Mobify Shells Out For Automation Specialist Startup Pathful

If you can’t beat them, join them, or as it’s more commonly known in the world of retail startups, if you can’t do it yourself, buy another startup that can.

That’s how omnichannel consumer engagement firm Mobify chose to up its cred in the world of automated communications, as the Vancouver-based company acquired fellow Vancouver dweller and AI specialist startup Pathful, Fortune reported. Mobify CEO Igor Faletski explained that while his company may have excelled at contacting customers in the ways they used to positively respond to, the industry moves fast enough for Mobify to adapt to new realities when the time comes.

“Our goal is to help retailers connect with shoppers, and the next frontier is do it in a way that’s much better than email marketing,” Faletski told Fortune. “We think every message has to be personal and relevant. You won’t tolerate spam on your smartphone. A lot of automation is required behind the scenes to make sure all alerts are applicable to the recipient.”

At a glance, it would seem as if Mobify and Pathful are capable of practicing what Faletski preaches if they can manage a smooth integration. Fortune explained that Pathful has made its name off of diving past surface-level analysis of data on how customers react with websites to reach a point where it can tell who interacted with what specific facets of a page, as well as the specific path they took to make a purchase or veer away from one at the last second. It will be Mobify’s job to forward that data for use in the world of omnichannel commerce by connecting consumers unspoken online preferences with opportunities for sales across the digital-physical divide.

If nothing else, Mobify also gets to make use of the talents of Boris Lau, Pathful’s chief technology officer, who will assume a senior role at his new parent company.