Mapp snaps up Dressipi: these are our most read retail technology articles from last week

Check out the articles on this here website that caught your fancy last week, including Doji, Giesecke+Devrient, Groupement Mousquetaires, Diebold Nixdorf, DoorDash, Ibotta, Lowe's, CollabNET, Impact Analytics, and Augmodo.

AI powered startup Doji enters private beta as it targets fun new way to shop for fashion online

A new startup Doji is enabling online fashion fans to create their AI likeness, try on real products and shop their favourite looks.

In a LinkedIn post, CEO and Co-founder Dorian Dargan (formerly of Meta, Apple and YouNow), said: "Until now, it’s never been possible to try-on clothes when shopping online - making it hard to know what looks good on you. My co-founder Jim Winkens and I needed a creative tool to explore new looks and products - so we decided to build it for ourselves."

He added: "As fashion lovers with deep AI and consumer expertise, we’re uniquely equipped to build this. Jim is an ex-Google DeepMind researcher and AI engineer, and I designed frontier consumer products at Apple, Meta and YouNow. Doji feels like the perfect culmination of our interests and skills."

The venture is in private beta and accepting testers for its iOS app, with select spots available. You can join the waitlist here.

Mapp hails 'bold step forward in redefining how fashion and retail brands engage with customers' as it buys Dressipi

Marketing cloud provider Mapp has announced the acquisition of Dressipi, a specialist in fashion specific AI and machine learning technologies. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Our acquisition of Dressipi represents a bold step forward in redefining how fashion and retail brands engage with their customers,” says James Brooke, CEO at Mapp. “The integration of Dressipi’s cutting-edge product attribution and advanced machine learning models with our proven marketing platforms will enable brands to grow while closing the profitability gap, creating new value through smarter decisions and better customer experiences.”

“We are thrilled to join forces with Mapp,” says Sarah McVittie, Co-Founder at Dressipi. “Our shared vision of delivering value through AI powered insights and innovation makes this a natural fit. Together, we can empower fashion and retail brands to achieve new levels of success by combining deep product knowledge with advanced marketing technology.”

Giesecke+Devrient unveils ultra-thin Smart Label technology for enhanced supply chain visibility

Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) has launched the G+D Smart Label, a tracking solution that turns any package into an IoT device.

Ultra-thin and only slightly larger than a credit card, this has been jointly developed by G+D in conjunction with its hardware partner, Sensos to enable cost-effective, accurate location tracking for a range of applications. These include parcel delivery and shipping, fleet management and monitoring the movement of luxury goods.

G+D provides a solution that includes hardware, an iSIM, IoT connectivity, and an IoT platform that manages the connection and firmware updates. The Smart Label uses smart motion sensors that detect movement and acceleration, underpinned by GPS accuracy which has been tested to ensure sub-10m precision in ideal conditions.

Coupled with customisable reporting frequencies and cloud-based configurations, the Smart Label can adapt to specific business needs and allow users to manage, monitor, and ensure the integrity of their assets at every stage of their journey, whether stationary or on the move.

Additional features include an open-close sensor for tamper protection and automated proof of delivery, and a temperature monitor to ensure the integrity of perishable goods. Activation is triggered when the label is peeled and applied to an item. It is also reusable and certified for air travel.

French retailer Groupement Mousquetaires preps roll-out of Diebold Nixdorf AI powered shrink reduction solution

Groupement Mousquetaires, a French retail group with brands like Intermarché, Netto and Bricomarché, plans to address fraud at its self-service checkouts with an AI powered solution from Diebold Nixdorf.

After piloting Vynamic Smart Vision I Shrink Reduction, designed to tackle the most common causes of loss in physical environments, Groupement Mousquetaires is preparing to implement the solution across the group’s store locations.

Maxime Canu, member of Inno Lab at Groupement Mousquetaires, says: “With this AI technology solution from our partner Diebold Nixdorf, we have designed an innovation that revolutionises self-service checkout management. It benefits everyone: customers, staff members and our retailers. The ability to reduce losses, make transactions more fluid and remove friction for consumers marks a real turning point for our sector.”

Spatial AI company Augmodo boosts engineering team as it brings in three former Grabango employees

Augmodo, a real-time inventory and task tracker using wearable SmartBadges to create live 3D store maps, has announced three new hires - Kevin Rauwolf, Principal Engineer, Kyle Machulis, Principal Engineer and Sean Wong, Senior Engineer, all former engineers at Grabango, a now defunct provider of checkout-free technology.

The team worked together on real-time computer vision-based cashierless tech for retailers and are the latest additions to Augmodo’s other checkout-free tech senior engineering talent.

Augmodo’s wearable tech recommends actions and tasks to increase efficiencies, including restocking shelves, placing orders and improving compliance, saving stores time and money and improving retailer, associate, brand and shopper experiences.

Multi-year partnership set to give DoorDash customers access to Ibotta catalogue of digital promotions

Ibotta, which lays claim to being the largest digital promotions network in North America, and rapid delivery giant DoorDash have announced a multi-year partnership to provide the latter's customers with access to the former's catalogue.

For CPG brands, this new partnership creates an opportunity to reach consumers across DoorDash’s footprint of over 115,000 non-restaurant stores on its Marketplace in North America.

“We are thrilled to enter into this partnership with DoorDash, expand the reach for our thousands of brand partners, and continue to advance our presence in the growing on-demand delivery space,” says Bryan Leach, Founder and CEO at Ibotta.

