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☆ Shopify is getting a new head of customer support amid an AI-centric shift for the division
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Shopify's head of customer support, Clovis Cuqui, is departing after more than eight years at the e-commerce company. Cuqui's departure comes amid a period of change for the division , which troubleshoots issues for the millions of merchants using the e-commerce platform. "I look forward to continuing this work in lock step with our incredible crew of 1000s of Support Advisors and team members." The division is also working on a new, enterprise level of support as more large merchants have joined Shopify. Shopify also has been hiring outsourced customer-support representatives through the company TaskUs, many of which are in the Philippines, Insider previously reported.

Persons: Clovis, Glen Worthington, Kaz Nejatian, Worthington, Cuqui, Shopify, Bobby Morrison Organizations: LinkedIn, Support Advisors, Bobby Morrison . Company Locations: Philippines, mstone@insider.com

The pickle-wardrobe mania is emblematic of what sets TikTok Shop apart from e-commerce competitors like Shopify and Amazon. Just like TikTok's non-shopping content, TikTok Shop is built around viral videos, be it a surge in viewer interest in pickle-jar sweatshirts or a mad rush to buy freeze-dried Skittles . For UK sellers, chasing virality still seems to be the defining characteristic of the TikTok Shop experience. Jessica Slone runs TikTok shop Bad Addiction Boutique, which has sold tens of thousands of pickle-jar sweatshirts. "TikTok Shop is kind of this roller coaster, and right now it's on this amazing uphill journey.

Persons: TikTok, Dill, Frank Bloomer, Ashley Martinez, Michael Herling, I'm, it's, Herling, Jessica Slone, Slone, TikTok's, Lindzi Shanks, Shanks, TikTok doesn't, Virality, Laura Ritchey, Sellers, Julia Cote, hadn't, influencers, they'd, Ben Muir, virality, Hira Tariq, who's, Candy, there'll, It's, Boutique's Slone Organizations: US, TikTok Shop, Shipping Locations: Grillo's, West Texas

☆ SoftBank-backed gifting startup Sendoso just completed its fourth round of layoffs in the last 16 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Samantha Stokes | Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

SoftBank-backed gifting startup Sendoso laid off an undisclosed number of employees in its latest round of job cuts on Tuesday. This is the fourth time in the last 16 months that Sendoso has axed its headcount: the marketing startup in June 2022 laid off around 100 employees from its then 700-employee workforce, Insider previously reported . Sendoso most recently raised $100 million in a Series C funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund. Better, which went public in August via a long-delayed SPAC deal, conducted another round of layoffs last month . Do you have information about job cuts at tech startups?

Persons: Sendoso, SoftBank, it's, —, Samantha Stokes, Madeline Stone Organizations: LinkedIn, U.S, Sendoso, SoftBank Vision, Greensill, Stock Locations: Ireland, sstokes@insider.com, mstone@insider.com

☆ Leak: Shopify clarifies its stance on employee side hustles in new internal guidance one day after CEO memo said Shopify requires 'unshared attention'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Shopify on Thursday released additional internal guidance around employee side hustles, one day after a company-wide memo from CEO Tobi Lütke caused confusion among workers. Lütke continued: "You should run a Shopify store to learn our product. Shopify's guidance on Thursday clarified the company's stance. And when it comes to starting a Shopify store, we encourage it. Shopify employees can use the company's software to launch their own stores for free.

Persons: Tobi Lütke, Lütke, I've, Shopify, We're, you'll Organizations: Employees Locations: mstone@insider.com

☆ Lululemon lays off 120 employees as it announces a Peloton partnership and plans to stop selling its Mirror device
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Lululemon laid off 120 employees who worked on its Mirror device. The company announced a five-year partnership with Peloton this week. Lululemon laid off about 120 workers on Wednesday as it announced plans to stop selling its Mirror connected-fitness device, according to an internal memo that was viewed by Insider. The job cuts came to the company's Lululemon Studio team, the part of the company that ran Mirror's operations. During its fourth-quarter earnings call this March, Lululemon announced it had taken a $443 million impairment charge related to the Mirror acquisition.

