Top 2024 resources on tech
Best tech resource in 2024.
Learn more about tech to improve your e-commerce strategy.
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12 Resources for LGBTQ Entrepreneurs
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Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a blog series that dives into the unique business challenges and opportunities of underrepresented business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they’ve grown or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and inform your own success.
Topics: events, networking, organization, entrepreneurs, tech, leadership, business, lgbtq, network, resources, offers. -
17 Events and Conferences for Black Entrepreneurs in 2023
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Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a blog series that dives into the unique business challenges and opportunities of underrepresented business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they’ve grown or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and inform your own success.
It can feel isolating if you’re the only one in the room who looks like you.
Topics: annual, black, events, entrepreneurs, expo, 2023location, businesses, learn, tech, conferences, business. -
3 ways the pandemic is transforming tech spending
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We don’t believe enterprises or consumers will revert to the old ways of doing things when the pandemic subsides. Welcome to the next phase of tech spending.
Topics: companies, tech, business, digital, pandemic, cloud, techcrunch, ways, technology, company, wave, transforming, spending. -
5 Ways Go-to-Market Strategies Will Change in the Post-Pandemic Economy
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This article is part of a series on how business is changing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other pieces in the series include HubSpot's Chief Customer Officer on Why We Need to Talk About Growth and our VP of Marketing's Content Marketing Playbook for Times of Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic has produced a plethora of paradoxes.
Topics: change, economy, online, tech, strategies, customers, businesses, companies, customer, ways, pandemic, teams, gotomarket, sales, marketing, postpandemic. -
55 Office Costume Ideas for Marketing Nerds & Tech Geeks
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How many days of the year are you encouraged to dress and goof around at work? Probably just one — Halloween — and even then, it can be hard to know which office costume ideas are appropriate for the workplace.
Topics: costume, office, marketing, work, tech, youre, black, ideas, geeks, halloween, white, best, outfit, nerds, dress. -
6 investors and founders forecast hockey-stick growth for Edinburgh’s startup scene
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Scotland's capital Edinburgh boasts a beautiful, hilly landscape, a robust education system and good access to grant funding, public and private investment.
Topics: think, forecast, hockeystick, scene, techcrunch, companies, startup, city, founders, investors, strong, edinburghs, edinburgh, tech, growth, ecosystem. -
A conversation with Tunde Kehinde of Lidya on finance and the digital divide
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Small and medium businesses have been some of the hardest hit in the COVID-19 pandemic. And all that has been as true in emerging markets as it has been for SMBs in the developed world. Tunde Kehinde has had a front-row seat witnessing and responding to that crisis. He’s the CEO and co-founder of Lidya, […]
Topics: lidya, finance, kehinde, digital, jumia, startups, conversation, divide, markets, services, tech, lot, vcs, smbs, tunde, techcrunch, continent. -
Affirm’s CTO talks transparency and the tech that makes BNPL possible
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TechCrunch sat down with Libor Michalek, president of technology at Affirm, to understand just how the company differentiates itself from its plethora of competitors.
Topics: possible, affirms, makes, talks, customer, techcrunch, transparency, bnpl, card, credit, pay, interest, technology, cto, affirm, tech, really, purchase. -
Africa's tech ecosystem responds to COVID-19
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In March, the virus gripping the world — COVID-19 — started to spread in Africa. In short order, actors across the continent’s tech ecosystem began to step up to stem the spread.
Topics: responds, virus, weve, covid19, tech, africas, techcrunch, africa, ecosystem, world. -
Alibaba founder Jack Ma reflects on 20 years at tech giant as he prepares to step aside
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Alibaba founder Jack Ma has made his final appearance as executive chairman, as CEO Daniel Zhang takes the helm of the company.
Topics: aside, alibaba, tech, giant, reflects, zhang, help, jack, world, vision, company, prepares, step, ma, ecommerce, business, alibabas, founder. -
Amazon will add 3,500 tech and corporate jobs across six US cities
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Amazon today announced an upcoming hiring spree set to bring 3,500 jobs to a half-dozen U.S. cities. The news is, of course, particularly notable amid a pandemic that has caused many industries to freeze hiring, while unemployment claims have soared across the country. It also finds the company doing that hiring in cities — many […]
Topics: add, techcrunch, amazon, york, san, office, tech, company, jobs, companys, cities, corporate, hiring. -
Are Big Changes Coming to Digital Ads in 2022?
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Could aggressive ad targeting go away? A confluence of proposed U.S. privacy legislation, federal rule changes, and a decentralized web suggest a coming digital ad transformation.
Topics: information, individual, ads, digital, targeting, privacy, changes, advertising, surveillance, coming, tech, big, ad. -
Big tech blows a collective raspberry at the House’s antitrust report
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Big tech has responded to the mammoth antitrust report put out by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee yesterday with blanket denials there’s any monopolistic behaviour or competitive imbalances to see here. Below is a quick run down of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google’s rebuttals. Among the committee’s (many) recommendations are structural separations and prohibitions on […]
Topics: report, business, raspberry, giant, antitrust, techcrunch, big, apps, products, tech, houses, privacy, app, collective, statement, blows, facebook, apple. -
Bolt adds $75M to its Series C, as the battle to rule online checkout continues
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Bolt, a startup that offers online checkout technology to retailers, announced this morning that it has added $75 million to its Series C round, bringing the financing to a total of $125 million. WestCap and General Atlantic led the new tranche, which Bolt CEO Ryan Breslow told TechCrunch was raised at around twice its Series […]
Topics: online, rule, continues, bolt, company, techcrunch, tech, series, c, million, battle, breslow, payments, adds, checkout. -
Charts: Global Retail Tech Funding 2021
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2021 was a record year for global funding of retail technology. In this installment of our weekly charts, analyst Adel Boukarroum breaks down the numbers.
