With the goal of advancing innovation in the retail industry to benefit consumers, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) this week recognized three innovative tech startups, IamBot, Multifold, and Persado, as recipients of the Tech Retail CEO Innovation Awards. The Awards were part of RILA’s Retail CEO Forum being held in Tucson.
RILA, the trade association of the world’s largest and most innovative retail companies, created the (R)Tech Center for Innovation through a joint initiative with Accenture. Their aim was to help retailers navigate the transformation underway in the retail industry that includes the promotion of the “(R)Tech” term within the retail innovation ecosystem—a term that describes the marrying of retail and technology. Those ascribed as being (R)Tech companies are the companies that hold the values of both industries. The ultimate goal is to advance innovation in retail and foster retail’s reputation with innovators, policymakers, and the public.
One trend identified by RILA’s (R)Tech Center is ubiquitous and ultra-personal shopping. The three winners were selected by RILA’s Board of Directors comprised of the CEOs and heads of innovation for America’s largest retail brands. Each award winner showed groundbreaking work in the advancement of “shopping wherever, whenever through the use of artificial intelligence and augmented reality.”
The three award winners are:
- IamBot: allows brands and retailers to sell directly to the customers through messaging platform. This allows customers to get the experience of having a one-on-one shopping experience and getting real time shopping consultations and advice- right from the comfort of their own homes.
- Multifold: allows retailers to access a range of technologies that enhance the online shopping experience of their customers: content creation (3D model creator, editor & library), viewers (Augmented Reality & 360 degrees), marketing and advertising tools (social media, catalog, in-store/OOH campaigns) and tracking/analytics. Consumers look at products online and are able to see the product from every angle, while retailers can track the success and popularity of certain items and what the consumers want.
- Persado: is a Marketing Language Cloud providing an AI generated language that resonates the most with any audience, segment or individual.