Persons: Lululemon, Brynn Putnam Locations: Lululemon

☆ In a leaked memo, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke discourages employees from having side hustles, saying Shopify requires 'unshared attention'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke wrote a company-wide memo Wednesday discouraging employees from having side hustles. "This surprises me because it directly contradicts the countless times I've said Shopify is like a professional sports team that requires our unshared attention." The Vault is a set of internal web pages where Shopify employees can access information about company policies. "He was someone who could devote his full attention and time to that quest," Finkelstein wrote. Lütke said Wednesday that employees should start their own Shopify stores because it helps them to stay familiar with the platform.

Persons: Tobi Lütke, Lütke, I've, Shopify, Harley Finkelstein, David Segal, Finkelstein, Segal, Jess Hertz, Read, Jess, Tia, Truman Locations: Shopify, mstone@insider.com

☆ TikTok Shop is offering hemp-derived THC syrup, sex toys, and other banned goods to users as the platform struggles with enforcement
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Dan Whateley | Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

TikTok is in an all-out blitz to make its e-commerce marketplace Shop take off. But as it races to drive up sales, it's letting prohibited products slip through the cracks. TikTok Shop has over 200,000 sellers, according to the company, which has been a challenge as it tries to keep out banned goods at scale. TikTok isn't alone in failing to keep its e-commerce marketplace cleanTikTok isn't the only e-commerce player to struggle with marketplace quality. It's early days for TikTok Shop in the US, and the company is still finding its footing.

Persons: TikTok, TikTok isn't, Etsy, it's, Madeline Stone, Dan Whateley Organizations: TikTok Locations: mstone@insider.com, dwhateley@insider.com

☆ Amazon punishes sellers that offer their items for less elsewhere, the FTC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Marketplace Pulse reported in February that Amazon sellers are paying as much as 50% of their revenue to Amazon in fees, a point that is echoed in the FTC's suit. "Amazon also recognizes that sellers believe 'that it has become more difficult over time to be profitable on Amazon,'" the FTC filing reads. According to the filing, Amazon's ads reach 96% of Americans between the ages of 25 and 54 each month. "According to an internal Amazon study, Amazon's sellers live 'in constant fear' of Amazon arbitrarily interfering with their ability to sell on Amazon, which 'put[s] their businesses and livelihoods at risk,'" the complaint reads. "When Amazon detects elsewhere online a product that is cheaper than a seller's offer for the same product on Amazon, Amazon punishes that seller," it reads.

Persons: David Zapolsky, Zapolsky, Nessie, Douglas Farrar Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Marketplace, Amazon, Amazon Prime

☆ Temu has overtaken Shein in several key metrics, but both have a long way to go to catch up to Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Temu and Shein are both targeting Gen Z shoppers in the US. But both have a ways to go before they challenge Amazon and other retailers. Shein and Temu are battling to win over young consumers in the US. Both companies are using low prices and a huge selection of inventory to entice shoppers, but they're going about it in slightly different ways. Shein has reportedly been considering an IPO as it has grown in popularity in the US.

Persons: Shein Organizations: Pinduoduo Holdings Locations: Chinese, Boston, China, Singapore

☆ TikTok's new app store signals its goal to be an e-commerce platform that relies less on established players like Shopify
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

TikTok Shop, the social media app's e-commerce platform, officially came out of beta in the US on Tuesday. TikTok Shop is meant to be an end-to-end shopping destination, with in-feed and live video shopping, a dedicated shop tab in the TikTok app, an affiliate marketing program, and in-app checkout. TikTok's app store filters apps according to a seller's current e-commerce platform, including Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and Amazon. Being on TikTok's app store also helps third-party software providers get discovered by sellers who might want to use their products. "We love an app store because the app store is saying: this is a trustworthy provider," Hallock said.

Persons: TikTok, Rick Watson, Watson, Anne Hallock, Hallock Organizations: Shop, RMW Commerce Consulting, Partners, TikTok Locations: Salesforce

☆ Amazon is launching new supply chain services that will expand its logistics and fulfillment business beyond its marketplace
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Amazon announced new supply-chain services Tuesday that expand its fulfillment and logistics operations for sales outside of Amazon.com. Amazon has spent billions on its global fulfillment operations, Fulfillment by Amazon, or FBA. "A seller doesn't want to have two sets of supply-chain services, one that's for Amazon and one that's for someone else. For example, it offers multi-channel fulfillment, which enables sellers to use Amazon's services to fulfill customers' orders even if the sale took place off of Amazon. Mehta said that he expects Buy with Prime to "naturally benefit" from Amazon's continued investment in supply chain tools.

