6 companies transforming the new era of ecommerce

A closer look at some Innovation Lab companies coming to NRF 2022: Retail’s Big Show
National Retail Federation

In the new pandemic-induced era of online shopping, both digitally native brands and traditional retailers are continuously navigating how to stay in tune with evolving consumer behaviors. The Innovation Lab at NRF 2022: Retail’s Big Show features more than 50 visionary tech startups that are transforming every vertical in retail, making strides in areas including sustainability, supply chain and personalized ecommerce.

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Brands need an edge to drive sales and boost revenues in today’s hyper-competitive world of ecommerce. Global ecommerce sales have jumped to $26.7 trillion, an historic figure compared with pre-pandemic sales. These six companies are among the more than 50 tech innovators exhibiting in the 2022 NRF Innovation Lab. Here’s how they are dominating the new era of ecommerce and improving the digital customer experience.

Obsess is on a mission to turn online shopping into an experience. As a virtual reality shopping platform, Obsess develops augmented reality and virtual reality concepts for retailers like Tommy Hilfiger, Charlotte Tilbury and Dermalogica. Retailers envision the entire space and visual merchandising and Obsess takes those ideas and renders them in high-definition 3D. From there, Obsess seamlessly integrates the virtual store into a brand’s existing website and delivers consumers a creative and immersive shopping experience, ultimately transforming ecommerce into a more intuitive and personalized experience.

Swogo is the world’s first automated bundle solution for ecommerce retailers to increase margin and basket size. It works with hundreds of retail leaders in over 30 countries like Sephora, Media Markt and Decathlon to create compatible and relevant bundles at scale. That means Swogo combines an understanding of a consumer’s product range alongside their behavior — while also considering product availability. Additionally, Swogo requires zero manual work from the retailer’s team, making the entire process seamless.

Livescale empowers brands like Vans, Kiehl’s and Paco Rabanne to engage and convert customers through a fully brand-owned experience with seamless in-video checkout, engagement and exceptional customer service. Because social media channels don’t currently have live video shopping capabilities, retailers can turn to Livescale to integrate shopping links to connect content and drive revenue for brands. For industries like skincare and makeup, the ability to watch live tutorials and shop the products simultaneously will be especially critical in 2022 and beyond.

Bold Metrics is a scalable AI body modeling technology that helps apparel brands unlock the power of body data to slash returns, boost conversions, improve sustainability and generate valuable insights across the brand. Using a comprehensive set of machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to predict customer body measurements accurately, Bold Metrics helps apparel brands meet the demands of today's increasingly personalized world.

VNTANA allows retailers to upload existing 3D designs or 3D scans and instantly create an immersive 3D ecommerce and web-based augmented reality experience for customers. Content on brand websites is still mostly two-dimensional, making it hard for a customer to get a holistic view of products and imagine what they’re really like in person. Brands including Adidas, Hugo Boss and Staud use VNTANA to show off their products in three dimensions, allowing users to view objects in augmented reality and try on items virtually. VNTANA creates an interactive experience that is changing the game to boost repeat purchases and drive down returns.

Blutag is a turnkey software-as-a-service solution that enables retail companies to deliver voice applications to their customers without coding in just a few simple steps. It works across platforms like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant — customers can ask an online store a question like “I am looking for some blue running shoes,” and Blutag matches customers to products while also providing personalized recommendations through AI technology. Companies like Bloomingdales and L'Oréal use Blutag’s voice commerce technology as a powerful mechanism to keep consumers reordering products.

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