Brands and retailers using the platform will be able to set up ads on SourceKnowledge and Microsoft. Plus, Amazon's embedded Prime checkout is launching widely this month.
BigCommerce is kicking off 2023 with a trio of new partnerships that will expand capabilities for merchants that set up stores through the platform to integrate with other services. Let’s take a look at what’s new on the open SaaS platform for B2C and B2B brands and retailers:
In an integration announced on Tuesday, brands and retailers will be able to automatically set up ads on open web ad network SourceKnowledge.
The SourceKnowledge Shopping Ads app empowers retailers to instantly create ads that are based on a product catalog. This is designed to extend the reach of campaigns beyond the walled gardens of Google, Facebook and Amazon. Once the app is installed, a retailer’s site will automatically be tagged with the SourceKnowledge pixel to serve ads to the store’s visitors, and they can start generating incremental sales.
The app automatically generates a product feed from the store’s catalog to run a variety of listing ads, including retargeting ads to shoppers who have shown interest in products. The feeds include titles, descriptions, images and prices.
“BigCommerce has made it easier for B2C and B2B merchants to sell their products online and we believe that advertising those products should be just as turnkey,” said SourceKnowledge cofounder and CRO Hector Pantazopoulos, in a statement. “The SourceKnowledge extension for BigCommerce helps advertisers expand beyond the natural saturation point of walled gardens advertising and access high-converting traffic on the open web.”
SourceKnowledge also tracks sales, revenue, average order amounts, new customer acquisition, return on ad spend (RoAS) and cost-per-acquisition (CPA).
It offers an advertising solution for the post-iOS 14.5 landscape, which made changes to attribution that affected many in ecommerce, and DTC brands running stores on platforms like BigCommerce in particular. For its part SourceKnowledge tracks sales through a mix of first-party data shared by retailers and probabilistic attribution. While it is harder to properly attribute mobile sales via iOS following the App Tracking Transparency changes of 2021, SourceKnowledge shows that it is not impossible.
A new partnership with Microsoft will enable BigCommerce merchants to integrate their stores to reach customers searching on the Microsoft Advertising Network. This provides reach to Microsoft Bing, MSN, Microsoft Edge, as well as syndication partners such as AOL and Yahoo.
Called Microsoft Ads and Listings in the BigCommerce Marketplace, merchants can synchronize to the newly-launched Microsoft Merchant Center, creating shopping campaigns and track performance.
“The Microsoft Advertising Network connects BigCommerce merchants with people who have greater purchasing power, engage more with ads and are more likely to make a purchase online,” said Jason McKay, senior director of global partner sales at Microsoft Advertising, in a statement. “With Microsoft Ads and Listings, BigCommerce merchants can connect with customers in new ways, achieving a strong return on spend to drive long-term growth.”
Last year, Amazon rolled out Buy with Prime, a new service that allows brands and retailers to embed Amazon checkout and offer Prime shipping and returns on websites outside of Amazon.com. With the ability to offer access to Amazon’s network to sellers outside of the ecommerce giant’s vast fulfillment network and ubiquitous membership program, it had many mulling whether it would be a game-changer for direct-to-consumer brands. But it was available by invite only. That’s about to change.
On Tuesday, Amazon said the feature will move into wide release on January 31. With this, BigComemrce will launch an app that allows merchants to add Buy with Prime, with no code required. This includes the ability to add a Buy with Prime button to products, as well as adding a Buy with Prime badge and activation of Amazon Display Ads that are available to merchants that use the service.
“With BigCommerce and Amazon’s Buy with Prime, merchants can now reach new high-intent shoppers, drive higher conversions by directly offering the Prime delivery promise on their storefront and remarket to these new shoppers to drive higher customer lifetime value," said Sharon Gee, VP of revenue growth and general manager of omnichannel at BigCommerce, in a statement. "This integration is the first of its kind and is a game changer for omnichannel merchant and partner growth."
Labor disputes on the West Coast could cause further disruption heading into peak season.
When the first half of 2023 is complete, imports are expected to dip 22% below last year.
That’s according to new data from the Global Port Tracker, which is compiled monthly by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
The decline has been building over the entire year, as imports dipped in the winter. With the spring, volume started to rebound. In April, the major ports handled 1.78 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units. That was an increase of 9.6% from March. Still it was a decline of 21.3% year over year – reflecting the record cargo hauled in over the spike in consumer demand of 2021 and the inventory glut 2022.
In 2023, consumer spending is remaining resilient with in a strong job market, despite the collision of inflation and interest rates. The economy remains different from pre-pandemic days, but shipping volumes are beginning to once again resemble the time before COVID-19.
“Economists and shipping lines increasingly wonder why the decline in container import demand is so much at odds with continuous growth in consumer demand,” said Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett, in a statement. “Import container shipments have returned the pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019 and appear likely to stay there for a while.”
Retailers and logistics professionals alike are looking to the second half of the year for a potential upswing. Peak shipping season occurs in the summer, which is in preparation for peak shopping season over the holidays.
Yet disruption could occur on the West Coast if labor issues can’t be settled. This week, ports from Los Angeles to Seattle reported closures and slowdowns as ongoing union disputes boil over, CNBC reported. NRF called on the Biden administration to intervene.
“Cargo volume is lower than last year but retailers are entering the busiest shipping season of the year bringing in holiday merchandise. The last thing retailers and other shippers need is ongoing disruption at the ports,” aid NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “If labor and management can’t reach agreement and operate smoothly and efficiently, retailers will have no choice but to continue to take their cargo to East Coast and Gulf Coast gateways. We continue to urge the administration to step in and help the parties reach an agreement and end the disruptions so operations can return to normal. We’ve had enough unavoidable supply chain issues the past two years. This is not the time for one that can be avoided.”
