Voyado announces release of new AI functionality Bonnie spanning entire retail technology platform

Swedish retail technology firm, Voyado, has launched new AI functionality to enhance the capabilities across its platform.

It says that the AI, named “Bonnie”, is already trained on billions of transactions, interactions, and industry data, giving it “a unique and deep understanding of the retail industry”.

The aim here is to further support the way that Voyado works with retailers and e-commerce businesses to enhance the online customer experience with recommendations and search features. Voyado also provides a multichannel platform for marketers to succeed with personalisation across channels.

Voyado's new AI combines predictive models, which use historical data to forecast future steps, and generative models, as well as producing new data like texts or images. 

This allows it to suggest activities and campaigns based on customer business goals, and generate relevant content.

Felix Kruth, Chief Product Officer at Voyado, says: “We have been using AI in retail for some time now and we are already able to use a variety of AI models to solve different types of problems.”

“The functionality we are introducing today is special because we have trained it specifically on our data, to thoroughly understand what is effective in the retail industry.”

"The challenge for our customers is the overwhelming amount of data to analyse, limited time, and consumer behaviours that change faster than ever. With the help of Bonnie, the impossible becomes possible staying ahead and acting on customer intentions.”

Erica Sandelin Ekelund

Voyado recently announced its current CFO and EVP of Strategy, Erica Sandelin Ekelund, will take over the role of CEO from Per Åkerberg on 1st June.

She will lead the company's push for growth in the UK, identified as a key market.

Per Åkerberg has been CEO since 2022, when he left his position as Chairman of the Board to become more operational within the company.

He will now return to the board to continue his position in advising on the growth ambitions of the business.

Ekelund’s relationship with Voyado began in 2017, and one of her first acts with the business was securing an investment from Novax.

She was appointed to the role of CFO in 2019 and has taken responsibility for establishing Voyado's growth strategy, which included the acquisitions of Apptus and ReDeal.

Åkerberg said: "I can think of no one better to take the reins of Voyado as we move ahead with our ambitious plans.  The last few years, we have enjoyed enormous success with the business developing and evolving at a fast pace, and we're not slowing down.”

“The next few years are all about our continued expansion in international markets and securing strong partnerships with brands and retailers. Erica is the best person to help us realise our strategy and identify even more growth opportunities.”

Ekelund said: "I am incredibly proud to take on the role of CEO at Voyado.”

“From my very first contact with Voyado, I felt that this company had something special that I really wanted to be a part of. It is a fantastic company to continue building and we’re aiming to reach a turnover of one billion next year. I look forward to leading us on this journey."

Johan Bäckarlin, founder of Voyado, said: "As an entrepreneur, it can be difficult to hand over major decisions to someone else, but I have never felt as confident as I do now.”

“Erica's experience, energy, and intuition make her the perfect person to lead Voyado into our next phase. I am very pleased that she is taking on this role."