Verve, media platform focused on emerging channels, and Audigent, a part of Experian and a leading data activation, curation and identity platform, today announced a collaboration that utilizes both companies’ proprietary probabilistic targeting technology to improve targeting in ID-less environments. The result is that brands can now use Audigent’s curation solutions to reach Verve’s global audience of 2.5 billion users. This provides cutting-edge, privacy-safe, curated probabilistic targeting across channels like connected TV (CTV), in-app advertising, and audio. Verve’s patented ATOM ID-less technology uses first-party on-device signals paired with advanced contextual and demographic modeling to build actionable audience profiles without traditional IDs. Audigent’s Hadron ID has consistently been one of the leading cookieless ID solutions. Audigent’s supply-side data activation powers its multi-publisher private marketplace (PMP) solutions: SmartPMPs, ContextualPMPs, and CognitivePMPs. These private marketplaces enable advertisers to engage specific audiences at scale. Now, in collaboration with Verve, Audigent can extend these capabilities to a broader range of environments including those in which cookies may not be available or underserved screens such as mobile.
eBay extends partnership with Klarna to allow US shoppers to pay for purchases using Pay in 4 interest-free instalments and flexible payment plans for larger purchases
eBay, a global commerce leader that connects millions of buyers and sellers around the world, today announced the expansion of its global strategic partnership with Klarna, the AI-powered payments and commerce network, to the U.S. market. eBay is rolling out Klarna’s flexible payments options to millions of eBay’s U.S. shoppers. The expanded partnership reflects eBay’s continued investment in bringing more choice, flexibility, and control to buyers while enhancing affordability across key categories. “With more than 2.3 billion listings, eBay is where people come to shop with purpose—whether they’re looking for value, rare finds, or sustainable options such as a refurbished camera, hard-to-find car part, or a vintage handbag,” said Avritti Khandurie Mittal, VP & General Manager of Global Payments and Financial Services at eBay. “We are thrilled to expand our global strategic partnership with Klarna to the U.S. We’ve been very pleased with the positive customer and business impact Klarna has delivered in some of our key markets including the U.K. and Europe, and we’re now excited to give millions of U.S. shoppers more flexible and affordable ways to pay on eBay.”
Since launching in the U.K., Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain in December 2024, eBay shoppers are splitting up payments to access higher-ticket items—like a pre-loved luxury watch—in a more affordable, manageable way. Electronics, fashion, and collectibles are some of the most popular categories where eBay shoppers are paying with Klarna. Shoppers can pay for eligible eBay purchases in the U.S. using Klarna’s flexible payments options including Pay in 4, which allows customers to split their purchase into four interest-free payments as well as Financing, which offers flexible payment plans for larger purchases.
Bilt Rewards platform enables students to earn rewards on their student housing payments and redeem their rewards toward student loan repayments
Bilt Rewards now enables students to earn rewards on their student housing payments and redeem their rewards toward student loan payments. The first of these new capabilities results from the expansion of the Bilt Rewards network of homes to include student housing properties, beginning with those of its launch partner American Campus Communities (ACC). This partnership with ACC, which is a student housing company and a Blackstone portfolio company, will begin in late May at two properties at Baylor University and then expand in the coming months to the broader ACC portfolio that serves nearly 140,000 students. The collaboration extends to student housing properties the Bilt Rewards payments and commerce network that transforms housing and neighborhood spending into rewards and benefits. The other new feature announced — the ability for Bilt members to redeem their Bilt Points toward eligible student loan payments — is the first of its kind for Bilt Rewards. Starting Wednesday, Bilt members can redeem Bilt Points on student loans with five servicers: Nelnet, MOHELA, Sallie Mae, Aidvantage and Navient.
Synchrony partners Belle Tire to expand its car care credit card use and flexible financing to more than 1 million gas stations, auto parts retailers, and service locations nationwide
Belle Tire has partnered with financial services company Synchrony to make car care more affordable. The Belle Tire private label credit card, part of the Synchrony Car Care network, will provide customers with access to flexible financing options for a wide range of automotive products and services. Cardholders can take advantage of six months of promotional financing on purchases of $199 or more and twelve months of promotional financing on purchases of $1,000 or more. Additionally, the Synchrony Car Care credit card can be used not only at Belle Tire locations but also at more than 1 million gas stations, auto parts retailers, and service locations nationwide. Synchrony collaborated with 1stMILE, Belle Tire’s integrated payment provider, to help to ensure a seamless rollout of financing options across all Belle Tire locations, enabling the company to reach more customers from a single platform. Belle Tire customers can apply for Synchrony financing through multiple channels, including in-store pin pads, QR codes, text-to-apply options, and on BelleTire.com, using Synchrony’s pre-qualification and digital application solutions. With the ability to pay for everything from routine maintenance to unexpected repairs, as well as for parking and car rentals, the Synchrony Car Care Network aims to simplify automotive financial management while providing “flexibility and convenience” for cardholders.