Topics: deals, retail, cb, global, funding, charts, insights, tech, physical, increased. -
China gets serious about antitrust, fines Alibaba $2.75B
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Chinese regulators have hit Alibaba with a record fine of 18 billion yuan (about $2.75 billion) for violating anti-monopoly rules as the country seeks to rein in the power of its largest internet conglomerates. In November, China proposed sweeping antitrust regulations targeting its interent economy. In late December, the State Administration for Market Regulation said […]
Topics: state, techcrunch, market, gets, antitrust, break, weeks, app, 275b, china, services, serious, fines, alibaba, violating, tech. -
China’s e-commerce giant JD.com starts paying some staff in digital yuan
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China’s plan to introduce its digital currency is getting a lot of help from its tech conglomerates. JD.com, a major Chinese online retailer that competes with Alibaba, said Monday that it has started paying some staff in digital yuan (since January), the virtual version of the country’s physical currency. China has been busy experimenting with […]
Topics: money, major, help, online, tech, electronic, jdcom, chinas, banks, digital, techcrunch, yuan, starts, paying, staff, giant, ecommerce. -
China’s growing digital influence in Africa
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There’s been a heap of China in Africa coverage over the last decade, but very little of it is focused on tech. In part, because the country’s engagement with African startups is light compared to its deal-making on infrastructure and commodities. Now, that all looks to be shifting. TechCrunch has tracked moves by a number […]
Topics: china, strategic, shiftingtechcrunch, africa, chinas, theres, influence, digital, startups, signal, tracked, sector, techcrunch, growing, tech. -
China’s tech firms rush to deliver solutions for grocery shopping
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Nearly all of China’s largest internet firms have established a presence in online grocery. Just this week, news arrived that Alibaba co-led the $196 million C3 funding round of Nice Tuan, the two-year-old grocery group-buying firm’s fourth round year to date. People in China shop online for almost everything, including groceries. At first, grocery e-commerce […]
Topics: chinas, techcrunch, solutions, shopping, deliver, groupbuying, ecommerce, online, normally, delivery, shoppers, rush, orders, grocery, model, tech, group, firms. -
Colombian e-commerce enablement startup Melonn raises $20M to help SMBs scale in LatAm
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Melonn, a Colombian startup that provides fulfillment and software services to small and medium-sized e-commerce companies in Latin America, has raised $20 million in a Series A round led by QED Investors. The round comes less than a year after Melonn raised a pre-seed round from NFX. Interestingly, according to NFX General Partner Pete Flint, […]
Topics: techcrunch, latam, partner, help, market, platform, scale, startup, small, melonn, smbs, enablement, tech, fulfillment, ecommerce, million, raises. -
Constructor finds $55M for tech that powers search and discovery for e-commerce businesses
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One of the biggest problems in the world of e-commerce is the predicament of shopping cart abandonment: when shoppers aren’t getting to what they want fast enough — whether it’s finding the right item, or paying for it in a quick and easy way — they bounce. That singular problem is driving a wave of […]
Topics: include, built, techcrunch, powers, tech, businesses, retailers, discovery, finds, product, results, 55m, search, constructor, ecommerce, world. -
Creative adtech is on the cusp of a revolution, and VCs should take note
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Here are five reasons why VCs should consider ratcheting up their investment into adtech startups building the next generation of creative tools:
Topics: revolution, adtech, targeting, funding, ad, techcrunch, digital, vcs, note, cusp, creative, tech, startups, ads. -
Daily Crunch: Amazon beats back union push
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Efforts to unionize an Amazon warehouse in Alabama appear to have failed, Facebook takes down fake review groups and a monkey plays Pong with its brain. This is your Daily Crunch for April 9, 2021. The big story: Amazon beats back union push Union organizers lost a much-publicized election at Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama warehouse, with […]
Topics: amazon, beats, election, crunch, daily, fake, tech, push, startup, warehouse, union, app, employees. -
Daily Crunch: Amazon makes PR push ahead of union vote
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Amazon pushes back against unionization, WeWork eyes the SPAC route and there’s new spyware on Android. This is your Daily Crunch for March 26, 2021. The big story: Amazon makes PR push ahead of union vote Workers at Amazon’s fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama (a suburb of Birmingham) will vote next week on whether to […]
Topics: ahead, company, push, union, crunch, platform, pr, amazon, zhihu, makes, tech, vote, workplace, week, workers, daily, raises. -
Daily Crunch: Former Apple employee pleads guilty to stealing autonomous vehicle design details
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Hello, friends, and welcome to Daily Crunch, bringing you the most important startup, tech and venture capital news in a single package.
Topics: writes, tech, daily, avatars, pr, ingrid, pleads, design, company, stealing, crunch, work, vehicle, autonomous, going, employee, guilty, player, details, million. -
Daily Crunch: Target acquires Deliv’s delivery tech
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Target makes another acquisition, social platforms struggle with a “Plandemic” conspiracy video and Boston Dynamics’ robot Spot encourages social distancing. Here’s your Daily Crunch for May 8, 2020. 1. Target to acquire same-day delivery tech from Deliv Target, which already owns on-demand delivery service Shipt, is in the process of acquiring technology assets from same-day […]
Topics: techcrunch, tech, target, video, spot, crunch, social, live, delivery, extra, week, platforms, daily, delivs, acquires. -
Data-driven iteration helped China’s Genki Forest become a $6B beverage giant in 5 years
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The bottled beverage industry wasn’t what Genki Forest’s founder, Binsen Tang, initially set out to tackle. The company aims to reach $1.2 billion this year.
Topics: datadriven, genki, tang, tech, beverage, iteration, forest, giant, ecommerce, helped, techcrunch, market, d2c, products, chinese, chinas, china, 6b, manufacturing, brands. -
Despite COVID-19, 5 Chicago VCs say region is poised for success
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Chicago has a long history of creating industry-leading companies and it doesn’t seem COVID-19 is slowing down the city. TechCrunch surveyed Chicago venture capitalists who remain optimistic despite the current crisis. COVID-19 could be good for Chicago, they told TechCrunch throughout their survey responses. It’s clear from the responses below investors in Chicago are interested […]
Topics: techcrunch, vcs, tech, founders, city, success, companies, talent, expect, local, region, poised, despite, startup, say, remote, covid19, chicago. -
Ecommerce Machine Learning: AI’s Role in the Future of Online Shopping
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Once you’ve been in ecommerce for a while, you’ll know the industry’s symbiotic relationship with technology. Ecommerce only exists thanks…
Topics: specific, algorithms, data, machine, learning, tech, customer, work, thats, does, ecommerce, online. -
Envolve Tech expands to US
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Envolve Tech, a retail tech company from Wales, has entered the US market. The Newport-based company has launched an office in New York. The expansion follows after raising over 800,000 euros last year. The Welsh startup has appointed Marc Blumberg to head up its office in New York. The opening… Continue reading
Topics: envolve, product, tech, online, york, retailers, american, smith, techs, market, expands. -
Europe shows the way in online privacy
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After passively watching for many years as tech giants developed dominant market positions that threaten consumer privacy and stifle competition, American antitrust regulators seem to have finally...
Topics: shows, consumer, privacy, regulators, violations, long, big, antitrust, tech, officials, techcrunch, way, online, startups, europe. -
Evolving Tech Stack Enables High Performance Ecommerce
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The technologies powering the web and mobile applications never stop evolving. Each new phase creates opportunities for businesses. The latest iteration is the expansion of so-called edge network capabilities, which help online merchants improve performance and user experience. Both are fundamental to Google's new "web vitals" initiative.
