Principal Architect

New ecommerce tools: August 19, 2026. Reading Time: 11 mins read My rundown this week of new services for merchants includes updates on page builders, warehousing, dropshipping, real-time tracking, listing tools, installment payments, finance tools, drone deliveries, ecommerce insurance, and more. Got an ecommerce product release? Email [email protected]. New tools for merchants. WP Engine opens Smart Search AI to the WordPress ecosystem. WP Engine, a provider of tools for WordPress sites, has announced Smart Search AI. Purpose-built for WordPress, Smart Search AI offers out-of-the-box compatibility with Advanced Custom Fields and WooCommerce, as well as flexible integration with headless environments via WPGraphQL and REST APIs. The plugin includes access to the Smart Search AI MCP Server, now in open beta. Amazon launches long-term bulk storage for merchants in Europe. Starting on August 20, 2026, Amazon is bringing Warehousing and Distribution to Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. Amazon Warehousing and Distribution helps merchants address supply chain challenges by providing long-term bulk storage in distribution centers with automated replenishment to FBA centers across Europe. Merchants can maintain optimal FBA inventory with AWD's auto-replenishment capability, reducing the risk of stock-outs. RankingCoach and Extendify launch WordPress SEO and marketing plugin. RankingCoach has partnered with Extendify, an agentic AI platform for building and managing websites, to install BeyondSEO, a WordPress plugin, as part of Extendify's default setup. BeyondSEO is a freemium plugin and requires no RankingCoach account. Built for small businesses, agencies, and web professionals, BeyondSEO improves visibility across traditional search engines and genAI platforms, according to RankingCoach. Veho announces real-time tracking integration with Shopify. Ecommerce delivery specialist Veho has integrated real-time delivery tracking with Shopify. Veho tracking moves through each stage of delivery, from pre-transit to final drop-off. Merchants can continue creating labels and managing shipments through their existing process, with no additional setup or workflow changes. As part of the integration, Veho is now a Shopify Tracking Partner. TopDawg integrates multichannel dropshipping platform with BigCommerce and TikTok Shop. TopDawg, a U.S.-based dropshipping platform, wholesale supplier network, and ecommerce automation tool, has announced the addition of BigCommerce and TikTok Shop integrations to its platform, which includes Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Shopify, and WooCommerce. According to TopDawg, the integrations help retailers simplify product sourcing, listing management, inventory updates, order routing, and fulfillment across varied selling platforms, all through a centralized portal. Uncanny Automator launches an AI page builder for WordPress. Uncanny Automator has launched Page Builder, an AI-first tool for WordPress. Users describe a page's content, style, or intended audience, and Uncanny Agent generates the layout, hierarchy, and styling. Users can also upload a screenshot, define site-wide brand settings, apply Agent's edits, and more. Ordoro and Arda connect replenishment and ecommerce fulfillment. Ordoro, an ecommerce fulfillment platform, has partnered with Arda, a replenishment tool. Ordoro helps merchants manage orders, inventory, fulfillment, and shipping across sales channels, while Arda helps teams identify when to order materials, packaging, or components. Together, the two providers say they help merchants connect replenishment with the workflows that support inventory, fulfillment, and shipping. Airwallex partners with Affirm on installment payments. Airwallex, a tool to manage international payments, has added installment payment provider Affirm to Airwallex's checkout platform for eligible merchants in 35 markets. Consumers can pay in installments up to 24 months. The partnership aligns with Airwallex's strategy to expand financial services beyond cross-border payments, including investments in AI-powered finance and embedded solutions. Affirm is now available across multiple Airwallex integration methods, including Hosted Payment Page, Drop-in Element, Mobile SDK, Native API, Shopify, and Payment Links. ClearJet secures $25 million to scale SuperCarrier network. ClearJet, a provider of parcel logistics infrastructure and orchestration, has raised a $25 million equity investment led by Edison Partners. The funding will support the company's expansion across its