May 12, 2021

Partnership will result in a one-stop, holistic solution for processing, fulfilling and delivering online orders Digital Editor Combining stor.ai's Picking App and Trax's on-demand crowd marketplace will enable retailers to respond to online order surges efficiently and cost-effectively. End-to-end digital commerce solution provider stor.ai has partnered with Trax, a computer vision company transforming brick-and-mortar retail, to better help grocers respond to online order surges. The COVID-19 pandemic expedited the shift toward online grocery shopping. But in order to prosper during this e-commerce boom, grocers need new methods to make picking, delivery and collection services more cost-effective. As a result of the partnership, stor.ai will incorporate Trax Flexforce, an on-demand crowd marketplace, into its holistic, one-stop offering for grocers, enabling them to fully integrate their digital and physical presence. Stor.ai's online platform includes a white-label e-commerce solution integrated with grocers' legacy systems, and a Picker-App, which customizes and maps in-store grocery fulfillment. Trax Flexforce's on-demand crowd marketplace provides access to more than 1.4 million experienced retail representatives across North America and supplies stores with the right person for the task through its proprietary matching algorithm that processes store experience, location and workload. "With the exponential increase in online sales, there is a clear need to provide holistic solutions for retailers to provide customers with positive online shopping experiences without straining their budgets," said Mendel Gniwisch, EVP business development for Israel-based  stor.ai . "I am delighted to partner with Trax, a trailblazer in the industry, to further our ambition to create a one-stop solution which is easily accessible for all kinds of grocers, who are constantly striving to preserve their unique and distinguishing features while offering consumers the conveniences they have come to expect." "Our partnership with stor.ai further enables us to meet the growing demand for transformational solutions to longstanding retail pain points," said Bob Kothari, chief revenue officer of Atlanta-based  Trax . "With online grocery shopping continuing to rise, we are pleased to partner with stor.ai to help retailers adapt to this unprecedented period of industry growth." Both companies have had an influx of funding this year. In March, stor.ai raised $21 million in an extended Series A round, while Trax secured $640 million in new funding from notable investors Softbank and BlackRock in April. (Listen on demand to Trax leaders discussing the long-term impact COVID is having on the role of the store and strategies for how to win at the shelf in “Merchandising Strategies: How Brands Can Adapt to Disruption in 2021 and Beyond” webinar at https://bit.ly/3eGsyML .)