February – the month of love, rain, singing nursery rhymes to work out how many days are left and the following not-to-be-missed e-commerce news:

Where is the love?

Etsy showed that sharing is caring by offering Etsy shop owners the chance to win themselves, and an Etsy-colleague, $500 each by sharing #LoveYourShopSweeps on Instagram. Promising to spread the love and share good vibes, this was a great reminder that Etsy users can promote their shop on Instagram, directly from their social media section on the Etsy website and app.

Say Cheese

Amazon has been testing out smile codes. and is ready to bring them to the bigger picture. Smile codes are similar to QR barcodes but only interact with Amazon itself. Following a small European test, Amazon is rolling this out State-side and early speculations are that they will be used in magazines and at Amazon collection points. We’re watching this one develop.

Is Pepsi Ok?

PepsiCo (other brands are available) have announced their investment into e-commerce and much like when we visit a place that only serves Pepsi, we’re taking note. Whilst the internet isn’t the first place you’d think to order soda from, this move by PepsiCo demonstrates the importance of having your product available wherever customers are; whether they’re directly searching for you, or filling a trolley full of your products when they only popped by to get milk. Brand presence on all platforms is everything.

Who Wants One Rose When You Can Have A Bouquet

Last month we announced that Amazon had launched a new $10 and under store and it didn’t stop there. This month the e-retailer giant quietly launched a new plant store, selling succulents, shrubs, annuals, perennials and more; a perfect Valentine’s treat. Not only that, but they also launched an Interesting Finds store, again, under the radar, updated daily with…interesting finds. Amazon is set on keeping you there and keeping you browsing by offering all of the stores you could ever want, in one place. Interesting; very interesting.

Is Amazon Going To Rule The World?

This was a valid question asked by the WSJ when it reported rumours that Amazon is set to launch a delivery service for businesses. Taking on UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service, ‘Shipping with Amazon’  is due to launch in L.A. imminently. By bringing shipping in-house, Amazon will have greater control over the whole sales process, from start to finish, and specifically over how packages are handled and within what time-frame.

Shout-Out To My Ex

PayPal showed its face after its eBay breakup earlier this month, with not one but two new beaus. PayPal has launched two new payment card readers for offline purchases. Showcasing both a ‘chip and swipe’ and a ‘chip and tap’ reader, small business PayPal users will be able to use the small and mobile readers to take payments anywhere.

Top-ify

Shopify announced its Q4 results and it was top of the class for the online shopping cart. With a 71% increase in total revenue and gross profits of $121.1 million, bubbles were certainly flowing at the Canadian HQ. Black Friday and Cyber Monday saw a peak of $1 million orders processed per minute – it’s no wonder than brands such as Nestle and Red Bull use them.

24/7, 365

eBay launched its new ‘Always Open On eBay’ program this month, helping sellers to connect their online and offline stores. Providing retailers with co-branded collateral for their physical stores, promoting their eBay presence, eBay is attempting to help the blurred lines between offline and online shopping. Starting with 30 sellers in New York and San Francisco (for free), we’re hoping that this will be extended globally.

And When The Going Gets Really Tough…

You can now order food within two hours from Amazon Prime.

Here’s to a marvelous March!