Retail and eCommerce highlights last week include: BMW Group UK has launched the BMW Shop on the BigCommerce platform. I Own My Data (IOMD), has launched Node: convenient online shopping without accounts. Software AG has launched a new category of integration platform to help enterprises manage their technology infrastructure – the ‘Super iPaaS’.
Infosys partners with smart Europe GmbH to bring sustainable electric mobility to customers
Infosys has signed a five-year collaboration with automotive marquee smart Europe GmbH to refine its Direct-to-Customer (D2C) business model in Europe. The contract also provides enhanced customer experience, data-driven personalization and engagement for the existing model smart #1, the newly announced smart #3, and other upcoming all-electric models from the iconic brand.
Through this strategic collaboration, Infosys will help smart Europe GmbH redefine the online EV buying experience and apply state-of-the-art Machine Learning (ML) models to accurately forecast sales and aftersales demand.
Infosys was chosen to assist the premium EV maker in this transformation for its deep expertise in enabling consolidation across automotive sales and e-commerce processes and systems. To enable smart Europe GmbH to derive exceptional value from software, data, and cloud investments, Infosys will leverage its trusted process, functional and technical expertise, complemented by a design thinking-led consulting approach.
Infosys will also help smart Europe GmbH to efficiently sell electric vehicles across 15 European countries with a D2C sales approach and secure engagement across lead generation, prospect conversion, sales and aftersales channels, supplemented by end-to-end ownership and accountability.
SAP Emarsys announces new TikTok integration for digital ads
Customer engagement platform SAP Emarsys, has announced its October 2023 product update. It features the integration of a new channel, TikTok, for digital ads. This new feature will allow digital marketers to extend their social reach on a large scale, enabling the creation, synchronisation, and expansion of audiences across TikTok’s 1.06 billion active users.
The integration of TikTok offers marketers an opportunity to tap into the social network’s vast user base, expand their brand’s social reach, and accelerate results. The update also includes a host of new features and improvements across web, email, and digital ads channels. These enhancements are complemented by additional reporting and analytics functions, enabling businesses to gain valuable insights into campaign profitability.
Additional new features include content blocks for the web channel, empowering marketers to create and customise content blocks for time savings and brand consistency. In the near future, SAP Emarsys plans to extend these capabilities to various other channels.
The new update also introduces the ability to create and filter customer segments based on SMS contacts. Marketers can use this feature to enhance mobile customer engagement and improve purchase frequency through personalised offers and points redemption — both of which are critical drivers of loyalty.
The update also introduces new generative AI capabilities to help marketers create compelling content, such as subject lines, content block, and semantic search and insertion of products that deliver the right message to the right audience. SAP Emarsys is also set to introduce a Google Analytics Integration in the coming months, enabling marketers to seamlessly connect their Google Analytics account with the Emarsys platform.
Givex launches new feature for Givex eCommerce
Givex has introduced enhancements to Givex’s Digital Ecommerce module. This feature elevates the digital gift card experience by allowing customers to customise, add video and animate their e-gift card deliveries with a personal touch. Brands can also have their Digital Gift Cards delivered with a corporate video message as well.
With this new feature, shoppers can infuse their e-gift cards with images, heartfelt video messages, and themes that resonate with the recipient’s preferences. The digital gift cards come to life through captivating animations, adding an element of surprise and joy when they arrive in the recipient’s inbox.
Digital Gift Cards can also be added to digital wallets like Apple and Google Pay for ease of use, and can transact using Apple VAS if processor supported.
This addition aligns with Givex’s dedication to ongoing innovation and providing its merchants with cutting-edge technology to make every transaction a meaningful experience. By offering more than just a virtual gift card, Givex empowers shoppers to make their digital gifts truly stand out in the midst of a crowded inbox, transforming them into cherished memories.
Yodel selects Ivalua to support its digital transformation and empower procurement
Ivalua, a global leader in spend management, has announced that Yodel, one of the UK’s largest couriers, has selected its Source-to-Contract (S2C) solution. After a comprehensive selection process, Yodel selected Ivalua to manage and transform its upstream procurement processes. The ability to manage all procurement processes and visualize related data within a single platform was a key factor in the selection of Ivalua.
With the support of Ivalua’s partner TSM, a specialist team of procurement consultants, Yodel will implement Ivalua’s Supplier Risk and Performance Management, Sourcing, and Contract Lifecycle management solutions to manage both its direct and indirect spend.
By digitizing S2C processes, Yodel aims to increase operational efficiency when onboarding suppliers, managing contracts and sourcing projects. Greater compliance visibility will enhance Yodel’s ability to minimize risk. Additionally, Ivalua’s intuitive, user-friendly interface will help boost engagement levels among business stakeholders and internal users.
Uber Eats and Zoomo partner to boost sustainability goals with new E-Moped initiative
Zoomo, a global leader in last-mile electric fleet solutions, has partnered with online food delivery company, Uber Eats, to drive greater accessibility of light electric vehicles for couriers in London. The new partnership will see high-performance E-mopeds added to Zoomo’s product portfolio with a discount offered for monthly and weekly rental of E-mopeds.
Through the partnership, both Uber Eats and Zoomo aim to contribute to London’s sustainable delivery and transport ecosystem.
The announcement follows Uber Eats’ commitment to making 100 percent of food delivery trips emission-free worldwide by 2040, with a 2030 target for major European cities. Concurrently, the partnership also supports Zoomo’s mission of transitioning urban miles to light electric vehicles (LEVs), while enhancing courier access to efficient and affordable transportation.
Transportation remains the largest emitting sector of carbon emissions in the UK. While petrol mopeds are important vehicles for food delivery, especially in London, a viable, greener alternative has surfaced in recent years in the form of E-mopeds.
To help tackle the emissions generated by food delivery, couriers who use Uber Eats will receive a discount on the rental cost of high-quality E-mopeds in the initial month of sign-up, making the E-mopeds accessible at just £149 (including insurance) via Zoomo.
Mambu announces availability in AWS Marketplace
Mambu, a leading Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud banking platform, announced it is now available in AWS Marketplace. This makes it one of the first core banking providers on the site. AWS Marketplace is a digital catalogue with thousands of software listings from independent software vendors that make it easy to find, test, buy, and deploy software that runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
The announcement marks the next phase of Mambu and AWS’s decade-long relationship, which has allowed the fintech to expand its reach and seamlessly deliver its core banking services globally.
Mambu and AWS serve more than 200 mutual customers, including N26, BancoEstado, and Western Union, all of whom leverage Mambu’s cloud banking platform on AWS. By making Mambu available in AWS Marketplace, it will be easier than ever for financial organisations to begin their cloud journeys and modernise their infrastructure to meet rapidly changing customer behaviours and expectations.
Chetwood Financial, a UK digital bank, is the first customer to have chosen Mambu’s cloud banking platform in AWS Marketplace. On Mambu, Chetwood can scale and flexibly configure its deposit products in a matter of minutes, using technology to take complexity and friction out of the process of accessing financial services.
Recent McKinsey research found that among financial services leaders, 54 per cent said they expect to shift at least half of their workloads to the public cloud over the next five years. As the sector continues to evolve alongside demands for digital-first, innovative banking services, the cloud has great potential to unlock new business efficiencies and use cases, while optimising costs.