“DoorDash has long been an innovative leader in local commerce, and we are honored to be their provider of digital offers for grocery, beer, wine and spirits, and other general merchandise categories. This partnership is especially impactful as brands continue looking to the IPN to reach new audiences, expand their market share, and drive incremental units.”

Karl Joosep Einmann departs Cleveron to join parcel lockers and out of home delivery firm CollabNET

CollabNet, a specialist in software solutions to manage parcel locker networks and out of home delivery, has appointed Karl Joosep Einmann as Business Development Manager.

He joins from Cleveron where he served as Account Executive (Logistics and CEP).

In a LinkedIn post, CollabNET said: "Karl brings a wealth of experience in business development and a proven track record in the parcel locker and last mile delivery industries. His expertise and passion for automated delivery will be instrumental in helping us expand our reach in the last mile and CEP space."

"The CollabNETteam has vast experience with locker networks, and their software is best suited to make any APM efficient and user-friendly. I’m excited to join CollabNet as I believe together we can make a significant impact on the market," says Einmann.

Joe Cano departs Zappos to focus on innovation, CX and digital transformation at Lowe's

Joe Cano has left Zappos, where he held the role of CMO for almost three years, to join Lowe’s as SVP of Digital.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: "After an incredible journey at Zappos, where I had the privilege of working alongside an extraordinary team, I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve joined Lowe’s."

"Zappos will always hold a special place in my heart. I’m deeply grateful to the team for their passion, creativity, and dedication. Together, we achieved amazing milestones, and I’ll forever cherish the memories and lessons learned."

He concluded: "Now, I’m excited to start this next chapter with Lowe’s, where I’ll be focusing on driving innovation, enhancing the customer experience, and leading digital transformation. The possibilities ahead are endless, and I can’t wait to collaborate with the talented team to make an impact. Here’s to building the future, one step at a time!"

Cano will report to CMO Jennifer Wilson, who has been with Lowe's for almost 19 years.

Customer and employee experience Medallia appoints Mark Bishof as its new Chairman and CEO

Medallia, a specialist in customer and employee experience, has announced the appointment of Mark Bishof as Chairman and CEO. Bishof brings over 40 years of experience leading private and public software companies and industry experience as the former Chief Business Officer at Qualtrics and CEO at Clarabridge.

He succeeds Mike Lipps, who will remain on the Medallia board.

"I am honoured and excited to lead Medallia, a true pioneer with a vast history and depth of personalised enterprise experience data,” says Bishof.

“Medallia has always been a customer centric and forward thinking company dedicated to helping enterprises fulfil their brand promises and deliver exceptional experiences. As our industry landscape continues to evolve, and with the backing of a world class investor like Thoma Bravo, we have significant opportunities to drive long-term growth and extend our leadership in the space.”

Italian retailers PittaRosso and Scarpe&Scarpe deploy Impact Analytics MondaySmart generative AI solution

Impact Analytics has partnered with Italian shoe retailers, PittaRosso and Scarpe&Scarpe, to implement generative AI solutions. The two brands operate approximately 300 retail locations under both nameplates along with two e-commerce sites.

Through the tie up, they will implement MondaySmart, a GenAI solution from Impact Analytics. This provides AI native business intelligence for retail executives.

“With a combined portfolio of nearly 300 stores, it is critical that we optimise our clusters to ensure that we meet our customers’ high expectations,” says Valentina Labate, Head of Merchandise Planning & Allocation at PittaRosso and Scarpe&Scarpe. “Partnering with Impact Analytics will help us harness the power of our data and their AI and GenAI to position us for future growth.”

Supermarket chain King Kullen taps Facilio retail tech as US faces huge shift in refrigerant regulations

Long Island-based supermarket chain King Kullen has selected Facilio's Connected Retail software platform to automate its refrigeration compliance management and stay ahead of the upcoming Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory changes, especially EPA’s AIM Act Emissions Reduction and Reclamation Regulations.

“The US is facing the biggest shift in refrigerant regulations since they were created in the late '80s. This regulatory overhaul will cost refrigerant end users hundreds of millions and introduce unprecedented legal obligations for sectors like convenience stores and supermarkets that previously weren’t impacted,” says Basant Singhatwadia, Facilio’s Director of Customer Success.

“Our holistic refrigeration compliance management platform enables end-to-end compliance management for King Kullen, eliminating compliance risks. The EPA and GreenChill-ready dashboard further simplifies tracking.”

Five year journey comes to an end as Scott Ruffin founded online delivery startup Pandion shuts down

Just ten months ago, Pandion, which was started in 2020 by former Amazon and Walmart executive Scott Ruffin, raised $41 million, with sales forecasted north of $200 million. But the parcel network designed for e-commerce residential delivery has now closed abruptly, after talks with potential acquirers and investors proved unsuccessful. Employees will be paid through to 15th January without severance.

In a LinkedIn post, Ruffin, the founder and former leader of Amazon Air., said: “This decision is profoundly personal for me. Five years ago, Pandion began as nothing more than an idea. Since then, we’ve achieved remarkable milestones. We generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue, built innovative technology from the ground up, and developed concepts and technology that advanced the operations industry, which will endure long after our journey ends.”

He added: “From delivering over 100,000 packages a day to developing world class technology, I’m immensely proud of everything we accomplished. While the outcome is not what we hoped for, I remain grateful for the incredible work and dedication that made these achievements possible.”