Persons: Dharmesh Mehta, They've, Mehta, " Mehta Organizations: Amazon, Shoppers Locations: mstone@insider.com

☆ Flexport had an executive exodus days before Dave Clark's surprise departure as three ex-Deliverr leaders left
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The exodus came before former CEO Dave Clark announced his departure on Wednesday. Flexport was experiencing an exodus of executives before former CEO Dave Clark announced his sudden resignation on Wednesday. Clark, who was Amazon's worldwide consumer CEO before joining Flexport last September, announced his departure on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday. In his post, Clark cited the desire of Flexport founder and former CEO Ryan Petersen to return to his role leading the company. During a company town hall on Thursday, Flexport executives told employees that cost-cutting measures were on the way , possibly including job cuts, multiple sources said.

Persons: Flexport, Dave Clark, — Artur Rivilis, Flynn Fishman, Stephanie New —, Rivilis, Fishman, Slack, Shopify, Clark, Ryan Petersen, Freightwaves, Petersen, Tobi Lütke Organizations: Flexport, Shopify Logistics Locations: Deliverr, ,, Flexport, San Francisco , Los Angeles, Dallas, New York, Amazon, mstone@insider.com

☆ Flexport told employees to expect cost-cutting and possibly job cuts, a day after its CEO's sudden departure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Eugene Kim | Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Flexport told employees Thursday to expect cost-cutting and a possible reduction in workforce. Flexport founder Ryan Petersen said the company needs changes to "return to profitability." Flexport is considering cutting part of its corporate workforce, following Wednesday's sudden departure of CEO Dave Clark. The overarching message was that Flexport was spending too much money, and the company needs to focus more on helping customers, the people said. In it, he emphasized the need to return to profitability and focus on customers' needs.

Persons: Flexport, Dave Clark, Ryan Petersen, Clark, Ryan Petersen's, Petersen, Clark's, Eugene Kim Organizations: Amazon Locations: Amazon

☆ Flexport CEO says he's rescinding job offer letters for candidates joining as soon as Monday: 'I have no ideas why more than 75 people were signed to join'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen announced on X that the company was rescinding dozens of job offers. The rescinded job offers come after Petersen reclaimed his role as CEO on Wednesday. On Wednesday, former Flexport CEO Dave Clark announced he was leaving the company less than a year after departing from his role as CEO of Amazon's consumer business to join Flexport. AdvertisementAdvertisement"It's clear that important changes are needed to sustain our growth and return to profitability," Petersen wrote. Petersen, Clark, and a spokesperson for Flexport did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Ryan Petersen, Petersen, Steve Jobs, Dave Clark, Clark, FreightWaves, Insider's Eugene Kim, Madeline Stone, he'd, Flexport Organizations: Service, Flexport, Flexport's, Wall Street Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ You can shop Drake's virtual $100 million mansion for everything from a $3,000 robe to a $69 Hotline Bling pool float
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Dominick Reuter | Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Fans can explore and buy exclusive products through a digital rendering of Drake's Toronto mansion. Shopify's latest tool allows the rap star to partner with other brands for unique merch drops. True to form, his approach has been a bit unconventional, with a flagship e-commerce site modeled off his $100 million Toronto mansion, The Embassy. Rather than scroll through the same-old grid of product listings, fans can explore various virtual rooms strewn about with items to buy, all powered by Shopify's e-commerce platform. Shopify Collective is one of several new business-to-business initiatives the company has announced recently, and on the earnings call Finkelstein highlighted the launch of dozens of new B2B features in the last year alone.

