Retail Tech: Blue Yonder’s $839M Acquisition, CommentSold Launches PopClips
The weekly Retail Tech Roundup compiles technology news across the supply chain, manufacturing, retail, e-commerce, logistics and fulfillment sectors.
Supply chain management
Blue Yonder
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Supply chain management technology provider Blue Yonder has acquired announced the signing of an agreement to acquire supply chain execution provider One Network Enterprises for approximately $839 million, marking the company’s third acquisition since last November.
The deal will mark approximately $1 billion of investments in acquisitions since the fourth quarter of 2023, following Blue Yonder’s recent acquisitions of Flexis AG, a German production optimization and transportation planning and execution software vendor, and British first- and last-mile logistics company Doddle.
Upon completion of the deal, Blue Yonder says it will be better positioned to serve customers’ needs across supply chain planning, execution, commerce and networks.
In combining One Network’s digital supply chain network with its own supply chain capabilities, Blue Yonder aims to offer real-time, multi-enterprise optimization, orchestration and collaboration both inside and outside an organization—across multiple tiers from customers to carriers to suppliers to the suppliers’ suppliers.
With the acquisition, Blue Yonder also hopes to allow customers to move from the order planning phase to the fulfillment phase instantly, eliminating the time gap that normally occurs from entering the order to beginning the physical fulfillment.
The company can provide real-time visibility across the supply chain, allowing customers to take immediate action via upstream and downstream collaboration, all while unifying disparate data silos in an effort to automatically optimize and execute through prescriptive real-time decision-making technology.
In addition, carriers and suppliers will be able to leverage a range of services designed specifically for their needs, including: advanced shipment scheduling management, telematics tracking and predictive insights, real-time visibility to on-time delivery trends (by site, lane, carrier, distribution center), and the ability to manage by exception.
By tapping into One Network’s platform and multi-party network of over 150,000 trading partners, Blue Yonder’s customers can now benefit from an ecosystem that can accelerate end-to-end decision-making, with increased visibility into materials, resources, loads, routes, and capacity.
Users can share data across the entire multi-tier supply chain, including suppliers and carriers, allowing for streamlined insights into potential disruptions and the ability to mitigate risk. Additionally, the companies tout that their combined offering can improve supplier and carrier collaboration processes—from order creation through scheduling and fulfillment—slashing them down from days to minutes, while removing inaccuracies, reducing time and decreasing cost.
The closing of the transaction is subject to satisfying customary conditions, including necessary regulatory approvals, and is expected to occur in Q2 or Q3 2024.
Blue Yonder itself was acquired by Panasonic in an $8.5 billion deal in 2021.
Video commerce
CommentSold
CommentSold, a provider of video commerce technology, has launched PopClips, a feature that delivers dynamic, short shoppable videos on all its platforms, including Videeo for Shopify, Popshoplive and CommentSold.
With the introduction of PopClips, CommentSold aims to elevate its customers’ toolsets by offering a TikTok-like video shopping experience within the customer’s website and mobile app. Up to five products can be tagged per video. These clips are designed to seamlessly integrate across various platforms, including websites, mobile apps and diverse marketing channels.
With PopClips, videos automatically enhance product detail pages (PDPs) of tagged products by appearing as an overlay next to product images. This feature provides instant video engagement, giving customers a closer look at products in a dynamic explainer-video format.
The company also has introduced a “PopClips” tab within mobile apps, offering a swipe-up feed of shoppable videos. This integration is designed to mimic the engaging experience of social media platforms, enhancing user engagement and personalizing the shopping experience.
Flexibility of PopClips extends to its ability to be embedded across a retailer’s CommentSold or Shopify-powered websites and any other external webpage. This allows PopClips to be featured in emails and on external blogs.
According to CommentSold, integrating PopClips into their marketing strategy allows brands to increase their engagement by fourfold and substantially boost sales by up to threefold.
Following a year of expansion, CommentSold, the powerhouse behind Videeo, has also broadened its reach in the Shopify ecosystem. In August 2023, the company had a strategic acquisition of Popshoplive and forged a partnership with TikTok, setting the stage for the success of TikTok Shop in the U.S. market.
CommentSold works with over 7,000 small-to-mid-sized retailers with video commerce tools, generating over 180 million items sold with more than $4.4 billion in lifetime GMV.
