TikTok this week presented its new plan to ramp up advertiser investment in its video platform with the expansion of e-commerce, a new promise of “brand safety” and the launch of several new and interactive ad formats, ranging from clickable stickers to “Choose Your Own Adventure”-type ads to “super likes” and more. The additions, the […]
UK product safety laws won’t prevent another Grenfell tragedy, report warns
Regulators lack the resources to certify the safety of goods sold online by third partiesThe UK’s product safety regime is not up to the job of preventing a tragedy such as the Grenfell Tower fire as shopping moves online and regulators take on new res…
TikTok Shopping expands with more partnerships, LIVE Shopping, new ads and more
TikTok is expanding its investment in e-commerce. Earlier this year, the video platform began piloting TikTok Shopping in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, in partnership with Shopify. The deal allowed Shopify merchants with a TikTok For Business account to add a Shopping tab to their TikTok profiles and sync their product catalogs to the app […]
Guardian owner invests in Unlock, an NFT protocol designed for subscriptions and memberships
Monetization for the creator economy continues to be a huge issue and opportunity, but creators mostly have to lock themselves into platforms like Patreon to realize their value. A better method would be to have a membership system for creators which sat across several platforms. Now, GMG Ventures (parent company of The Guardian newspaper) has […]
Brands considering a live-shopping strategy must lean on influencers
Ahead of a volatile retail season, one theme is clear: It’s a now-or-never moment for brands to adopt live shopping, expand their audience ownership and build a new community of influencers.
Can direct listings really fix the IPO pricing problem?
Even if you are tired of IPOs, the direct listings from Amplitude and Warby Parker warrant your attention.
El Salvador’s adoption of bitcoin as legal tender is pure folly
Cryptocurrencies are a baffling entity but adopting it as legal tender is the strangest, most worrying aspect of allEl Salvador this month became the first country to adopt a cryptocurrency – in this case, bitcoin – as legal tender. I say the first, be…
Vyne raises $15.5M seed round to grow its merchant-focused open banking solutions
Open banking — a new approach to payments and other financial services that disrupts traditional card-based infrastructure by linking directly into banks — is having a moment. On the heels of open banking startup TrueLayer hitting a $1 billion valuation in its latest round after seeing strong traction for its services, today another open banking […]
Latin America’s second wave of digital transformation
Over the past year, Latin America has been covered heavily in the international news as the COVID-19 pandemic led many to question our endurance in the face of a crisis.
Indonesian halal-focused social commerce startup Evermos lands $30M Series B
Evermos is an Indonesian social commerce startup with two goals: to let people earn extra income by opening online stores without spending capital and to help small brands grow into household names. The company, which focuses on halal products and other items for Muslim customers, announced today it has raised a $30 million Series B, […]