Persons: Drake, Everette Taylor, Harley Finkelstein, Finkelstein Organizations: Service, Shopify's Locations: Toronto, Wall, Silicon, Canadian, Embassy

☆ Shopify plans to introduce a new level of customer support for its largest enterprise merchants, as it works to attract bigger companies, leaked video reveals
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Shopify is working on a customer support offering for enterprise merchants. In June, Shopify announced that its one-click checkout Shop Pay would be made available to non-Shopify enterprise merchants through Commerce Components. The 2023 version of the report evaluated Shopify Plus and ranked the platform at the top of its peers in terms of execution. Merchant success managers are Shopify employees who consult with Plus merchants about launching and running their online stores. They're often touted as a benefit that can help merchants "get the most value out of Shopify Plus."

Persons: Shopify, Staff Glen Worthington, Ken Wong, Oppenheimer, Wong, Harley Finkelstein, Kaz Nejatian Organizations: Staff, Mattel, Merchant, Shopify Locations: Canadian, Commerce

☆ TikTok is killing its Shopify storefront integration as it moves to control all aspects of in-app e-commerce
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Dan Whateley | Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

TikTok is shutting down its Shopify-integrated "storefronts" feature next month as it looks to control all aspects of in-app shopping and drive sellers to use its e-commerce platform, TikTok Shop. The tool let Shopify sellers sync product catalogs to TikTok where users could click on linked items to purchase them on Shopify. Purchases that happen on TikTok Shop aren't redirected to third-party platforms like Shopify, which means TikTok will have primary visibility into all aspects of the customer journey. Since TikTok Shop does not currently integrate with Shopify, Shopify could miss out on revenue if its merchants choose to set up shop with TikTok and direct sales there instead of their main Shopify store. However, Rick Watson, the CEO and founder of RMW Commerce Consulting, doesn't consider TikTok Shop too much of a threat to Shopify.

Persons: TikTok, Kylie Cosmetics, it's, It's, ByteDance, Shopify, influencers, Rick Watson, doesn't, Watson Organizations: Manly Bands, RMW Commerce Locations: China

☆ Shopify plans to cut a key benefit for 16,000 of its highest-paying subscribers, leaked email shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

About 16,000 Shopify Plus merchants will lose access to the company's merchant success managers. Merchants success managers are a key perk of the Shopify Plus subscription. Shopify plans to tell about 16,000 of its Plus merchants that they will no longer have direct access to merchant success managers, a key perk of the higher-priced subscription. Merchant success managers are Shopify employees who consult with Plus merchants about launching and running their online stores. They're often touted as a benefit that can help merchants "get the most value out of Shopify Plus."

Persons: Biss, Shopify Organizations: Merchant, Shopify

☆ DTC brands are struggling to turn a profit. Shopify and some software startups aim to solve this by paying customers to shop.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some are leaning away from the heavy discounting and confusing rewards programs of the past and instead turning to new tech that offers customers cash back for shopping. When shoppers purchase from brands that partner with Catch, they'll get 5-10% back in credit to spend at that store. While DTC brands historically spent a lot to acquire new customers , changes to iOS tracking have made targeted ads less effective. Credit-card companies have also been doing cash-back rewards for years, but those programs don't really benefit brands. PostscriptFondue is another startup looking to revamp loyalty programs by zeroing in on cash-back rewards.

Persons: Nico Perdomo, Denia Ebersole, they'll, It's, Perdomo, Shopify, Harley Finkelstein, that's, Laura Kennedy, William Herlands, Abraham Lucey, Adam Turner, Oren Charnoff, Fondue, Kennedy, Alex Beller, Charnoff Organizations: DTC, Grow, American Express, zeroing, Barstool

☆ Keith Rabois' startup OpenStore is launching a new program to boost Shopify merchants who aren't big enough to sell their stores yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Keith Rabois' OpenStore is launching a new accelerator program for Shopify merchants. OpenStore, Keith Rabois' Shopify aggregator startup , is launching another offering for Shopify merchants. The new program, called OpenStore Boost, is an accelerator for Shopify merchants generating between $50,000 and $500,000 in net sales annually. The company has since launched OpenStore Drive , which allows Shopify merchants to pass off the day-to-day operations of their store while retaining full ownership of the business. In June, OpenStore launched a website where shoppers can browse products from all of the brands in its portfolio.