Linktree’s new feature allows creators to build and sell courses and digital products like e-books, templates and guides directly through its platform and via a Stripe integration
Linktree is launching a set of new features aimed at helping creators earn more money directly from its platform. The company is partnering with Kajabi, to allow users to build and sell courses directly on Linktree. The new capability will enable creators to monetize their expertise. Creators can set the price for their courses and start earning through a Stripe integration. Linktree is also making it easier for creators to sell digital products like e-books, templates, guides, and more. Now, creators can sell digital products directly through Linktree without a third-party involved. This means that Linktree can now charge a take rate on digital goods sold through the platform. These rates are based on the Linktree plan you’re on. In addition, everyone in the U.S. on Linktree can now build a shop to earn commission on products. As for the new sponsored links capability, brands can now pay creators directly for space on their Linktree. Linktree is also launching “Rewards,” which is a new incentive program that offers creators perks like bonus commissions when they reach certain milestones. The program could lead to direct brand collabs. Every creator on Linktree will get access to a new “wallet” that will house all of the earning that they make from these features. The launch of the new monetization features will help Linktree stand out among other similar platforms like Beacons and Shorby, as they expand on Linktree’s simple link-in-bio service.
Albertsons adds video functionality to its retail media network to enable advertisers to place shoppable video ads into e-commerce site
Albertsons Companies is deploying the Criteo Onsite Video solution to place shoppable video ads from CPG companies participating in its Albertsons Media Collective retail media network. As a result, Albertsons can now offer CPG advertisers a full-funnel onsite advertising suite combining video, display and sponsored product ad formats in one unified platform. Albertsons Media Collective is a beta partner for Criteo Onsite Video, and in a test campaign found that shoppers exposed to both onsite video and sponsored product ads delivered a 280% increase in click-through rates. When paired with sponsored product ads, onsite video ads also drove a 460% lift in sales. Other initiatives Albertsons intends to launch to enhance its retail media network in 2025 include bringing together the insights that Albertsons Media Collective has in order to create automation around its main media planning process, as well as bringing more transparency to measurement. “Video has always been a powerful storytelling tool but rarely a direct driver of commerce – until now,” said Stephen Howard-Sarin, managing director, retail media, Americas at Criteo. “It’s an incredibly exciting time for retail media. With the launch of onsite video into general availability, we’re giving brands, agencies and retailers the tools to captivate, convert and create meaningful shopping experiences.”
European startup Two plans to target US businesses with B2B BNPL solution that can be embedded directly into merchants’ checkouts, providing instant trade credit at the point of sale and enabling consolidating multiple purchases into grouped monthly statements
A new wave of European startups is actively pursuing expansion into the US B2B BNPL sector as part of broader international growth strategies. Among them is Two, a B2B BNPL firm currently running a pilot program in North America as it prepares for a full-scale launch into the region’s BNPL market. While Two doesn’t yet have a physical footprint in the United States, it maintains an online presence through partnerships with Santander and Allianz, whose operations span the Americas, including the US. Two’s current pilot program offers trade credit solutions through its white-labeled Buy Now, Pay Later service and its installment product. These solutions are integrated into merchants’ checkout, existing financial workflows, and payment systems, enabling buyers to break large purchases over up to 24 months. Andreas Mjelde, CEO & Co-Founder of Two, shares that the company is preparing to roll out its full product lineup in North America by the second quarter of 2025. The full lineup will include: 1) B2B BNPL embedded directly into guest checkouts, providing instant trade credit to businesses at the point of sale. Currently, BNPL is embedded in certain open and closed-wall checkouts. 2) Trade Accounts that will enable businesses to consolidate multiple purchases into grouped monthly statements, simplifying payment management and cash flow oversight. 3) Extended installment plans, providing repayment options of up to 36 months for businesses managing larger transactions. He explains that the firm’s localized approach incorporates regional credit risk assessments and personalized repayment experience targeting the specific needs of US-based companies. ”Our proprietary risk models, Frida and Delphi, deliver high acceptance rates while minimizing friction for buyers,” says Andreas. This automation speeds up onboarding and boosts approval rates, without the need for hard credit checks. The firm has built its machine learning infrastructure and AI models in-house. Two is pursuing a phased expansion strategy, starting in US states with high digital payment adoption with the support of global banking partnerships, before scaling further.