Delivery
Pandion
Pandion, a parcel network designed for e-commerce residential delivery and founded by Amazon Air founder Scott Ruffin, has unveiled a $41.5 million Series B funding round led by Revolution Growth.
The delivery network will use the new funding to accelerate the growth of its residential parcel delivery network, including building new technology offerings, expanding its geographic reach and increasing delivery speed for customers like Saks Fifth Avenue.
With the funding, Pandion announced a slate of leadership team members, including chief operating officer Brent Cervenka, head of network design and strategy Jeff Petersen, vice president of sales Jay Sackos and head of product Austin Luhman.
Ruffin, Pandion’s founder and CEO, played leading roles in building Amazon’s sortation center network and carrier diversification strategy before founding and leading Amazon Air. Before founding Pandion, Ruffin served as head of Walmart’s e-commerce transportation division.
Pandion is built to manage the package journey for brands by picking up at their fulfillment centers, sorting packages through a connected network of sortation centers and delivering through a vast network of more than 500,000 final-mile drivers. Today, Pandion reaches more than 80 percent of homes in the U.S. The company leverages machine learning and its proprietary universal label to make the best delivery decisions for every package.
With this package-level flexibility, Pandion seeks to drive an optimal delivery experience at lower price points compared to national and regional providers.
The company owns and operates a nationwide network of sortation centers near Philadelphia, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta, with more to come, all of which give Pandion the capacity to deliver millions of packages across the U.S.
Pandion’s growth coincides with increasing consumer expectations for fast, on-time delivery of packages, decreasing satisfaction with the largest shipping providers and surging parcel volumes. According to Capital One Shopping Research, 21.2 billion packages shipped in the U.S. in 2022 and projections indicate that as many as 32 billion packages will ship in 2028.
As part of the funding, Kristin Gunther, partner at Revolution Growth, will join Pandion’s board of directors.
Other participants included existing investors Playground Global, Prologis Ventures, Bow Capital, Telstra Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, and Schematic Ventures and new investors Proof and Sentinel Global.
AI/store operations
Standard AI
Standard AI, a business that uses computer vision technology to transform existing stores into checkout-free retail experiences, has launched a new product suite.
The company, formerly known as Standard Cognition, debuted Vision Analytics to empower retailers and brands with insights into shopper behavior, product performance and store operations based on consumer interactions measured in the store.
Vision Analytics applies continuous data capture and AI modeling to specific areas within a store to yield comprehensive insights that can help provide an uplift in revenue for brick-and-mortar businesses and an understanding of consumer behavior for CPG suppliers, the company says.
As Standard AI shifts from its foundation in autonomous checkout, so does the company’s C-Suite. Angie Westbrock will assume the role of CEO following her tenure as chief operating officer, and David Woollard will become chief technology officer, a promotion from his role as senior vice president of technology strategy. Jordan Fisher, the company’s outgoing CEO and co-founder, will remain on the Standard AI board as chairman.
Founded in 2017, Standard AI applies machine learning and computer vision to difficult problems in retail, creating a technology stack with immediate application to map what a customer does from entrance to exit in real time and 3D.
The company’s computer vision-based technology platform uses cameras to better understand where shoppers move in-store and with what products they interact, without the use of facial recognition software or any personally identifiable information. Strategic, methodical camera placement coupled with advanced algorithms and the explosion of compute power enables Standard AI’s artificial intelligence platform to focus solely on kinematics, such as how customers interact with shelves.
Standard AI’s Vision platform is reinforced by partnerships with firms across cloud, compute, and sensors, including Google Cloud, Nvidia and Axis Communications.
Under Westbrock’s leadership, Standard AI is doubling down on its mission to provide a clear view into how people spend their time, attention, and decision-making power within physical spaces. With Standard AI Vision Analytics, retailers and the brands that stock their stores will be able to access comprehensive metrics.
For instances, users can view traffic and impressions to gain insights into foot traffic patterns and shopper interactions, allowing for optimized store layouts and promotional strategies. They can also view product availability and out-of-stocks in an effort to minimize lost sales opportunities and enhancing shopper satisfaction.
