April eCommerce Updates from Trellis Partners

April has been full of exciting developments in eCommerce. BigCommerce stood out, earning top marks in a major industry report for its stellar enterprise solutions. We’ve also seen some cool new tools roll out that make shopping online smoother and smarter. Our partners are on the cutting edge, constantly innovating to ensure businesses can keep up in a fast-paced market.

Let’s explore these exciting developments and their implications for the future of online commerce.

Industry News

Accessibility: U.S. Attorney General Signs New ADA Rule

The U.S. Department of Justice is updating ADA Title II regulations to enhance digital accessibility for individuals with disabilities. These updates specify that all state and local government digital services, such as websites and mobile applications, must be fully accessible. Scheduled for implementation soon, these changes address the evolving nature of technology and public services. The aim is to ensure that individuals with disabilities can navigate, interact with, and access services seamlessly online, just as any other user would.

This revision is crucial as it underscores the commitment to inclusivity in the digital age. By ensuring that governmental digital spaces adhere to contemporary accessibility standards, it marks a pivotal step towards recognizing the importance of equal access to digital information and services. Additionally, this move highlights the need for government entities and public service providers to prioritize and implement robust accessibility measures in their digital offerings. For more details on these changes and their significance, you can learn more here.

Inclusive design and marketing can have an incredible effect on your marketing success and overall operation. In our blog, we offer four tips to help you genuinely connect with your audience and reach more potential buyers.

Temu is Now Available for Sellers from the U.S. and Europe

Temu is opening its platform to sellers from the U.S. and Europe, previously exclusive to Chinese merchants. This expansion allows Western sellers to tap into Temu’s vast user base, promising new customer reach and enhancing the variety of products available to shoppers. The initiative also includes local warehousing in these regions, which aims to drastically reduce delivery times for local orders, enhancing customer satisfaction.

Following this expansion, Temu continues to strengthen its presence in Western markets. This strategic move is part of a broader rivalry with Shein, another China-based discount retailer, as both vie for dominance in the international e-commerce space. Amidst their competition, which includes legal battles and aggressive marketing strategies, Temu’s growth includes partnering with major European postal services to bolster its logistics framework, positioning itself as a formidable player in the global market.

Stripe Crosses $1 Trillion In Total Payment Volume

Stripe announced it surpassed $1 trillion in total payment volume in 2023. This represents a 25% increase from the previous year. Consequently, the platform now accounts for about 1% of the world’s GDP. Serving a diverse range of clients, including startups and large enterprises, Stripe boasts notable clients like Uber and Shopify. Importantly, the company’s success underscores its significant role in the global economy.

April eCommerce Updates from BigCommerce

BigCommerce Named a Leader in IDC MarketScape

BigCommerce was named a Leader in the 2024 IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Enterprise B2C Digital Commerce Applications. This designation highlights the platform’s suitability for fast-growing, experience-driven brands. The IDC MarketScape evaluated 22 vendors, emphasizing BigCommerce’s developer-friendly environment and its flexible MACH architecture. Additionally, it lauded the platform’s open SaaS ecosystem, which supports a diverse range of eCommerce capabilities. For detailed insights, check the full IDC MarketScape vendor assessment here.

The IDC MarketScape’s evaluation provides a comprehensive framework, helping eCommerce decision-makers compare platforms not only on product offerings but also on strategic alignments with long-term customer requirements. This method includes both qualitative and quantitative criteria, providing a graphical representation of each vendor’s market position.

The Next Big Thing: 100+ New Features

BigCommerce has announced a significant update with over 100 new features and partner integrations as part of The Next Big Thing launch. This expansive update is aimed at empowering brands and retailers to enhance their growth and success. New features include:

• global selling capabilities,
• composable storefront framework Catalyst,
• visual page editor Makeswift, designed to create visually appealing shopping experiences.

Further enhancements include:

• advanced checkout and payment options,
• AI-powered tools to increase cart value,
• new B2B customization options.

These additions will help merchants reach a broader audience, optimize operations, and explore new revenue streams with partners like Feedonomics.

For a deeper dive into how these updates can transform your eCommerce strategy, read more on Trellis’s blog: “BigCommerce Reveals 100 New Features”.

