Ecommerce news Q1 2021: Facebook & iOS 14.5 | Snapchat ads | more

And just like that, the first quarter of 2021 is a wrap! What better way to kick off Q2 than with an ecommerce news roundup?

Here’s what you might have missed last quarter in ecommerce news.

Apple’s iOS 14.5 update this quarter gives users the option to ask apps not to track their behavior online and scraps 28-day attribution. Facebook responded with Aggregated Event Measurement in an attempt to minimize the impact of the data loss. Aggregated Event Measurement allows advertisers to track up to 8 pixel events and limits the amount of sensitive data being shared. Read more here.

YouTube appears to be making moves into the social commerce space, as it might be getting a new “super bag” feature. The feature would enable people to directly buy products they see in videos, by clicking on a shopping bag icon in the lower left corner. Likely to be based on the Google Shopping tool, this new functionality is currently being tested in the US. Read more here.

Snapchat is now offering brands its First Commercial solution - a guaranteed six-second unskippable ad spot before a video plays. O2 and eBay were two of the first companies to try out the new ad format. Read more here.
And, as part of a push to bring more ecommerce and social commerce features to Snapchat, Snap has acquired Fit Analytics, a Berlin-based company that helps consumers choose the right size when they shop for clothes online. Read more here.

Shopify’s October 2020 partnership with TikTok has reached new heights. Now, as well as in the US, Shopify store owners in 14 countries across the globe can access core functions of the TikTok for Business Ads Manager from their Shopify dashboard, like the TikTok pixel, product video ads, targeting, and performance tracking. Read more here.
In a further move toward improving campaign effectiveness, TikTok will also start personalizing ads based on in-app activity everywhere except the EU from April 15. In-app activity includes user actions like liking videos and interacting with ads on the platform. Users won't be able to opt out of this personalization but they'll still be able to control cross-site tracking. Read more here.
In more TikTok news, the video app also added a Products tab where users can save products they like within their Favorites menu. This signifies a move towards more branded content and more opportunities for brands and retailers to sell via the channel. Read more here.

Amazon has bought Selz, an Australian Shopify competitor that helps small ecommerce businesses create their own online stores. The move signals that Amazon wants to help small businesses sell online without directing traffic through Amazon and paying commission on each sale. Read more here.

Similarly to Shopping and Flights, Google has now made it free for hotels and travel companies to list hotels for free on Google.com/travel. In this way, Google aims to better meet customers' needs when holidays and trips resume. Read more here.
As of April 1, Google is pulling the plug on Showcase Shopping ads for all Shopping campaigns. This old ad format was designed for top-of-funnel searches for broad search terms, and allowed retailers to group together relevant products to showcase. Now, Showcase Shopping layouts will be part of Product Shopping ad groups, so products that were in showcase ads may be dynamically displayed in these new layouts. Read more here.