Topics: enables, performance, rauch, frontend, react, product, high, stack, developer, edge, ecommerce, tech, web, evolving, page. -
Extra Crunch roundup: AI eats fintech, fundraising visas, no-code transition tips, more
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Most American retail banks are designed the same way: Customers must pass several desks set aside for loan and mortgage officers before they can talk to a customer representative. I only step inside a bank a few times each year, but even pre-pandemic, I can’t remember the last time I saw someone sitting at one […]
Topics: roundup, transition, startups, data, fintech, numbers, tips, fundraising, visas, ai, eats, nocode, companies, growth, lot, extra, techcrunch, raised, tech. -
Extra Crunch roundup: Guest posts wanted, ‘mango’ seed rounds, Expensify’s tech stack
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Prospective contributors regularly ask us about which topics Extra Crunch subscribers would like to hear more about, and the answer is always the same.
Topics: rounds, techcrunch, mango, health, ipo, large, seed, posts, tech, guest, stack, companies, work, price, saas, wanted, roundup, public, company. -
Fabric raises $200M at a $1B+ valuation for robotics-based fulfillment tech to help e-commerce players compete with Amazon
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Amazon continues to be the 800-pound gorilla in the room for companies in the retail sector. Today, a startup called Fabric, which is building technology to help those other retailers — big and small — compete more squarely against that muscle specifically in fulfillment with robotics technology, “micro-fulfillment” centers and last-mile operations, is announcing $200 […]
Topics: tech, fulfillment, centers, players, ecommerce, retail, opportunity, technology, roboticsbased, microfulfillment, operations, goren, valuation, raises, fabric, help, techcrunch. -
Focus on Key Capabilities to Scale Your African Tech Business: Andreata Muforo, Partner, TLcom Capital
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I conceived of this article at the beginning of March and by the time I was done writing, the Coronavirus had spread to most African countries leading to major social and economic impact due to lockdowns, restrictions and the newly formed reality.
Topics: partner, muforo, key, capabilities, think, africa, companies, capital, african, scale, coronavirus, focus, tlcom, business, tech, article. -
Food tech company Amara gobbles up $12M for its nutrient-dense infant products
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This year, Amara produced its Yogurt Smoothie Melts, which CEO Jessica Sturzenegger touts as “the only melt-in-mouth snacks for babies and toddlers without any added sugar.”
Topics: products, baby, 12m, gobbles, food, amara, infant, funding, nutrientdense, sturzenegger, parents, techcrunch, eat, foods, series, company, tech, million. -
France and the Netherlands signal support for EU body to clip the wings of big tech
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The French and Dutch governments have signalled support for EU rules that can proactively intervene against so-called gatekeepers, aka “structuring platforms” or “large digital platforms with significant network effects acting as gatekeepers” — or, more colloquially, ‘big tech’. They have also called for a single European body with enforcement powers over such platforms — and […]
Topics: commission, support, techcrunch, wings, france, clip, intervention, market, netherlands, digital, platforms, breaking, press, eu, tech, position, recent, signal, body, rules. -
From eBay to Shopify: This Tech Reseller Achieves 6-Figure Monthly Sales
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In 2009, Brian Burke started to offer customers a trusted alternative to sell and buy refurbished Apple products. Originally operating on eBay, Brain migrated his business, RenewedMacs.com to Shopify to gain more control over the customer experience. In this episode of Shopify Masters, Brian shares with us the importance of personal branding, how he uses Linkedin to market his business, and his secret to achieving 6-figure monthly sales.More
Topics: achieves, shopify, ebay, monthly, tech, apple, sell, im, reseller, customer, business, going, sales, lot, 6figure, thats, theyre, youre. -
German tech subscription service Grover raises €60 million
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Grover, a German subscription service for consumer electronics, has raised 60 million euros in an oversubscribed Series B Round. The company wants to use the money to accelerate international expansion. Grover has been growing fast. In five years, it went from being a small startup based in a Berlin apartment… Continue reading
Topics: german, company, tech, wants, grover, euros, service, subscriptions, million, raises, subscription. -
Glossier just laid off one-third of its corporate employees, mostly in tech
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Glossier, the popular beauty brand led by former blogger Emily Weiss, let go of 80 of its corporate employees today, according to an internal email obtained by Modern Retail. The cuts, which amount to around one-third of Glossier’s corporate workforce, will primarily impact the company’s technology team. “[W]e are shifting our technology strategy to leverage […]
Topics: glossier, onethird, employees, glossiers, corporate, retail, tech, weiss, company, technology, laid, email, techcrunch, companys. -
Google AI: How One Tech Giant Approaches Artificial Intelligence
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Have you ever sat paralyzed, trying to craft the perfect text message? Well, one experiment from Google AI may provide the perfect solution. The team’s AI-powered Magic Compose provides multiple sample texts, so you just have to choose the right one. You can already join the waitlist to try it out.
Topics: directly, intelligence, generate, giant, tech, ai, technology, search, impact, approaches, tools, artificial, text, google, googles. -
Google acquires Irish retail tech startup Pointy
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Google has acquired Pointy, a startup that helps physical retailers with showcasing their products online. Pointy has been a partner of Google for years, for the search engine’s “See what’s in store” section that is shown on business profiles on Google search. With Pointy, retailers can either plug a small… Continue reading
Topics: pointy, google, inventory, retail, search, retailers, irish, shown, whats, acquires, tech, startup, store. -
How Ecommerce And Tech Companies Can Learn From Each Other
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Direct-to-consumer brands and Saas companies have more to learn from each other than you might think.
Topics: ecommerce, companies, saas, loyalty, learn, brand, software, market, tech, users. -
How Facebook's plans for Africa are nurturing the region's new startups: Nunu Ntshingila, Head of Facebook Africa
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As the number of social media accounts continues to climb across Africa, tech giants like Facebook are investing in infrastructure to make sure users are plugged in.
Topics: plans, nunu, facebooks, tech, startups, africa, videos, head, regions, nurturing, users, ntshingila, talks, facebook. -
How Retailers Are Using Technology to Transform the Product Returns Process into a Customer-Centric Advantage
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As return rates escalate, the implementation of smart returns technology emerges as a vital strategy, offering a seamless, eco-friendly solution that enhances customer satisfaction while reducing costs and fostering a greener retail landscape.
Topics: store, supply, help, returns, team, retailers, tech, customer, product, techdriven, return, management, manage, technology, efficiently. -
How to Build a Marketing Technology (Martech) Stack That'll Grow With You
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What will your marketing team look like six months from now? Or a year from now? How many people will you add? What new tools, systems, and data will you need?
There are a lot of potential questions you can ask about the future of your business, but there is one certainty: you'll deal with more data, more people, more processes, and more complex problems as you grow.
Topics: thatll, build, technology, martech, data, marketing, tech, need, team, tools, grow, stack, website, tool. -
I kinda dig the Instacart growth plan
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Yes, Instacart is getting into selling software.
