From devices that can record where shoppers are focusing their attention in stores to small scanning objects that customers can use to reorder items at home, the IoT is remaking the retail experience.
Retailers are even putting sensors into shopping carts to track customer paths in the store, as well as placing them on products to prevent theft. We’re even beginning to see the early days of robotic floor staff. Fellow Robots and Simbe Robotics have both produced robots that can interact with customers in stores.
Given the emergence of IoT companies with products aimed specifically at retail, we used the CB Insights database to identify 40+ IoT startups in the space.
This market map is not meant to be exhaustive of companies in the space. View the full graphic below. Graphic includes private, active companies only. Please click to enlarge.
Category breakdown
Beacon- and sensor-based analytics – These companies provide hardware and software to help stores track visitors. They focus on data collection for internal analytics, such as merchandise tracking, adjusting staffing levels, monitoring promotions, etc. Euclid Analytics, for example, promises visitor tracking to monitor the impact of promotions on driving store visits and better understand stores’ busy times and aisles.
Beacon-based marketing – These companies also track visitors, but focus more on proximity marketing use cases (which may also include some analytic insights). Estimote provides small, colorful beacons that send push notifications to users’ phones about products or promotions when it senses someone near. Kimetric’s sensors aim to visually identify shoppers’ age, gender, eye focus, and clothing style to present them with personalized marketing.
Beacon analytics and marketing – These startups track visitors and provide a mix of internal analytics and proximity marketing services.
Inventory tracking – QueueHop provides connected anti-theft tags for items that automatically unclip after payment. Cosy is building inventory-tracking robots that use indoor mapping software.
Indoor mapping – These startups take advantage of connected devices to create detailed indoor maps of stores and malls. Stores can help users find the right items and direct them to promotions.
Service robots – Simbe Robotics and Fellow Robots are designing robots for use in-store, to help customers find items and ensure the shelves stay stocked. Fellow Robots worked with Lowe’s to launch the LoweBot in eleven stores this fall.
Loss prevention – Gatekeeper uses RFID tags that work with wheel-locking features to automatically stop shopping carts that leave the store area, helping prevent theft. Carttronics tracks baskets and carts with RFID tags, provides cameras that receive signals from the tags and can film anyone leaving the store with unauthorized items.
At-home shopping buttons – Kwik and Hiku offer connected devices that can automatically place online orders for goods from users’ homes, comparable to the Amazon Dash buttons. Kwik will provide branded buttons that let customers re-order items with one touch, while the Hiku device can also scan barcodes, to identify items for re-ordering, and can recognize users’ voices.
Smart dressing rooms – Oak Labs created an interactive, touchscreen mirror that lets shoppers request new items, adjust fitting room lighting, and see outfit recommendations. The mirror can sense which products the shopper brought into the room using RFID technology, and then present related products, save the items to shoppers’ online accounts, or display related items. Oak has worked with Polo Ralph Lauren.
Company Chart
| Company | Category | Select Investors |
|---|---|---|
| Hiku | At-Home Shopping Buttons | Otter Rock Capital, Plug and Play Accelerator, Firsthand Technology Value Fund |
| Kwik | At-Home Shopping Buttons | Norwest Venture Partners, NFX Guild |
| Crowder | Beacon Analytics And Marketing | Wearable IoT World Labs |
| Estimote | Beacon Analytics And Marketing | Bessemer Venture Partners, Innovation Endeavors |
| Footmarks | Beacon Analytics And Marketing | Commerce.Innovated |
| Freedom Smart Labs | Beacon Analytics And Marketing | Kapil Goel |
| Kimetric | Beacon Analytics And Marketing | Microsoft Ventures Accelerator |
| Minodes | Beacon Analytics And Marketing | MarketTech |
| Monolith | Beacon Analytics And Marketing | Startup Wise Guys |
| Movvo | Beacon Analytics And Marketing | Caixa Capital |
| Proxidyne | Beacon Analytics And Marketing | Undisclosed |
| Radius Networks | Beacon Analytics And Marketing | Core Capital Partners, Contour Venture Partners |
| Resun8 | Beacon Analytics And Marketing | Undisclosed |
| Sensorberg | Beacon Analytics And Marketing | WestTech Ventures, Berlin Technologie Holdings |
| Swirl Networks | Beacon Analytics And Marketing | Twitter Ventures, Longworth Venture Partners, Softbank Capital |
| Euclid Analytics | Beacon- And Sensor-Based Analytics | Harrison Metal, NEA, Benchmark |
| Innorange | Beacon- And Sensor-Based Analytics | Undisclosed |
| Measurence | Beacon- And Sensor-Based Analytics | Undisclosed |
| RetailNext | Beacon- And Sensor-Based Analytics | August Capital, Commerce Ventures, Nokia Growth Partners, StarVest Partners |
| Scanalytics Inc. | Beacon- And Sensor-Based Analytics | Wearable IoT World Labs |
| Tamecco | Beacon- And Sensor-Based Analytics | Yume no Machi SoZo Iinkai |
| Torch | Beacon- And Sensor-Based Analytics | Target Accelerator Program |
| VideoMining | Beacon- And Sensor-Based Analytics | Ben Franklin Technology Partners |
| Viewsy | Beacon- And Sensor-Based Analytics | Qualcomm Ventures, Kima Ventures |
| Walkbase | Beacon- And Sensor-Based Analytics | SBT Venture Capital |
| Aislelabs | Beacon-Based Marketing | Salesforce Ventures, Rho Ventures |
| Beabloo | Beacon-Based Marketing | Baozun |
| Bfonics | Beacon-Based Marketing | Undisclosed |
| Blue Bite | Beacon-Based Marketing | Undisclosed |
| ConnectQuest (CQ) | Beacon-Based Marketing | Undisclosed |
| Ebizu | Beacon-Based Marketing | Cradle Fund |
| Ifinity | Beacon-Based Marketing | SpeedUp Venture Capital Group |
| Shelfbucks | Beacon-Based Marketing | Capital Factory |
| Aisle411 | Indoor Mapping | Cultivian Ventures, St. Louis Arch Angels |
| Cartogram | Indoor Mapping | Undisclosed |
| Indoora | Indoor Mapping | Startupbootcamp Smart Transportation & Energy |
| Cosy | Inventory Tracking | 500 Accelerator |
| QueueHop | Inventory Tracking | Y Combinator |
| Carttronics | Loss Prevention | Undisclosed |
| Gatekeeper Systems | Loss Prevention | Undisclosed |
| Fellow Robots | Service Robots | HAX, Crowdfunder |
| Simbe Robotics | Service Robots | HAX |
| Oak Labs | Smart Dressing Rooms | Wing Venture Capital, R/GA Accelerator |
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