November of 2020 is coming to an end and with it we got a few ecommerce developments that are worth some attention. It’s easy to miss some — if not most or all — of these if you’re not looking out for them.
No worries though, we’ve got you covered.
Here’s everything important you may have missed this past month.
New Microsoft Advertising feature: Promotion Extensions
Few things grab attention like promo details on a good ad. Earlier this month, Microsoft unveiled a new feature called Promotion Extensions which allows you to highlight a special offer in Bing text ads. This highly customizable feature lets you add occasion, promotion type/item, promotion details, and start/end dates right underneath the body of a text ad.
Twitter’s new & improved Carousel ads
Twitter recently released Carousel ads to all of its advertisers. Designed to help drive better performance by providing a more immersive and interactive experience for consumers to engage with, these ads are made up of two to six swipeable images or videos that drive people to an app or website. Complete with an edge-to-edge design, 3rd party measurement reporting, accessibility support, and new reporting features, you don’t want to ignore this ad format if you’re advertising on Twitter.
Instagram’s UI shift
In July, Instagram unveiled Shop and in August they introduced Reels, but everyone knew Instagram’s UI would eventually change to better accommodate these massive new features. This month, Instagram had some elements of its UI overhauled when it introduced Reels and Shop tabs to its main navigation bar.
Amazon In-Garage Delivery expansion
Originally launched in just 50 cities, Key by Amazon’s contactless In-Garage Delivery service is expanding to tens of millions of Prime members in over 4,000 cities across the US. Key by Amazon is also launching Key In-Garage Grocery, allowing Prime members to have grocery orders from Whole Foods or Amazon Fresh delivered securely inside their garage.
Amazon and IPR Center launch “Operation Fulfilled Action”
The US government’s National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) and Amazon just launched a joint operation to prevent counterfeit goods from entering the US. In an effort to protect consumers, this joint operation will analyze data and conduct targeted inspections at US ports of entry aimed at preventing counterfeit products from entering the US supply chain.
Instagram's sponsored posts change
Before this announcement, creating branded content ads required a certain level of coordination between influencer and brand. Now, Instagram aims to streamline the process on both sides. Instagram is launching a new process that enables advertisers to publish branded content ads without the need for influencers to create organic posts. This new process lets brands craft and push ads through an influencers account. This is all done with final approval from the account owner.