Users can also track conversion rates, sales performance and where shopper interactions occur within stores, including displays vs home locations. Additionally, they can conduct data-driven A/B tests to evaluate the effectiveness of merchandising strategies, ensuring maximum impact on consumer behavior.
Fulfillment
Cart.com
Cart.com, a provider of unified commerce and logistics solutions, has acquired Amify, a provider of Amazon optimization and advertising solutions, for an undisclosed sum.
Amify’s full-service Amazon seller capabilities and expert in-house team will expand Cart.com’s marketplace services offering and help the company meet accelerating demand from its roster of brands that are seeking out omnichannel software, services and logistics.
The company is built to enable brands selling on Amazon to optimize their presence, sales and profitability through its proprietary technology, expertise and scale. The company’s offering includes platform management, advertising, creative content, supply chain strategy and analytics. Amify currently supports over 50 global brands and has managed approximately $1 billion in gross merchandise value since it was founded in 2011.
Amify’s entire employee base, including company founder Ethan McAfee, will join Cart.com. Amify CEO Chris Mehrabi will now lead Cart.com’s professional services business as chief delivery officer, reporting directly to Cart.com founder and CEO Omair Tariq, and be responsible for delivery of the company’s growth marketing, customer engagement, marketplace services and store optimization solutions.
The company’s chief operating officer, Christine McCambridge, will lead Cart.com’s marketplace services team, joining as vice president of marketplace services operations.
Cart.com supports over 6,000 customers and 75 million orders per year and operates 14 omnichannel fulfillment centers nationwide. The company offers a suite of tech-enabled logistics capabilities, enterprise-grade channel and order management software and expert services built to simplify commerce for middle-market and enterprise companies and public sector agencies.
ShipStation
ShipStation, a shipping software provider for e-commerce businesses, has launch its owned professional services program designed to provide retailers with expert guidance to streamline fulfillment operations and unlock growth potential.
ShipStation Professional Services leverages the team’s logistics expertise to offer merchants a range of insight, including workflow and shipping process optimization. Within those services, experts will help businesses identify and eliminate bottlenecks, leading to faster fulfillment times and reduced costs.
Leveraging the company’s carrier network and knowledge, merchants can find cost-effective shipping solutions in an effort to reduce shipping rates and operational expenses.
Users can also get guidance on optimizing warehouse design and order picking processes to boost efficiency. Additionally, experts can assist merchants on how to utilize all the features and functionalities of their ShipStation account.
The offering is available to any ShipStation customer in North America, across industries.
Search
Algolia/Commercetools
Algolia, an AI-powered search solution, has expanded the integrations available with composable commerce software company Commercetools. Algolia is introducing three integration choices, empowering retailers with substantial flexibility to harness the combined potential of the Commercetools platform and Algolia’s AI Search functionality.
Users can synchronize product catalog data into the Algolia platform with the Algolia for Commercetools connector. This capability, which is available through Algolia’s intuitive dashboard, requires no coding and can be set up and operating in minutes. This option facilitates real-time and historical data synchronization from the Commercetools Composable Commerce platform to Algolia and can grant access to customer, product and order records.
The integration will include an Algolia Commercetools Accelerator, which comprises code and deployment guidelines necessary for customizing the integration and deploying it to any cloud environment for self-management. Its adaptability empowers users to tailor the code to suit their business’s unique needs, the company says.
Additionally, a hosted Algolia Commercetools integration will be available in the Commercetools Connect Marketplace in the coming months.
Trade compliance
Descartes
Logistics software and services provider Descartes Systems Group has acquired OCR Services, Inc., a provider of global trade compliance solutions and content. Descartes acquired OCR for approximately $90 million in an all-cash deal.
OCR specializes in solutions and content for export compliance and controlled commodities, helping customers streamline and automate processes around denied party screening, license procurement and management and product classification.
Their core platform, GlobalEase, is used by multinational organizations around the world to stay current in a rapidly changing regulatory environment. Similar to Descartes, OCR says it monitors regulatory sources and updates their trade data content libraries daily. OCR’s controlled exports data can expand Descartes’ extensive global trade content library for customers and partners, such as SAP and Oracle.
According to Andrew Roszko, chief commercial officer at Descartes, OCR also brings experience leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in the content management process. Roszko also said the deal will give Descartes more of an opportunity to further penetrate markets in Europe and Asia.”
