Black Friday Buzz: Deals??, AI Shopping???, and Big Moves in LiveCommerce!

Hi?Friends,

It's Black Friday!?

First off, hope you all had a great holiday. If you're not American or are Vegetarian ?? ? like me, well I wish you still had a wonderful Thursday! My thanks go to Laura who has been helping me to write this newsletter??

???Snippets

TikTok’s holiday shopping push is in full swing, but the ultra-cheap deals of last year are mostly gone, as TikTok has scaled back subsidies and increased its cut of sales, as per reported by The Information. Still, the platform & Tiktok Shop Partners are doubling down on live shopping, hosting multi-hour streams, and rolling out new incentives to attract shoppers and sellers alike. Recently the agency. SuperOrdinary, announced the opening of its first TikTok livestreaming center in Los Angeles, an 11,500 sqft featuring 15 studios.?

Brightcove, a video software company??, is being acquired by Italy’s Bending Spoons for $233 million in cash, at $4.45 per share—a 40% premium over its last closing price. Brightcove, which went public in 2012 at $11 per share, has struggled in recent years, with its stock down 87% from 2021 highs and $2 million in losses last year. Bending Spoons, known for cutting costs at previous acquisitions like Evernote, is expected to close the deal early next year. ??

Perplexity, an AI-powered search engine, has launched "Buy with Pro", a shopping tool for users that offers recommendations and lets them purchase items directly without visiting retailer websites. The tool provides detailed product cards with pricing, seller info, and reviews, enabling one-click purchases via integrations with platforms like Shopify and Amazon, with free shipping currently included. Personally I tested it and it was awesome! Got 3 awesome recommendations for a product I had hard time finding using regular searches. True seamless shopping experience. The real downside, I have truly no idea of the merchant's values and brand ethos. If the majority of shopping is AI led, in the near future, brands will have to find new ways to build brand equity.

Whatnot, the Livestream auction app is waiving its commission fees for 24 hours this Friday in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands as part of a Black Friday promotion. The platform will also spotlight shows featuring major deals or uniquely entertaining events.??.

Blog?

Discover strategies for digital marketing success tailored to high-risk merchants. Check it out now

???? Job of the Week! ????

Indian delivery startup Zomato announced a unique opening for a Chief of Staff role, but the job posting sparked controversy: it offered no salary for the first year and required the hire to pay Zomato approximately $23.6k. CEO Deepinder Goyal defended the terms, claiming the role would deliver “10x” the learning experience of a management course, with the fee being donated to his NGO, Feeding India. Goyal then called it a deliberate “stunt” to “filter” for candidates who could “appreciate the opportunity.” Controversial or not, the strategy drew over 18,000 applications.

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