Schnuck Markets to expand to new stores across Missouri and Illinois, Instacart’s Caper Carts feature that allows customers to shop heavy, bulkier items by simply scanning and placing them on the bottom tray
Midwest grocer Schnuck Markets Inc. is expanding Instacart’s Caper Carts to new stores across Missouri and Illinois. In addition to Caper Carts, Schnucks has introduced a number of Instacart Platform technologies, including e-commerce, Carrot Ads, Eversight and Carrot Tags. Meanwhile, Instacart has introduced a new feature to its Caper Carts: a lower tray. Designed to improve the cart’s versatility, this option now makes it easier for customers to add heavy, bulkier items such as cases of water, soda or pet food to the cart. By simply scanning the item and placing it on the bottom tray, customers can shop for every item on their shopping list, without having to skip heavy items or lift them all the way to the basket. Caper Carts are equipped with AI, cameras and a built-in scale, which work together to automatically recognize items as they’re added to the cart. Customers can bag as they shop, watch their running total, and, once shopping is complete, they can conveniently check out directly from the cart. The Caper Carts at Schnucks stores also alert customers to available promotions and discounts by syncing to their Schnucks Rewards account, as well as provide Caper-exclusive coupons just by shopping with the cart.
IntelePeer’s conversational AI platform’s speech processing technology enables automatic speech recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS) streaming that delivers accurate and reliable voice interactions in real-time; claims record breaking low ASR latency
IntelePeer, an end-to-end conversational AI platform provider, launches next generation voice capabilities. Designed to handle verbal communications, the new speech processing technology enables automatic speech recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS) streaming that provides users with advanced control and customization within a communications workflow. The system improves customer experience with more natural interactions, ensures low latency that enables real-time conversations, and improves the overall performance of the company’s AI and automation platform. With minimal wait times between responses, the new functionality provides a more natural conversation between a caller and AI Agent while also increasing the speed at which information is processed within an AI workflow. The proprietary ASR handler provides TTS streaming and can deliver accurate and reliable voice interactions with high confidence scores, is able to detect and change languages, and can understand customer behaviors and preferences. Benefits of this new functionality include: Record Breaking low ASR Latency, Enhanced Customer Experience, and Enhanced Platform Analytics.
Automotive CDP Fullpath integrates Urban Science’s daily defection (lost sales) data allowing dealers to identify leads who made new, or certified preowned (CPO), vehicle purchases at same- and competitive-brand dealerships
Fullpath, automotive’s leading Customer Data Platform (CDP), announced latest integration with Urban Science, a leading global automotive consultancy and technology firm. This data integration enables Fullpath to enrich its customer profiles through Urban Science’s unrivaled defection (lost sales) data – updated daily – allowing dealers to identify customers who made new, or certified preowned (CPO), vehicle purchases at same- and competitive-brand dealerships each day. Urban Science’s defection data empowers dealers to know when leads in their CRM buy cars elsewhere, driving Fullpath’s marketing automation efforts to more efficient and productive outcomes. In the dealer space, Urban Science’s daily defection data powers the company’s turnkey SalesAlert and TrafficView solutions, which are used by almost 4,000 dealers to uncover previously unseen insights regarding dealership traffic across brands and locations. These insights deliver unmatched visibility of a dealership’s losses, helping dealers learn from missed opportunities to improve marketing/CX and sales effectiveness. Christina Rosenbach, VP of Customer Experience at Fullpath said, “This intelligence enables dealers to immediately recognize when a lead has purchased elsewhere – enhancing a dealer’s depth of customer insight and personalization options so marketing workflows can stay agile and easily target active, high-potential service opportunities. Through Urban Science’s defection insights, Fullpath clients can craft personalized messages to acknowledge key concerns that may have resulted in a lost sale, positioning the dealership as a reliable partner for future service needs and enhancing the potential for long-term loyalty and relationship building. Key features of this integration include: Targeted Communication, Data-Driven Insights, and Resource Optimization.