Topics: techcrunch, plan, delivery, tech, billion, instacart, company, growth, valuation, kinda, services, dig, million. -
Ikea acquires AI imaging startup Geomagical Labs to supercharge room visualisations
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Ikea, the Swedish home furnishings and decor giant, has been one of the leaders among retailers when it comes to adapting to tech innovations that impact its business, being one of the first to launch augmented reality applications, partnering with others to develop smart home devices and launching a business unit to build that out […]
Topics: technology, room, visualisations, tech, supercharge, ikea, companies, imaging, totty, acquisition, retailers, ai, startup, labs, techcrunch, geomagical, number. -
In the wake of COVID-19, UK puts up £20M in grants to develop resilience tech for critical industries
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Most of the world — despite the canaries in the coal mine — was unprepared to cope with the coronavirus outbreak that’s now besieging us. Now, work is starting to get underway both to help manage what is going on now and better prepare us in the future. In the latest development, the UK government today […]
Topics: techcrunch, industries, innovate, tech, world, wake, help, uk, resilience, critical, grants, tools, society, working, develop, puts, support, businesses. -
Instacart acquires Caper AI, a smart cart and instant checkout startup, for $350M, as it moves deeper into physical retail tech
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Instacart made its name by providing a way for consumers to bypass shopping in stores in person, by ordering items online and getting them delivered to their homes — a business that positively boomed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. But with physical stores still looming large in the world of groceries, Instacart also […]
Topics: instacart, caper, deeper, stores, physical, techcrunch, technology, smart, retail, tech, startup, items, moves, retailers, instant, company, business. -
It may not be as glamorous as D2C, but beauty tech is big money
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Shifting consumer demands within beauty and retail are creating rich opportunities for U.S.-based beauty/consumer tech SaaS companies.
Topics: tech, billion, techcrunch, beauty, big, companies, glamorous, raised, profitable, venture, d2c, money, brands. -
Latin America’s second wave of digital transformation
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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.
Topics: tech, unicorns, insurance, digital, techcrunch, company, pandemic, second, latin, transformation, wave, value, americas, companies, regions. -
Legendary investor Julian Robertson has passed away — but leaves behind many powerful mentees
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Julian Robertson’s hedge fund investors didn’t want to listen to him when, in 1999, he questioned the sanity of the prices being paid for shares in nascent internet companies. So months after being berated for 15 minutes at an annual shareholders meeting at the Plaza Hotel in New York in October 1999, he began the […]
Topics: legendary, mentees, tech, leaves, robertsons, laffont, coatue, investor, robertson, powerful, tiger, management, global, passed, techcrunch, away, julian, fund. -
Marketplace startup Boulevard closes 2.5 million
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British marketplace seller and tech startup Boulevard has raised 2.5 million euros in seed capital. The company, only having started their supply chain services last year, will use the funds to diversify and further develop their in-house software. The investment comes at a time when marketplaces continue to thrive in… Continue reading
Topics: chain, wants, million, marketplaces, supply, tech, euros, marketplace, startup, boulevard, closes, online. -
Meet the anti-antitrust startup club
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More entrepreneurs and investors are willing to throw caution to the wind and go after core segments like search, email and video conferencing with gusto.
Topics: market, meet, companies, startup, little, techcrunch, big, trillion, worth, antiantitrust, moment, techs, startups, tech, club. -
News Cart for June 5th
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Hey ECF readers, This week in the podcast version I share some important thoughts I hope you’ll listen to first here followed by this week’s eCommerce and tech headlines below. – Andrew https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/ecommercefuel/June-5-2020.mp3 Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher In the News U.S. small firms leave $150 billion in coronavirus stimulus untapped A total of $660 billion was […]
Topics: operator, cart, employees, ppp, telecom, tech, weeks, presidential, 5th, plans, sale, billion. -
Next Level RFP for Evaluating an eCommerce Provider
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We’ve all been through the RFP process from vendor to customer. The hours of research and preparation, template creation, and ultimately a fair amount of cutting and pasting. Is a one size fits all approach effective to an RFP when selecting an eCommerce partner? Here’s our take…
Less static, more speed and agility
Traditional RFPs look more like a series of boxes to check; from the must haves to the nice to haves, peppered with timelines, the players involved for approval, pricing, and demos/free trial availability. When choosing an eCommerce partner, this static approach may not be as effective or accurate in evaluating your business needs.
A prolonged process without context around the future needs of your business is antithetical to choosing a good partner (or partners) who play well in the digital commerce sandbox, and who meet your needs, today and as you scale. When we talk about future proofing your eCommerce platform, it’s essential to talk about where you are and where you’re going. While it’s impossible to have a finite level of certainty from an environment so heavily rooted in change, the conversations are vital towards solutions versus outcomes.
Speed is of the essence. You’re looking for implementation in weeks versus months. You need Proof of Concept (POC), and you need it sooner rather than later.
For your consideration: an alternate approach to the RFP
Step 1: Assemble Your Team
Gather the key players from the business and tech side of your team and ask yourselves some key questions:
How are you growing the business?
Who is involved (business teams, tech teams) and what’s in it for them?
What are your revenue goals?
What is your business model or models?
What is your digital maturity?
Need help evaluating eCommerce Providers?
Connect with an Elastic Path expert to answer all of your questions, set up a demo, access a free trial, or discuss pricing options.
Get in Touch
Low – You’re new to digital commerce with little to no tech support in house with no intention of bringing in a team currently. You see the benefit of an eCommerce solution but don’t see it as integral to the here and now of your business. Your ideal fit from a provider is a more out-of-the-box platform like Shopify.
Medium – If you have marketers, merchandizers, and a tech team in house, or hired through an SI, to execute and manage your platform you most likely fall into this category. You’re looking for low risk, simplified solutions, and you understand the importance of digital commerce to your business. Elastic Path offers customizable options to fit where you currently are on the eCommerce journey and where you’re going.
High – If you have a dedicated team in house where you’ve already adopted or are looking to adopt a development operations methodology, you’re in the high maturity category. You aspire to be an innovator and leverage the newest technology to gain a competitive advantage in the market. Elastic Path offers a headless, API-first, multi-vendor commerce platform ideal for your needs now and as you grow.
Step 2: Initial Research
When evaluating providers, look at some key factors as you comparison shop:
How does the provider stack up against others?
What are their values and mission as a company?
What are their business capabilities?
Who are their partner vendors?
Who are their customers? What pain points has this provider solved for them?
Step 3: Initiate the Conversation
When evaluating providers, look at some key factors as you comparison shop:
Once you’ve identified where you are and what you’re looking for, request a discovery call from the provider(s) who meet those requirements and best fit your needs. Come to that initial conversation with use cases and your desired outcomes. You may have specific needs around promotions, catalog management, or cart/checkout in six months or under to market. Bring these key goals to the table so a provider gets a clear understanding of your needs and possible solutions. The benefit is two-fold; you may also discover a particular provider isn’t a proper fit. A big timesaver for both of you!
