algolia has introduced a Merchandising Studio for eCommerce, leveraging AI to automate the merchandising of category and product landing pages. This studio enhances data visibility, incorporates revenue analytics, and offers an Unlimited Events Retention feature for historical data analysis. These advancements support personalized shopping experiences and data-driven decision-making without manual effort.

For merchants, this means streamlining operations and gaining valuable insights to optimize sales strategies. Customers benefit from personalized and interactive shopping experiences, thanks to Algolia’s AI-driven recommendations.

January eCommerce Updates from Vertex

Vertex‘s tax solutions are now fully integrated with The Shopify Tax Platform. This integration enhances the efficiency and accuracy of tax determination and compliance for merchants. Moreover, it simplifies tax management, allowing Shopify users to handle their tax obligations more effectively.

January eCommerce Updates from Stamped

Stamped has launched an integration with Attentive, enhancing the way merchants connect with customers through personalized SMS. This update enables sending review requests via text, creating tailored SMS journeys to foster customer-first connections. This innovative approach allows for direct engagement with customers. Encouraging them to share their experiences and feedback, you drive loyalty and enhance brand advocacy. For more detailed insights, read about the Stamped & Attentive integration.

Upcoming eCommerce Events

Get ready for the upcoming eCommerce events that are set to shape the industry in the coming months. From the insights and networking opportunities at ShopTalk in March to exploring the world of subscriptions at SubSummit in June. Each of them offers a unique opportunity to connect with industry leaders and explore new technologies and strategies.

ShopTalk

Join over 10,000 retail executives at Shoptalk in Las Vegas for a transformative four-day event. This event helps businesses foster connections and explore innovative retail solutions. Shoptalk offers a dynamic platform for networking, learning, and staying ahead of trends.

The image shows an interior view of a conference or event space during a presentation at the event "SHOPTALK". The stage is illuminated with a vibrant purple and blue lighting scheme. Above the stage, there's a large circular truss with lighting equipment, which is casting a dynamic glow on the surroundings. The backdrop of the stage prominently displays the event's name "SHOPTALK" in large white letters on a blue background. Two large vertical screens, one on each side of the stage, are lit up in bright neon colors. On the stage, there are two people, one standing on the far left and the other standing on the right. There are also several chairs set up on the stage, presumably for additional speakers or panelists. The audience area is dimly lit, with rows of empty seats visible in the foreground, suggesting that the event is either yet to start or currently in a break. The overall atmosphere of the image suggests a professional yet modern and tech-oriented event.
ShopTalk
  • Venue: Mandalay Bay
  • Location: Las Vegas, NV
  • Date: March 17-20, 2024

Trellis and Yotpo will be there. Let’s catch up!

ChargeX

ChargeX, hosted by Recharge, is an annual conference that gathers the leading minds in the subscription industry. The event is designed for networking, learning, and exploring the latest trends and strategies in subscription commerce. It’s a prime opportunity for businesses looking to grow and innovate in this dynamic sector.

The image is a promotional graphic for an event titled "CHARGE X AMPLIFY". It features a vibrant background that transitions from green at the top to yellow, orange, and then pink at the bottom, with a dotted pattern throughout. At the top of the image, there's the logo of "recharge" in white, followed by a promotional message in white text that reads "Register by February 29 to secure $100 off with early bird pricing" and a yellow "Register" button with an arrow pointing right. The main title "CHARGE X AMPLIFY" is in large, bold white letters in the center. Below the title, the event details are provided: "APRIL 29–MAY 1 — GLOBAL ECOMMERCE CONFERENCE — MANCHESTER GRAND HYATT, SAN DIEGO, CA", with a pink line underscoring the text. The design is modern and eye-catching, likely intended to attract attention to the event and encourage early registration.
ChargeX: AMPLIFY by Recharge
  • Venue: Manchester Grand Hyatt
  • Location: San Diego, CA
  • Date: April 29-May 1, 2024

SubSummit

SubSummit is the world’s largest event dedicated to the subscription industry. It brings together industry leaders, innovators, and partners for networking, strategy sharing, and exploring new trends.

The image is a photograph from a conference, depicted within a circular frame with a teal border. The photograph captures a moment during a panel discussion at a summit, with the stage in the background and the audience in the foreground. On the stage, there are five individuals seated across a table, engaged in conversation, with microphones in front of them. The backdrop of the stage has various logos, prominently featuring the words "ENGAGE. ENRICH." along with the logos of companies like "peacock," "Hinge," "PATREON," and "CLOTH & PAPER." In the audience, numerous attendees are seated at round tables, some looking towards the stage and others conversing with each other. The setting appears to be a large, well-lit conference hall, suggesting a professional event focused on engagement and enrichment, possibly related to subscription services, as indicated by the repeated "SUBSUMMIT" logo on the stage backdrop.
SubSummit
  • Venue: Sheraton Hotel
  • Location: Dallas, TX
  • Date: June 17-19, 2024

Conclusion

January has been a month brimming with exciting eCommerce developments, from groundbreaking sales records to innovative feature launches. As the eCommerce landscape continues to evolve rapidly, staying informed is more crucial than ever. Don’t miss out on the latest trends, insights, and updates that could shape the future of your online business.

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