Every week we publish a roundup of new tools from companies offering services to e-commerce merchants. This section includes updates to payment platforms, shopping assistants, advertising statistics, AI chatbots, mobile services and package delivery.
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New tools for traders
Klarna will be the default payment option for merchants using WooPayments. Klarna, the buy-now-pay-later platform, has expanded its partnership with WooCommerce, where Klarna will become the preferred network offered as the default payment method to WooPayments merchants worldwide, alongside traditional card payments.
Klarna
Google Ads launches brand report for advertiser insights. Google Ads introduced Brand Report, a dashboard tool that provides advertisers with consolidated statistics on campaign reach and frequency. This tool simplifies campaign tracking by providing metrics in one place instead of multiple reports. Advertisers can filter results by age, gender and other demographics. The brand overview is available directly on the main Google Ads dashboard in the Statistics and reports section.
Sitoo and Adyen are working together on Sitoo Payments. Sitoo, a point-of-sale platform, has partnered with Adyen, a financial technology provider, to launch Sitoo Payments. The new payment solution combines Sitoo’s POS functionality with Adyen’s payment processing capabilities. According to the companies, Sitoo Payments simplifies the way retailers manage payments across markets and channels, unifies physical and digital shopping and unlocks payments as a first-party data source.
DHL eCommerce and CTT Expresso are working together to create a parcel network for Iberia. DHL eCommerce and CTT Expresso have joined forces to address the e-commerce and parcel delivery market in Spain and Portugal, which together form the fourth largest market in Europe. CTT Expresso will acquire the DHL eCommerce business in Portugal, making CTT Expresso the distributor of DHL eCommerce parcel volumes in Portugal. In Spain, DHL eCommerce will focus on B2B operations, while CTT Express, the Spanish entity of CTT Expresso, will provide B2C services.
DHL Group
WeChat is testing a gifting feature for the holidays, fueling the potential of e-commerce. Chinese super app WeChat, owned by Tencent Holdings, has added a gift-giving feature to its integrated e-commerce platform, allowing users to send gifts to friends for the Christmas season. Customers can search for products by keywords. The prices of all gifts do not exceed 10,000 yuan ($1,375) and do not include jewelry classes and tutoring. After the sender completes the payment, the recipient must accept the gift and send the mailing address within 24 hours.
Coralogix acquires AI observation platform Aporia. Coralogix, a data monitoring platform, has acquired Aporia, a startup focused on tools for monitoring and securing AI workloads and setting up gatekeepers to prevent hallucinations or unwanted disclosure. As part of this acquisition, Coralogix will launch a dedicated AI research center, Coralogix AI, led by Aporia’s co-founders. Aporia’s technology will be integrated into Coralogix’s services.
Gigs Raises $73M to Help Mobile Startup Companies Gigs, a mobile services platform, raised $73 million in a round led by Ribbit Capital with investments from Google Gradient and Speedinvest. Gigs will use the funding to expand its geographic footprint and invest in an expanded suite of products and services for technology companies. According to Gigs, this will enable more tech brands to innovate in the telecom space, deliver greater value to customers and tap into a recurring revenue stream.
concerts
LXRGuide to launch Intellichat AI chatbot for small businesses. LXRGuide, an AI-powered small business growth platform developed by NetElixir, will launch in January its Strategic Growth Dashboard and Intellichat, an advanced AI-powered conversational chatbot designed to help small businesses thrive in a competitive market traditionally dominated by larger brands with specialized marketing resources.
With the acquisition of Payfare, Fiserv expands the possibilities of built-in finance. Fiserv, a payments and financial services technology provider, has agreed to acquire Payfare Inc., a payroll management platform. The acquisition complements Fiserv’s embedded financial solutions with card program management, a white-label consumer application and a microservices orchestration layer. According to Fiserv, the Payfare offerings enhance Fiserv’s embedded banking, payments and lending solutions.
Google Expands Gemini Research Mode to 40 Languages Google is expanding its latest Gemini deep research mode to 40 more languages. In December, Google launched a multi-level deep research mode that allows users of the Google One AI premium plan to unlock an artificial intelligence research assistant. Gemini supported languages include Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Danish, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Malayalam, Marathi, Polish, Portuguese, Swahili, Spanish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Ukrainian and Urdu.
Alibaba is partnering with a marketplace in South Korea. Alibaba is forming an online shopping venture with South Korean retailer E-Mart, a division of retail chain Shinsegae Group, to combine the assets of their online platforms AliExpress Korea and Gmarket in a 50-50 joint venture with the two platforms operating independently. Shinsegae Group said it expects the cooperation with Alibaba to help strengthen its Gmarket services and customer experience.
Alibaba