Wondering what else to ask? We’ve put together a list of great questions to evaluate providers.
What you need to know about Elastic Path
For both medium and high digital maturity companies, we offer differentiated experiences with an API-first, headless approach to commerce.
Here are a few resources to help you evaluate us:
eCommerce Platform Buyers Guide
Elastic Path Pricing
Demo Library
Additionally, while we believe there are better ways to make the right selection, we understand that some organizations are committed to RFPs. If you’re in that situation, here’s how we can support your RFP process.
Topics: tech, needs, key, providers, provider, platform, level, rfp, business, digital, solution, youre, ecommerce, team, evaluating. -
Nomagic picks up $22M for its e-commerce warehouse picking robots
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Robotics are playing a growing role in the world of e-commerce logistics and fulfillment — where they are seen not just as a way to speed up operations but to drastically reduce the costs of running them — and today a startup developing software and hardware specifically in the area of robot picking is announcing […]
Topics: nomagic, work, robotic, smaller, nowicki, tech, techcrunch, ventures, ecommerce, identify, robots, warehouse, 22m, small, picking, picks. -
Oxbotica raises $13.8M from Ocado to build autonomous vehicle tech for the online grocer’s logistics network
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Ocado, the U.K. online grocer that has been making strides reselling its technology to other grocery companies to help them build and run their own online ordering and delivery operations, is making an investment today into what it believes will be the next chapter of how that business will grow: it is taking a £10 […]
Topics: companies, vehicle, techcrunch, logistics, delivery, work, million, autonomous, ocado, technology, tech, grocers, grocery, online, raises, oxbotica, network. -
Pan-European VC fund Target Global is opening an office in Barcelona
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Hola Barcelona. Target Global, a pan-European VC firm with €700 million under management and a broad investment canvas spanning SaaS, marketplaces, fintech, insurtech and mobility, is opening an office in the Catalan capital. Investor director, Lina Chong, will lead the expansion into Spain, having relocated to Barcelona from the fund’s Berlin headquarters. They’re setting up […]
Topics: paneuropean, barcelona, fund, startup, global, target, opening, tech, techcrunch, vc, startups, mobile, saas, local, growth, office. -
Predicting the next wave of Southeast Asia tech giants
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Despite the impressive growth and stellar companies grabbing headlines and tons of capital, Southeast Asia is only just entering the next phase of development.
Topics: techcrunch, ecommerce, asian, tech, value, success, companies, wave, giants, asia, predicting, unicorn, billion, southeast. -
R&D Roundup: Tech giants unveil breakthroughs at computer vision summit
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Computer vision summit CVPR has just (virtually) taken place, and like other CV-focused conferences, there are quite a few interesting papers. More than I could possibly write up individually, in fact, so I’ve collected the most promising ones from major companies here. Facebook, Google, Amazon and Microsoft all shared papers at the conference — and […]
Topics: youre, im, techcrunch, vision, tech, rd, roundup, unveil, giants, photos, papers, write, microsoft, interesting, summit, computer, breakthroughs, types, virtually. -
Salsify secures $200M as the boom in e-commerce catapults its valuation to $2B
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E-commerce is booming, but it’s become increasingly apparent over the years that the businesses that are able to capitalize on that trend — and contribute to that growth — are those able to grasp the right technology to navigate the space. Today, Salsify, one of the startups building e-commerce solutions to that end, is announcing […]
Topics: 2b, companies, company, ecommerce, million, salsify, round, brands, purcell, catapults, tech, techcrunch, work, valuation, secures, boom, 200m. -
Scnd secures 4 million euros
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French software solution for services marketplaces, Scnd, has raised 4 million euros in a funding round. The company wants to use the capital injection to expand its ecommerce solution, as well as strengthen its position in the market. Scnd is a French SaaS solution for the service industry. The company…
Topics: ecommerce, tech, solution, united, euros, industry, existing, service, company, million, funding, scnd, round, secures. -
Secondhand fashion marketplace Vinted raises €128 million
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Vinted, a marketplace from Lithuania, has raised 128 million euros in a round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. With the money, the site where consumers can sell and buy second-hand fashion wants to accelerate its rapid growth across Europe. With the new funding round, Vinted is now valued at more… Continue reading
Topics: vinted, million, euros, tech, fashion, data, platform, money, raises, turning, marketplace, secondhand. -
Shipium gives e-commerce retailers Amazon-like supply chain tech
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E-commerce retailers of all sizes can have that supply chain coordination layer that enables them to provide fast and cheaper shipping, too.
Topics: shipping, amazonlike, tech, supply, ecommerce, shipium, technology, chain, gives, company, retailers, techcrunch, million. -
Shopee leaves Poland and thereby Europe
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Shopee, an online marketplace from Singapore, has left Poland. The company launched there just over a year ago. After also canceling operations in France early last year, Shopee is saying goodbye to Europe as a whole. Shopee was founded in 2015 and has been very successful in Asia. The marketplace…
Topics: company, tech, market, leaves, sea, report, poland, europe, online, shopee, website. -
Shopify buys warehouse automation tech developer 6 River Systems for $450 million
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Shopify, the shopping technology developer that’s quickly becoming the anti-Amazon, has taken another step up the sales supply chain with its $450 million acquisition of the warehouse automation and management technology developer, 6 River Systems. The acquisition will serve to boost efficiencies among Shopify’s Fulfillment Network service, which launched in June. The acquisition gives Shopify […]
Topics: robotics, shopify, systems, developer, technology, million, including, automation, acquisition, partners, buys, techcrunch, warehouse, tech, river, statement. -
Shopify increases prices in April
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Leading ecommerce platform Shopify has increased its prices for new customers in the United States. The change is expected to be implemented in Europe soon, as well. Current customers will notice the price change in three months. Costs tech companies Just like other tech companies, Shopify is dealing with increased…
Topics: states, subscription, tech, costs, prices, united, plan, increased, increases, customers, shopify. -
Singapore’s logistics tech startup Parcel Perform raises $20 million
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Singapore-headquartered Parcel Perform, which connects merchants with e-commerce carriers and provides shipment tracking features, said on Wednesday it has raised $20 million in a new financing round as it scales its business in several parts of the world. Cambridge Capital led the logistics tech startup’s Series A financing round, while SoftBank Ventures Asia and existing […]
Topics: provides, tech, carriers, logistics, singapores, techcrunch, startup, jeroschewski, raises, experience, parcel, tracking, merchants, million, perform. -
Small Business Owners, Don't Run From Technology — Embrace It. Here Are 5 Strategies to Succeed.
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All the new technologies and tools can be overwhelming for small business owners with fewer resources than bigger companies. These strategies will help you overcome these digital difficulties and seize the opportunities that new tech can provide.
