Jessica Steele’s Post

Thanks to Yotpo for hosting a great afternoon of updates and insights at their Partner Roadshow yesterday. Here's what stood out to us: ️ ⭐ Yotpo's latest AI review summary – providing a snapshot of key features and feedback based on product reviews will help customers make more informed decisions. It's also a particularly great feature for mobile where there's a need to share concise yet relevant details whilst minimising scroll rate. 🤝 Successful partnerships are built on trust and transparency – as a technology studio ourselves, it was great to hear from Julia Smith at Puresport and Lisa Rudenmark at Superco - Shopify Plus Partner on the importance of selecting an agency that can act as a true extension of your team. Being open and honest about your goals, and what is and isn't working is integral to this. 📈  Contextualising data across departments is key – for example, insights collected from product reviews aren't just beneficial for Marketing to understand user sentiment or identify trends. Alex Harley at PERCIVAL Menswear explained how he shares a weekly reviews report with their Design team which is used to improve and refine their products. ✅  Identifying opportunities to optimise technologies that already deliver ROI – Cian Wright at Swap made a great point about evaluating what technologies are already working well to see if there are any additional features that could be leveraged.

Leading companies aren’t afraid to invest and are determined to make tech a centerpiece for the next generation of e-commerce as tech is becoming an increasingly critical driver of growth. But extracting that value will depend on how well companies can adapt their strategic, talent, and operating models. #Ecommerce #Technology #Innovation #techvalue

🎤 “Locate what makes you different and say it simply - so it’s understood by your customers, investors, partners, and industry.” Our head of practice for MarTech and Commerce, Rebecca Burgess, shared her advice with TechRound, alongside other experts, about what #eCommerce start-up founders should consider when running their business. 💼 Find out the tips and strategies here 👉 https://bit.ly/3Y88yt8

With over 125 Shopify experts, DEPT® leverages its AI innovation accelerator to enhance personalisation and optimise operations. Ritu Khanna, Vice President of Partnerships at Shopify, remarked, “Our global partnership with DEPT empowers brands worldwide, enabling them to seamlessly harness Shopify’s innovative commerce technology alongside DEPT’s AI-driven digital solutions to drive growth." Andrew Dimitriou, Chief Client and Growth Officer at DEPT, said, “By integrating our commerce capabilities with Shopify’s scalable platform, we’re equipping brands to tackle the complexities of multi-brand, multi-market, and multi-channel engagement." https://lnkd.in/dvDRqEb8

I spoke to TechRound about what #eCommerce start-up founders should consider when getting their business up-and-running 💡 📣 along with Günther Vogelpoel from Recharge, Andrew Radcliffe from Spyrosoft, Helen Scurfield from Asendia, and Alexander Otto from Tradebyte. The bottom line? Know what makes you different. The eCommerce industry is growing with international trade getting easier, new retail business models (from subscriptions to reselling), and (dare I say it) AI breakthroughs. It's only going to get harder to make your brand stand out amongst the rest. So, set off on the right foot, armed with your USPs. Like I said: "it’s more work in the long run to undo weak communications." #commerce #b2bPR #brandawareness 📍 Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

