Retail and eCommerce highlights this week include: Brightpearl relaunches it search for the fastest growing online retailers in the UK and US. Returns Management Software Provider Extends Warranty Functionality for eCommerce Retailers to Automate, Gain Visibility and Optimize their Returns and Operations. Equinix enters into the growing South American data centre and cloud hub market to accelerate digital transformation opportunities for local businesses and multinational companies. Clickatell customers can now benefit by using Salesforce Order Management to send consumers a faster, more secure and convenient pay-by-link request via SMS and WhatsApp
The Lightning 50 Returns! Finding the fastest growing online Retailers in the UK and US
Analysts estimate global eCommerce at $26.7 trillion. Brightpearl is re-launching its search for the ‘Lightning 50.’ A league table of the UK and USA’s fastest-growing eCommerce businesses from the last twelve months.
Brightpearl is taking a look at the revenue data behind the UK and US online shopping space to produce two definitive lists of the 50 fastest growing eCommerce brands over the past 12 months across Britain and the States.
Entries are now open for the Lightning 50. Businesses can enter for the chance to be included in the final list here: Lightning 50 – Brightpearl. Entries close on Friday 12th August 2022. The final line-up will be announced in September of this year.
The Lightning 50 league table of the fastest growing online retailers is free for businesses to enter. It is open to eCommerce businesses with annual turnovers from £$1M-250M. Last year’s Lightning 50 included a list of phenomenal online retailers. It included Biscuiteers, Holland & Cooper, Candy Kittens and the overall winner – Au Vodka.
Brightpearl is now seeking to reveal the definitive league table of the fastest growing online retailers for 2022. Both in the UK and the US. The Lightning 50 is free for businesses to enter, and open to eCommerce businesses with annual turnovers from $1M-$250M. Firms must submit two full years of revenue data for 2020 and 2021 to be eligible for the Lightning 50. The final list is set to be revealed later this year.
ReturnLogic expands warranty return features for eCommerce retailers
ReturnLogic, a returns management software (SaaS) solution for Shopify retailers and eCommerce brands has launched new warranty features. These features allow retailers to automate warranty requests for items that are in-stock and even out-of-stock. This gives retailers the potential to upsell, reduce customer service hours, and improve customer experience, retention, and overall lifetime value.
ReturnLogic’s expanded warranty feature enables retailers to keep exchanges, returns, and warranties all in one place – in a single workflow. Retailers can resolve warranty claims faster, ensure legitimate return requests, and improve the customer experience.
With Expanded Warranties, retailers can now set up separate workflows for in-stock and out-of-stock items. Depending on inventory levels, shoppers have several different outcomes:
- The item is in stock, and a shopper can get an exact replacement.
- The item is out-of-stock, and the shopper has the option to shop for a full catalogue replacement (an upsell opportunity similar to a full catalogue exchange but for warranties).
- The item is out-of-stock, and the retailer wants to oversell anyway.
- The item is out-of-stock, and the retailer offers the option to contact them right then and there.
Equinix expands into Chile and Peru with US$705m acquisition of 4 data centres
Equinix has expanded into Chile and Peru through its intended acquisition of four data centres from Empresa Nacional De Telecomunicaciones S.A. (“Entel”), a Chilean telecommunications provider, for an enterprise value of approximately US$705 million. The acquisition is expected to close in Q2 of 2022, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, and is expected to be immediately accretive to Equinix’s adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) per share upon close, excluding integration costs. The transaction includes three data centres in Chile; the transaction may also include one data centre in Peru pending finalisation of a definitive agreement.
Chile is the fourth-largest economy in South America, with the highest GDP per capita in the region. Santiago is emerging as a technology hub in South America, serving both regional cloud and content demand as well as local enterprises. According to IDC, enterprise edge spending in Latin America is expected to reach $8.573 billion by 2024, and in Chile it is anticipated to grow by double digits in the same period. Furthermore, between 2020 and 2024, IDC anticipates that cloud spending in Chile will increase 34.6%.
When closed, the transaction will expand Equinix’s coverage in this strategic market. With three data centre sites in Santiago, Chile, the transaction also includes significant expansion capacity for future growth in Santiago, allowing Equinix to support both immediate and future growth in the region. Under the terms of the agreement, Equinix and Entel have agreed to form a strategic partnership to enable enterprises in Chile and Peru to leverage hybrid multi-cloud solutions to accelerate digital transformation.
Clickatell announces Chat 2 Pay Integration with Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Clickatell a CPaaS innovator and Chat Commerce leader announced it has launched the integration of its industry-leading Chat 2 Pay payment solution with Salesforce Commerce Cloud.
Clickatell’s integration empowers Commerce Cloud customers to achieve enhanced payment options by allowing contact centre agents to trigger payment requests via a payment link in chat messages. With Chat 2 Pay, customers pay for goods and services via Salesforce Order Management by simply clicking on a link delivered through SMS or WhatsApp without requiring them to expose their personal payment information to a human agent. Upon clicking the link, the customer is served a fully hosted checkout page where the customer can securely enter payment card details and submit the payment. The customer receives a confirmation of the order and a receipt via a chat message, while the contact centre agent is kept abreast of the payment status to complete the sale.
Features and benefits of Chat 2 Pay include a pre-built Chat 2 Pay cartridge for Salesforce Order Management. Payment link sent via SMS or WhatsApp channels through the integration of Clickatell’s Chat 2 Pay extension. Fully hosted, responsive checkout page that collects data directly from customers and processes their payments.