Topics: run, dont, digital, embrace, data, users, customers, small, online, trust, tech, security, business, cybersecurity, mobile. -
Sneaker fit startup Neatsy.ai gets $1M seed after B2B pivot
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Sneaker fit startup Neatsy.ai has snagged $1 million in seed funding after a B2B pivot. Investors in the round include Cabra VC, Flyer One VC and some unnamed business angels. The U.S. startup, which was founded back in March 2019 by Artem Semyanov (the former head of the machine learning team at Prism Labs), is now […]
Topics: product, semyanov, feet, seed, number, sneaker, tech, pivot, neatsy, 1m, shoes, neatsyai, startup, techcrunch, gets, b2b, fit, help. -
Tech firms face higher levies as Kenya plans to double digital service tax
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Kenya plans to double the digital service tax (DST) to 3% beginning July this year, as the government taps the growing online economy to increase its domestic revenues and narrow fiscal deficit. It is expected that the new rates, proposed in the Finance Bill by the country’s Treasury department, will be passed by the lawmakers. […]
Topics: plans, firms, companies, services, treasury, higher, tech, service, dst, techcrunch, tax, revenues, digital, face, levies, kenya. -
TechCrunch+ roundup: 3 views on Epic-Bandcamp deal, SPAC letdown, CIO sales strategy
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You are more likely to close a sale if you have actionable insights into your prospective customer’s needs. But for enterprise software startups, this presents a special problem.
Topics: alex, roundup, spac, epicbandcamp, venture, tax, money, wilhelm, techcrunch, strategy, sales, writes, companies, letdown, deal, public, tech, cio, views. -
TechCrunch+ roundup: Automattic TC-1, federal startup grants, ‘getting s*** done day’
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Our latest longform look at a notable tech company examines Automattic, “the leading commercial complement to the open-source WordPress publishing platform.”
Topics: day, getting, automattic, s, company, techcrunch, roundup, post, tech, startup, future, tc1, startups, grants, federal, open, chinese, mobile. -
TechCrunch+ roundup: BNPL competition heats up, Bowery Farming TC-1, Silicon Valley dreams
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Is Southeast Asia about to hit an inflection point for tech startups? Four hundred million people in the region already use the internet, but by year’s end, one estimate suggests that 80% of the population over the age of 15 in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam will be digital consumers. “As per […]
Topics: silicon, valley, value, saas, heats, bowery, companies, companys, dreams, competition, roundup, deck, techcrunch, startups, farming, tc1, pitch, tech. -
TechCrunch+ roundup: Shame-free down rounds, checkout flow tune-up, SaaS tsunami
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Seriously: If you're not working to calibrate every system you have, you're just leaving money on the table.
Topics: pr, tech, roundup, rounds, youre, value, customers, teams, flow, tuneup, checkout, saas, valuation, shamefree, tsunami, techcrunch, neumann, reduce. -
TechCrunch+ roundup: VC ‘bottom feeders,’ valuation calculator, think like an investor
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Farmers don't get embarrassed when the price of corn drops; similarly, there's no reason for startup founders to lose their joy because publicly traded tech stocks are undercutting their valuations.
Topics: feeders, vc, think, startup, technology, valuation, writes, roundup, investors, war, techcrunch, tech, calculator, sonalker, investor, founders, valuations, post. -
The SPAC boom isn’t just here to stay, it’s changing consumer tech
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The SPAC route is a match made in heaven for consumer tech companies: SPACs put more of a focus on the management team and the vision than traditional IPOs, which is a boon for such firms.
Topics: spacs, traditional, changing, isnt, consumer, public, stay, tech, companies, techcrunch, spac, investors, company, boom, technology, market. -
The future of voice recognition
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This post originally published in 2019 has been updated for accuracy and relevance.
Voice recognition devices are a growing trend especially when used in a shopping capacity. Research shows that 32% use voice-activated search daily instead of typing, and that 43% shop online with voice-activated devices.
It makes sense the likes of Amazon, Google and Apple would stay ahead of the curve with voice-enabled devices as the public moves more towards voice search on the internet.
Such technological advancements are essentially the driving force behind changing consumer behavior. What’s more, as they begin to advance, people are increasingly becoming reliant on voice recognition devices that soon it will be inconceivable to imagine life without them. They’re already a staple in many households across the globe.
Voice recognition assistants are capable of more than just answering your queries for Google. Thanks to technical due diligence investment, software engineers and developers can continue growing the technology. More applications are being made specifically to be compatible with smart devices, such as smart household appliances.
They can now help humans with tasks around the home such as controlling the heating, turning lights on and off, and using entertainment systems.
Top Advantages of Voice Enabled Tech
Perhaps the biggest advantage of voice enabled device usage is time. It’s much faster to talk than type, so everyday tasks like setting up meetings or reminders, and placing orders becomes more efficient.
What are the most popular activities while using such devices? Top three include:
Researching products
Adding items to cart
Tracking a package
Beyond boosting productivity, other advantages include increased accessibility to your business or services from those who have physical disabilities where typing is a barrier. It also promotes hands-free working, where notes can easily be dictated and shared instead of typed or written out.
Security breaches and cyberattacks are on the rise as we shift more sensitive information accessibility online. Voice enabled tech protects user identities with an authentication layer particularly useful in the banking and medical sectors.
Looking to Voice Enable Your Commerce Experiences?
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Important Notes On Voice Recognition
The voice recognition market was valued at USD 10.70 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 27.155 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 16.8% over the forecast period 2021 - 2026. Virtual assistants are driving this growth in retail, banking, and automotive sectors, as well as personal home use.
According to Google, 20% of queries on Google’s mobile app and Android devices are voice searches, and the number is expected to grow exponentially. Google’s voice assistant is now available on more than 400 million devices. As we continue to navigate contactless human interaction during COVID-19, voice enabled tech plays an integral role in those advancements.
Where do we see the most adoption? Given the high population density of the Asia-Pacific region, both China and India are seeing the largest growth rates, especially using voice enabled functions in mobile banking.
The future of voice recognition is looking bright. Given its current global usage both in the home and on the move, it seems as though this technology will only get bigger over the next few years.
Topics: google, usage, voice, future, recognition, growth, tech, devices, voiceactivated, enabled, using. -
The network effect is anti-competitive
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Social networks and online marketplace providers have become digital dictators with complete control over their territories.
Topics: app, effect, service, techcrunch, social, resellers, digital, anticompetitive, marketplace, business, online, tech, control, network. -
Thinking About Starting an Online Business? 2023 Is the Right Time to Do It. Here's Why.
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Let's look at a few big reasons why 2023 will be a great year for digital entrepreneurs.
Topics: businesses, start, online, street, tech, small, great, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, big, business, digital. -
Tiger Global backs Nacelle with $50M for its e-commerce infrastructure
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Consumer shift to buying online during the global pandemic — and keeping that habit — continues to boost revenue for makers of e-commerce developer tools.