Persons: Keith Rabois, OpenStore, he's, Rabois, Jack Abraham, Matt Lanter, Jeremy Wood, Google —, It's Organizations: Google

☆ Shopify's ecosystem is about to face a major test: Large partners like Klaviyo are eying an IPO, while smaller startups may struggle to compete
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

As Shopify's app ecosystem matures, it's becoming a make-or-break moment for some developers and partners. If they succeed in the public markets, it's a positive sign for the Shopify ecosystem. Upcoming IPOs will be a testSome Shopify ecosystem companies are eying the public markets, even in a year when IPO activity has been slow. That will make it even more important for Shopify's app partners to ensure their solution is differentiated from competitors. "This shared focus is why we're committed to ensuring a healthy Shopify ecosystem that fosters innovation, scale, and speed."

Persons: Shopify, it's, it'll, Amit Jhawar, Ben Parr, Parr, lockdowns, Sid Murlidhar, we're, Chris Wattie, Jhawar, Glen Coates, It'll, Chris Grouchy, Convictional, Roger Kirkness, Rick Watson Organizations: Shopify, Reuters, Shopify Ventures, Global, RMW Commerce Consulting Locations: Klaviyo, Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, Shopify

☆ Chinese online retailer Pinduoduo has a 'hyper-aggressive' culture with hours surpassing a '996' schedule, analysts write
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Temu's sister company Pinduoduo may have a "9127" culture, Bernstein analysts wrote. This is a play on "996" work culture, which encourages work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. Temu sister company Pinduoduo is known for having an exceptionally intense workplace culture, Bernstein analysts wrote in a note published this week. "996" is a reference to a work culture that encourages tech employees to work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. While Shein remains ahead of Temu in terms of buyer awareness, Temu sees high buyer retention rates, the Bernstein analysts noted.

Persons: Temu's, Bernstein, Temu, Jack Ma, Richard Liu Qiangdong, Robin Zhu, Pinduoduo, Shein Organizations: Morning, PDD Holdings, Pinduoduo, Representatives, Local Locations: China, Shanghai

☆ See inside Drake's collab with Shopify, a messy virtual mansion stocked with exclusive merch curated and designed by the rap star
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Dominick Reuter | Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Fans can explore and buy exclusive products through a digital rendering of Drake's Toronto mansion. Shopify's latest tool allows the rap star to partner with other brands for unique merch drops. Rather than scroll through the same-old grid of product listings, fans can explore various virtual rooms strewn about with items to buy, all powered by Shopify's e-commerce platform. "We can actually match incredible content creators that have massive audiences with incredible brands," Shopify President Harley Finkelstein said on the company's second-quarter earnings call. Shopify Collective is one of several new business-to-business initiatives the company has announced recently, and on Wednesday's call Finkelstein highlighted the launch of dozens of new B2B features in the last year alone.

Persons: Drake, Harley Finkelstein, Finkelstein Organizations: Service, Shopify's Locations: Toronto, Wall, Silicon, Canadian, Embassy

☆ Shopify took a $437 million loss when it sold its robotics division 6 River Systems, Ocado financial docs show
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Shopify paid $450 million for 6 River Systems in 2019. The 6 River Systems sale was part of a major pivot away from logistics by Shopify. UK grocery giant Ocado paid just $12.7 million to acquire 6 River Systems from Shopify in May, according to Ocado's mid-year financial report released July 18. Ocado ultimately paid less than 3% of what Shopify paid for 6 River Systems less than four years ago. The companies did not disclose the financial details of the 6 River Systems deal at the time of the announcement.

Persons: Ocado, Shopify, Ocado's, Chuck, Deliverr didn't, Tobi Lütke, Lütke Organizations: Systems, Shopify, Amazon Locations: Shopify, Massachusetts

☆ Shopify has conducted quiet layoffs in recent weeks. Big AI plans have workers worried a larger cut is on the way.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Shopify workers are worried about another mass layoff. Shopify workers are once again bracing for another mass layoff. Much of the chatter around potential layoffs has centered on Shopify's Support org, which is responsible for troubleshooting issues for the company's millions of merchants. One Support employee told Insider that after viewing the town hall, they felt their firing would be inevitable. Shopify's first round of layoffs last July hit its Support division hard, and the company conducted a second round of layoffs in May.

Persons: Shopify, we're, Clovis Organizations: Company Locations: Ireland, Philippines, Shopify

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