𝐀𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐔𝐧𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐈 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐄-𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 I’m spending the day at #ShoppingToday by ShoppingTomorrow - Thuiswinkel.org, the Netherlands’ biggest e-commerce conference. Think lots of buzz, sponsored booths, and those wonderfully awkward networking moments (I’m really bad at this). Earlier this year, I joined the expert group on AI in the ShoppingTomorrow network. We were divided into research groups to explore AI’s applications across all aspects of retail. Our group's focus? 𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥: 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. We dug into how AI isn't just the shiny new thing but already a real tool to boost conversions and efficiency. Our bluepaper, "𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐀𝐈", dives into: - 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 that actually hit the mark. - 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭-𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐬—right product, right time. - 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 that feel less "algorithm" and more "personal shopper". - 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞—because one size fits no one. - And looking a bit further: 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 tailored to individual customer journeys. --- Our findings were presented by our research colleagues Christina Hadinoto (picture) and Joost Van Heusden, who shared our takeaways for brands looking to get on the AI train:  1. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐁𝐢𝐠 Pick one AI challenge and experiment. Baby steps are lower risk. 2. 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 Let AI handle the mundane. Free up your team for meaningful work. 3. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐬 Tell your customers you're using AI. They'll appreciate the honesty. 4. 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬 (Full disclosure: I'm biased on this one) Doing things in-house works, but partnering with external experts accelerates speed-to-value. 5. 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 Your successes can help the entire industry. Leverage communities like ShoppingTomorrow. Don’t hoard knowledge. 6. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐀𝐈 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 Keep an eye on AI trends—they move fast. Follow thought leaders or newsletters (shameless plug: 5000+ subscribers agree that our own #10things is great for this purpose) to stay updated. --- 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, check out the #bluepaper (link in comments). #AI #Retail #Hyperpersonalization

📢 Exciting news from Shopify! Their President, Harley Finkelstein, is confident that AI will empower small businesses to compete with industry giants. At Teipe Digital, we've already seen the transformative power of AI firsthand, and we're thrilled to see platforms like Shopify embracing this technology to level the playing field for entrepreneurs everywhere. 🚀 With features like Shopify Magic, AI-powered tools can help small businesses generate product descriptions, create stunning product images, and optimize their operations, all without needing a massive team. This is a game-changer for SMEs! 🤝 As a digital marketing agency, we're committed to helping our clients harness the full potential of AI to grow their businesses. If you're ready to explore how AI can revolutionize your brand, let's chat! https://lnkd.in/gZu2wzgW #AI #Shopify #SmallBusiness #DigitalMarketing #Innovation #TeipeDigital #ecommerce #aicommerce Anita Báez Mariana Gonfrier Patricia Ameneiro Malaver

Another AI-related article we found reveals how Swap - an e-commerce operating system that manages operations for direct-to-consumer brands - has launched a new AI-powered feature designed to streamline return operations for firms operating through Shopify stores. This innovative software, which is the first of its kind demonstrates how Swap is continuing to evolve to meet consumer needs which we think is great! At Strive Insight, we understand the importance of staying ahead in dynamic markets and we are proud to say we are at the forefront of integrating AI methodologies with traditional research. We can provide valuable market insights and strategies to drive your business forward. For more information, get in touch by sending us a DM or emailing us at office@striveinsight.com #MarketResearch #MRX #StriveTogether #CustomerInsights

Another AI-related article we found reveals how Swap - an e-commerce operating system that manages operations for direct-to-consumer brands - has launched a new AI-powered feature designed to streamline return operations for firms operating through Shopify stores. This innovative software, which is the first of its kind demonstrates how Swap is continuing to evolve to meet consumer needs which we think is great! At Strive Insight, we understand the importance of staying ahead in dynamic markets and we are proud to say we are at the forefront of integrating AI methodologies with traditional research. We can provide valuable market insights and strategies to drive your business forward. For more information, get in touch by sending us a DM or emailing us at office@striveinsight.com #MarketResearch #MRX #StriveTogether #CustomerInsights

Intriguing article on ‘Digital eCommerce platforms and marketplaces’. The standout insight for me was how banks and telcos are leveraging digital eCommerce in the Middle-East. Embedded financing and ‘Direct Carrier Billing’ integrations are on the rise. Telcos in particular have been aggressive in MENA and other emerging markets with their ventures in mobile money and launch of super-apps, to capitalize on the digital evolution, while diversifying their revenues from their traditional business. MTN MoMo is integrating with PayShap, an interbank payment service in South Africa, while Reliance’s Jio has entrenched India’s UPI in its digital ecosystem for the past few years. In fact, Jio owes much of its rise to the evolution in digital eCommerce and payments within India. With stcPay transitioning into a bank and ‘du Pay’ being launched recently, Telcos are poised to hold a prominent role, if not a dominating one, in eCommerce.