Topics: online, million, tech, nacelle, tiger, techcrunch, backs, 50m, round, anderson, shopping, infrastructure, ecommerce, commerce, global, stack. -
Time for B2B to bet big on wearable communications tech
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B2B adoption of wearable communications has lagged. However, a few clued-in brands have seen the light, most recently Sony, which in October announced its mSafety B2B device platform for digital health companies. Find out why now is the time for B2B organizations to really hone in on this emerging technology.
Topics: far, big, b2b, bet, features, companies, wearable, communications, warehouse, wont, delivery, tech, workers. -
Tips for Women Considering a Career in Tech
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A little bit about me, I've known I've wanted to be in some sort of computer field since I was 12 years old. I got to visit my aunt for the summer and play Sim Farm (oh the good old days of games on floppy disks), and I was fortunate to able to take a few computer classes in high school (even in small town Saskatchewan). I knew I wanted to go to tech school (Sask Polytech), and be done with school as soon as possible to start working. I also organized a Women in Tech meetup group for a few years.
I joined Elastic Path four years ago as a backend developer with the intent to become a manager. It was the culture and the interview process at the time that won me over. They'd done some research and made sure to have a female in all my interviews, even though they didn't have any female managers or developers at the time in order to have a more balanced representation. The team pulled out all the stops in my second interview to sell themselves and make an offer. And since then, they've supported me on my chosen career path.
I've officially been in the tech industry for about 15 years (graduated in 2007)! And so I must of have some advice or experience to pass along right?
Before You Decide to Start a Career in Tech
1) Have Thick Skin and Confidence
As much as its hard to say this, you need to have confidence to know what you know, and push back when necessary. You need to pick your battles and draw lines and be able to say something if those are crossed.
2) Be True to Who You Are
You get to choose if you want to wear makeup or not (I don't), or do your hair in more than just ponytails. And don't let them tell you, that you can't show passion and emotion. Men do it, so be ready to push back against if people try to criticize as you as "too aggressive" or "too emotional."
3) Understand the Differences in the Culture and Gender
Research shows women are more likely to volunteer rather than be "voluntold", and even then it won't help with promotions (source). It's also helpful to be aware of the gendered ways we communicate. For example, the top three communication strengths for women in the workplace include reading body language and non-verbal cues, good listening skills, and displaying empathy; while communication strengths in men are physical presence and direct interactions (source).
Interested in Learning More About Tech Careers?
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Before Getting Hired
1) Apply to Jobs Even if You Don't Have Experience for Every Requirement in the Job Posting.
"Men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them" (source). If you have experience with some of the requirements, apply! And think about customizing your resume for the job you are applying for.
2) Negotiate
Stand up for what you are worth and negotiate your salary, especially your starting salary. Know the job market, and just because you didn't check all the boxes (see #1) doesn't mean they shouldn't pay you. Especially the time of the Great Resignation, companies have to be competitive in a lot of aspects.
3) Trust Your Gut
If you are interviewing somewhere and not getting a good feeling, definitely see that as a red flag. At interviews, people are probably on their best behavior, so if personalities aren't matching there's a good chance things will only get worse after you're hired. And remember, you're interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. Also, check LinkedIn to see how diverse their current workforce is. If their current workforce isn’t diverse, prepare some questions to ask during the interview to address it.
After Getting Hired
1) Negotiate
Reminder to negotiate every pay cycle. And push for promotions. You are your best advocate. Keep track of what you've done and contributed and if you can equate that with ROI (return on investment), even better.
2) Find Allies on Your Team
If you followed the previous advice of "trust your gut," there's a good chance that you find someone on the team to connect with who you can trust during meetings and other group settings. They can help back you up, and amplify your voice if people are interrupting you or not acknowledging your answers.
None of these tips are really new, and there are many research papers and other articles that have been written about them, but hopefully this helps a few of you!
Topics: good, apply, job, experience, start, women, considering, career, tips, tech, school, trust, push. -
Tony Florence, the head of NEA’s tech practice, on building breakthrough brands
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Tony Florence isn’t as well known to the public as other top investors like Bill Gurley or Marc Andreessen, but he’s someone who founders with SaaS and especially marketplace e-commerce companies know — or should. He’s responsible for the global tech investing activities for NEA, one of the world’s biggest venture firms in terms of […]
Topics: customer, theres, market, techcrunch, companies, head, building, ecommerce, brands, breakthrough, amazon, tony, neas, really, lot, think, practice, florence, youre, tech. -
Top 6 Ecommerce Trends You Need to Know in 2023
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In the modern world of accelerated digital advancements, the tech landscape of ecommerce is regularly evolving. With the groundbreaking growth in artificial intelligence and other technologies, how customers interact with respective brands has experienced a prominent shift.
Topics: customer, online, ecommerce, need, tech, social, trends, modern, know, customers, trend, shopping. -
Turkish ecommerce platform Trendyol wants to expand in Europe
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Trendyol, one of the largest ecommerce companies in Turkey, has plans to expand in Europe, including the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain. The expansion plans will happen with a new website. Trendyol is an online marketplace for clothing, decoration, and cosmetics. In Europe, the ecommerce company wants to shift the… Continue reading
Topics: platform, ecommerce, spain, turkish, tech, expand, europe, expansion, united, wants, trendyol. -
UK-based Heroes raises $200M to buy up more Amazon merchants for its roll-up play
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Heroes, one of the new wave of startups aiming to build big e-commerce businesses by buying up smaller third-party merchants on Amazon’s Marketplace, has raised another big round of funding to double down on that strategy. The London startup has picked up $200 million, money that it will mainly be using to snap up more […]
Topics: funding, rollup, buy, techcrunch, marketplace, companies, thirdparty, raises, ukbased, merchants, million, tech, amazon, brands, ecommerce, 200m, heroes, play. -
Vimeo snaps up AI video startup Wibbitz and ‘shoppable’ video tech maker Wirewax to expand its enterprise video tools
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Vimeo, the B2B video platform that spun out from IAC earlier this year, has made a pair of acquisitions aimed at building out the suite of features and tools it offers to businesses to create and run their own video strategies. The company has picked up short-form AI-based video creation platform Wibbitz, and Wirewax, which […]
Topics: tools, vimeo, video, wibbitz, company, vimeos, snaps, videos, million, tech, product, startup, shoppable, customers, wirewax, techcrunch. -
Walmart’s AI is getting smarter about grocery delivery
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It’s no surprise that the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we shop, especially when it comes to groceries. Grocery delivery apps experienced a record number of downloads in March 2020, and by the following month, Walmart Grocery (which is now integrated into the Walmart app) surpassed Amazon as the No. 1 shopping app on […]
Topics: walmarts, brand, tech, venkatesan, techcrunch, ai, data, uses, delivery, smarter, grocery, getting, substitutions, walmart. -
What Glossier got wrong
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The fundamental disconnect: Software-enabled businesses don’t necessarily monetize the same way that software businesses do.