network of 95 U.S. airports. ClearJet says it connects shippers with unused cargo space on commercial flights, delivering packages nationwide at the speed of air freight and the price of ground shipping. ClearJet's delivery network is carrier-agnostic. Blink launches an all-in-one creator platform for digital products. Blink has launched its storefront and checkout platform for sellers of templates, courses, ebooks, and other digital items. Blink stores include a customizable frontend and serve as the legal seller, calculating, collecting, filing, and remitting sales tax, VAT, and GST worldwide, as well as processing refunds, disputes, and chargebacks. Sellers can accept payments across 150 countries in 85 currencies without registering for tax. Post Purchase Upsell launches for Shopify. Abakira LLC has released its Post Purchase Upsell app for Shopify, enabling sellers to put a one-click offer on a page between payment and order confirmation. Accepted offers are added to the order the buyer already placed and paid for, so there's no second checkout and no separate charge. For subscription sales, an accepted offer can extend an existing plan or start a new one. Assureful and CedCommerce deliver insurance to ecommerce merchants. Assureful, an AI-driven commercial insurance program administrator, and CedCommerce, an ecommerce platform, have announced a program to deliver pay-as-you-sell general liability insurance to U.S. merchants on major online marketplaces. The program offers coverage for property damage and bodily and personal injury. Goflow introduces working capital for ecommerce sellers. Goflow, a multichannel operating system for sellers, has launched Capital, a Goflow-native financing experience. Goflow Capital gives eligible sellers options when inventory needs, growth opportunities, or cash-flow timing gaps arise. Sellers can start from their Goflow account, answer a few questions, and view available financing options. eBay launches listing tool in Australia. eBay Australia has introduced an AI-powered listing tool that allows sellers to generate product listings from uploaded photos. The tool functions inside the photography panel of the eBay mobile app. When a seller activates the feature, eBay's software uses a three-stage process to list products for sale. Morph launches platform to accelerate global stablecoin adoption. Morph, a stablecoin-focused network, is launching Morph Payments, a payments platform that lets global businesses and teams accept and send stablecoins. Businesses connect their own self-custodial wallets, and payments settle directly on-chain. Morph says it provides a secure, efficient infrastructure for the $10.2 trillion stablecoin market, facilitating faster cross-border settlements. Customer intelligence and analytics platform Decile launches MCP. Decile, a customer intelligence platform for ecommerce brands, has launched its MCP, enabling marketers to access Decile's ecommerce analytics, customer insights, and audience segment creation tools directly within Claude and ChatGPT. Marketers can ask natural language questions about their customers and turn the insights into advertising and marketing campaigns. Yuno raises $45 million to scale AI-native operating system of global payments. Yuno, a global AI-native payments and financial services provider, has announced a $45 million funding round led by Global PayTech Ventures. Yuno says it connects businesses through a single API to over 1,000 payment methods and more than 460 integrations across 190 countries, with intelligent routing, one-click checkout, and built-in AI-powered fraud detection. Yuno will use the funding for research and development and expansion of its global infrastructure. Xnurta launches MCP for retail media. Xnurta, an AI-powered advertising platform, has announced the availability of Xnurta MCP, a server that connects retail media data with AI assistants and genAI platforms such as ChatGPT and Claude. Xnurta MCP eliminates manual data exports for advertisers using AI for reporting and analysis. Users can query ad performance, metrics, campaign structures, managed groups, and product lines, along with a log of human and AI-initiated account activity. Amazon launches drone delivery site in the U.K. Amazon drones are now delivering parcels in Darlington, England, as part of the launch of Prime Air in the U.K., the first outside of the U.S. Consumers within a 7.5-mile radius of the fulfillment center can have select items delivered within 60 minutes of placing an order, via an MK30 drone operating autonomously using detect-and-avoid technology.