April eCommerce Updates from Shopify

Shopify Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Shopify has recently released findings from a study in partnership with a leading independent consulting firm, asserting that Shopify offers the best total cost of ownership (TCO) among major commerce platforms. offering the best total cost of ownership (TCO) among major commerce platforms. Consequently, the study involved surveys with 251 enterprise executives across North America, meticulously analyzing commerce costs across various categories. Importantly, the key findings highlighted Shopify’s TCO as exceptionally competitive, positioning it favorably against other major platforms in terms of operational and implementation costs:

• Shopify’s TCO outperforms other major platforms by 33%, absorbing complexities to deliver superior value, product, and services.
• The platform boasts 35% better platform costs and 19% better operating costs, emphasizing ease of use, customization, and deployment.
• Enterprises using Shopify can set up and launch storefronts 37% faster than the competition, enhancing efficiency and reducing time to market.

For more detailed insights and specific benefits, visit Shopify’s TCO comparison page.

April Updates from Recharge

Retain: A New Suite for Subscriber Retention

Recharge launched Retain, a suite of innovative tools designed to significantly enhance subscriber retention. This suite includes rewards, cancellation prevention, and failed payment recovery, with an upcoming feature for winning back former subscribers. These tools are crafted to help businesses sustain customer engagement and minimize churn effectively. The upcoming ‘Win Backs’ feature promises to reengage past subscribers, further bolstering retention efforts.

By focusing on crucial aspects of the subscriber journey, Recharge’s Retain aims to solidify customer loyalty and enhance overall business resilience. These tools serve not just to maintain, but to dynamically increase the lifetime value of each customer, providing businesses with a substantial competitive edge in the subscription market. For more detailed information on each tool within the Retain suite, visit Recharge’s official page: Recharge Retain Tools.

April eCommerce Updates from Searchspring

Intelligent Reach Acquisition

Searchspring, a leader in search and personalization for eCommerce, has acquired Intelligent Reach. Intelligent Reach specializes in optimizing product data for over 1,500 sales channels and marketplaces. This acquisition marries Searchspring’s on-site product discovery expertise with Intelligent Reach’s external channel capabilities. Together, they will deliver a unified omnichannel eCommerce experience, enabling merchants to perform optimally both online and across various sales platforms.

The partnership aims to streamline product visibility and sales, offering merchants tools to effectively reach and convert global audiences. For a detailed understanding of how this acquisition could transform your eCommerce strategy, visit Intelligent Reach Acquisition Details.

April eCommerce Updates from Klevu

Fashion and Home Lookbooks

Klevu announced the launch of two new lookbooks for the fashion and home sectors. These interactive lookbooks offer a deep dive into clickstream personalization and customer review strategies. They feature real-world success stories and expert insights, tailored specifically for the fashion and home industries. The Fashion Lookbook focuses on trends driving success in fashion eCommerce, while the Home Lookbook explores key strategies for the home goods market. Each resource is packed with valuable information to help merchants elevate their online presence and sales strategies.

April eCommerce Updates from Fast Simon

Fast Simon has launched Smart Rendering, a game-changing technology that significantly boosts eCommerce storefront speeds on Shopify and BigCommerce platforms. This innovation, not applicable to SDK builds, requires Fast Simon to manage search and collection pages. It dramatically improves page load times, enhancing both user experience and SEO by integrating technologies like server-side rendering (SSR). The no-code editor allows easy deployment, significantly reducing development costs and time.

April eCommerce Updates from Swym

Swym is celebrating a significant achievement as its Wishlist Plus app has become Shopify Plus certified. Consequently, the Shopify Plus Certified App Program underscores the app’s exceptional quality and capability, tailored to meet the complex needs of high-growth brands. Rigorously evaluated for functionality, performance, and support, Wishlist Plus now distinguishes itself among the elite in Shopify’s app ecosystem. This milestone not only reflects Swym’s dedication to excellence but also signifies its ongoing commitment to enhancing eCommerce experiences for over 35,000 growing brands.

April eCommerce Updates from Bloomreach & Growth Spark

In a joint venture with Bloomreach, Bill Aicher, CEO of Growth Spark and Head of eCommerce at Trellis, illuminated the benefits of a unified data strategy. The blog, “Getting To Know Your Customers With a Unified Data Strategy”, explores how businesses can utilize integrated data to create personalized customer experiences. This approach not only resonates with customers but also effectively drives conversions, demonstrating the practical application of data to meet consumer needs dynamically.

This collaboration not only provides readers with actionable strategies but also underscores the synergy between Trellis’s cutting-edge eCommerce solutions and Bloomreach’s robust data management capabilities.

Conclusion

April has showcased a series of transformative updates in eCommerce, highlighting ongoing efforts by industry leaders to innovate and refine their offerings. These developments not only enhance the capabilities of online platforms but also ensure that businesses are equipped to meet the evolving demands of the digital marketplace. Stay updated with these trends to navigate the complexities of eCommerce and propel your business towards continued growth and success.

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