Topics: tech, beauty, business, techcrunch, public, glossier, way, youre, wrong, companies, work, company. -
What Would Zuckerberg’s Metaverse Mean for Ecommerce?
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The Zuckerberg beast is at it again; it wants to consume your eyeballs by way of Oculus, absorb your innermost thoughts through Facebook data collection, and now, it craves more. With plans to hire 10,000 workers for the job, the…
Continue reading What Would Zuckerberg’s Metaverse Mean for Ecommerce?
Topics: big, tech, youre, mean, thats, zuckerberg, companies, metaverse, facebook, hype, ecommerce, zuckerbergs. -
What grocery startup Weee! learned from China’s tech giants
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When Larry Liu moved to the U.S. in 2003, one of the first challenges he experienced was the lack of Chinese ingredients available in local groceries. A native of Hubei, a Chinese province famous for its freshwater fish and lotus-inspired dishes, Liu got by with a limited supply found at local Asian groceries in the […]
Topics: millions, role, giants, chinas, techcrunch, way, tech, liu, local, revenue, online, grocery, startup, weee, groceries, learned. -
What is AdTech [+Types Worth Investing In]
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Emerging technologies always encourage scrutiny and critical analysis, and ad tech is no different.
This discipline has been around for a few years, but it's only recently caught the attention of savvy ad tech agencies. In the era of big data, they've recognized having ad tech company relationships makes them more powerful and attractive to clients.
Topics: data, mobile, media, worth, advertisers, technology, ad, types, investing, tech, advertising, example, adtech, agencies. -
What is Web 3 & What Could It Mean for the Future of Marketing?
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As we continue to progress into the digital age, a new era of the internet is emerging: web3.
Topics: digital, future, marketers, internet, consumers, tech, web3, hands, content, marketing, data, mean, web. -
Why Your Agency Needs Composable Commerce Solutions in the Mix?
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Composable Commerce may have reached buzzword status, but its driving force in today’s eCommerce success stories is unrefuted. Both major and up and coming brands are adopting its approach and architecture to transform the customer experience at speeds faster than ever expected. Today’s customer demands it.
As an agency it’s critical to be at the forefront of technology, with every resource at your disposal to deliver on your client’s expectations. Composable Commerce is the right now of eCommerce. Here’s why your agency should join the movement.
Composable Commerce Changes the Game
With the flexibility of modular architecture and the open ecosystem of vendors, brands like never before have more control of user experiences and have the ability to scale at speeds faster than ever before.
One of the Big-Five publishers had outgrown ShopifyPlus, but was worried it would take too long to move to a new eCommerce platform. They migrated in only 54 days using one of our Pre-Composed Solutions™.
Composability supports brands and businesses who need to pivot quickly with growing demand. And if the last two years taught us anything it’s that change is constant.
Composable Commerce Supports Complex Business Requirements
In the early days of eCommerce, monolith systems were the gold standard; an out-of-the-box functionality with core features in a one-size-fits-all model. But for businesses (and your potential clients) with more complex needs, this platform can’t keep up with demand when it’s time to iterate.
Think of businesses with instances of “multis” – multi brands, multi geographies, multi channels, or multi catalogs. This level of complexity requires modularity; the flexibility and speed that a microservices-based, API-first approach offers without the bloat of features not needed and the slow to market speed of a monolith. (If the wheels don’t fall off first).
Composable Commerce Opens Up New Partnerships and Revenue
With an open ecosystem of vendors great partners lead to even greater implementations. For functionality ranging from search, tax, chat, payments, CRM, OMS, and more, you’re opening the possibilities to develop even better solutions. Through our community of implementation, solutions and tech partners, we’ve developed unique solutions for brands ready to take the first steps into composability.
Composable Commerce is future-proof. Referencing the modular building block analogy, the components are meant to be swapped for better functionality. There is no locked-in vendor solution, the approach is based on a best for the business need.
For your agency this means growing partner relationships and opportunity to develop unique solutions – great for your reputation as an innovator and great for your revenue to always be building better. You want to stay ahead of the game with your clients, and composability by design is built for change.
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No Other Approach Brings Business and Tech Users Together
Speaking of a growth mindset and the power of partnerships, another key tenet of Composable Commerce is its benefits to both business and tech stakeholders. We’ve already touched on complex business requirements and the ability to iterate at speed, but let’s take another look at what that means for the stakeholders involved.
In a recent Gartner study, 84% of respondents indicated there can be more than twelve primary leaders of a digital commerce initiative. The remaining respondents cited no primary lead for a digital commerce strategy. Similar questions posed in a 2019 survey produced the same results. A shift has occurred towards a digital commerce approach of total ownership distributed across the organization.
So what does that mean? A siloed environment is death to the customer experience. A friction-free customer journey starts with open communication and a shared roadmap among all teams involved. And that opens the conversation to developers, marketing, customer service, and operations teams; wherever data and customer touchpoints can be identified and streamlined in the solution.
A happy customer is confident and ready to purchase. For you as an agency, happy customers lead to conversions, and conversions lead to happy clients.
The Composable Commerce Approach Can Be Gradual
Let’s say you have a client on a monolith commerce platform who is reticent, rightfully so, of making the switch to a more composable solution. It can be daunting for a business new to a multi-vendor solution and microservices-based architecture; especially those without an in-house dev team.
The good news is they can gradually transition over one functionality at a time. Let’s say they need more self-checkout options at point-of-sale – those integrations can be made with their existing legacy system and launched quickly without disruption to the business.
You can now set the stage for future implementations with total client confidence because you’re meeting the client where they are, not forcing a canned sales pitch of services they don’t need.
Incredible Opportunities in Growth, Technology, and Industry Reputation
It’s official – eCommerce has gone composable. It will benefit your agency’s bottom line to advocate for its adoption, but also your reputation as a thought leader and innovator.
Read more about our community of Solutions and Tech partners and find out more about joining the Composable Commerce movement as a partner.
Topics: customer, commerce, solutions, tech, needs, mix, agency, business, brands, ecommerce, platform, approach, composable. -
WooCommerce Tech Stack: Development Pro Cody Landefeld
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A WooCommerce agency owner shares his "tech stack" — the software, tools, & platforms used to run a successful business while balancing life with teenagers.
Topics: woocommerce, pro, development, cody, im, landefeld, love, really, twitter, stack, tech, wordpress, business, whats, work. -
WooCommerce Tech Stack: Grundéns’ Global Web Manager
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Not your normal online store: a 100-year-old, $24 million-dollar brand shares their eCommerce tech stack. Unique, enterprise-level apps are just the start.
Topics: manager, weve, global, search, tech, grundéns, web, stack, really, gear, fishing, company, wordpress, woocommerce.