eBay Authenticity Guarantee expands to include collectible coins. 19 Aug 2026 eBay have announced the expansion of Authenticity Guarantee in the U.S. to a new category: collectible coins. Eligible U.S. and World graded coins and U.S. raw coins purchased at $500 or more will be professionally authenticated at no additional cost to buyers or sellers, giving collectors more confidence when shopping for high-value coins on the marketplace. The expansion marks the next chapter for eBay Authenticity Guarantee, with coins as the second eligible category within eBay's collectibles business. In 2022 eBay launched its Authenticity Guarantee for trading cards to support the booming category, and now collectible coins join a growing ecosystem designed to make high-value collecting on the marketplace more secure. Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), an industry leader in coin grading and authentication services, will provide expert authentication for eligible items. The new service also represents an expanded partnership with Collectors, parent company of PCGS and PSA, and the leading third-party authentication and grading provider in the collectibles industry. New standards for collectible coins. In May 2026 eBay introduced new standardized condition guidelines for collectible coins to help buyers make more informed purchasing decisions. Authenticity, condition, and grading all play a critical role in determining the value of a collectible coin. The new standardized condition information gives collectors greater visibility into a coin's quality before purchase. The opportunity to scale and grow the coin business around the world is significant and plays to eBay's strengths - notably, the marketplace's selection of unique and historic inventory. We've invested in our trading card business and seen fantastic results - and we see the same opportunity with coins. Every coin has a story, and we're making it easier than ever for collectors to buy and sell with confidence while helping preserve the integrity of one of the world's oldest collecting hobbies. - Adam Ireland, VP and General Manager, Global Collectibles, eBay As one of the world's largest marketplaces for collectible coins, eBay offers enthusiasts access to an unmatched selection of historic and rare inventory. Coin-related activity continues to grow on the site, with searches for collectible coins increasing by more than 30% comparing June 2025 to June 2026, and engagement with coin programming on eBay Live also continuing to rise. The addition of Authenticity Guarantee reinforces eBay's commitment to creating a more trusted and seamless experience for collectors. The coin industry is experiencing incredible growth, with PCGS seeing a double-digit increase in collector submissions in 2026. This partnership - pairing one of the largest marketplaces with one of the largest coin authenticators - elevates and protects the hobby for everyone. We're excited to help bring greater confidence to collectors buying and selling online. - Stephanie Sabin, President, PCGS eBay Authenticity Guarantee for coins. When an eligible coin purchase is made, the item is shipped to PCGS for a comprehensive, multi-point physical inspection. Collectors can identify eligible coin listings by looking for eBay's blue Authenticity Guarantee badge on the listing. Once authenticated, the coin is securely packaged and shipped to the buyer, all at no additional cost to either buyer or seller. Details on the coin authentication process include: * Thorough Inspection: Referencing an extensive database, authenticators inspect the coin for authenticity, alongside overall condition and general quality. Each coin is also checked against the listing description to ensure accuracy. * Proof of Authentication: Once authenticated, each coin receives an e-tag, a tamper-proof sticker seal with a unique QR code attached to the coin's protective packaging. Collectors can scan the QR code to learn more about the coin and its authentication journey. * Verified Returns: For sellers who choose to offer returns, eBay Authenticity Guarantee for coins ensures the exact item initially sold is returned to the seller, via a verified return process. Returns are shipped back to the authentication center, where authentication experts verify each item and its condition before returning it to the seller. Starting August 18, Authenticity Guarantee will begin rolling out in the U.S. for: * Graded U.S. Coins priced at $500 or more * Graded World Coins, including Canadian coins, priced at $500 or more * Raw U.S. Coins priced at $500 or more

Ikea to launch second-hand marketplace to take on eBay. By PA News Agency Ikea is launching a marketplace platform for its second-hand furniture and homewares (Steve Paston/PA) Ikea is to take on the likes of eBay and Vinted with plans to launch a new marketplace platform for its second-hand furniture and homewares. The Swedish retail giant said it hopes the platform will make it "as seamless as possible" for consumers to buy and sell their pre-owned Ikea products. It has not confirmed a launch date for the UK platform but said it would provide more details "in the coming months". Members of the firm's membership scheme, Ikea Family, will be able to connect with other customers through the platform. The furniture giant has already launched trials of second-hand marketplace services in other countries, including Spain and Norway. An Ikea spokeswoman said: "At Ikea, Harwich & Manningtree Standard is always looking for new ways to make life at home even better and help its customers discover products they love. "With the launch of Ikea second-hand marketplace in the UK, Harwich & Manningtree Standard is taking a meaningful step toward creating a destination that simplifies access to pre-owned Ikea furniture. "We're creating a trusted and vibrant space to make it quick and easy for our Ikea Family members to trade directly with one another." It represents a push by Ikea into the second-hand market amid the growing use of eBay, Vinted and Facebook Marketplace by consumers. Vinted has expanded from purely fashion to sell electronics and homeware in recent years. Other retailers such as John Lewis and Currys also sell pre-loved and refurbished products through their platforms. More Stories