Shopify Invests in Recommendation Platform Crossing Minds

Recommendation engine Crossing Minds has secured a strategic investment from eCommerce internet infrastructure platform Shopify that makes the portal available to Shopify merchants looking to leverage individualized recommendations, according to a Thursday (April 21) press release.

The investment by Shopify comes shortly after Crossing Minds closed a Series A fundraising round and allows the company to scale the business using Shopify’s global merchant base.

“We built the Crossing Minds recommendation platform to help merchants understand their customers better without sacrificing their customers’ privacy,” Crossing Minds Co-founder and CEO Alexandre Robicquet said in the company press release.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of the Shopify ecosystem of commerce tools that are trusted by millions of businesses worldwide,” he said. “Our platform integrates seamlessly with Shopify’s merchant tools, providing great shopping experiences and precise recommendations.”

Shopify’s investment in Crossing Minds is the company’s first in an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered recommendation platform. The Crossing Minds platform requires no personal user data and uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to provide recommendations and personalized experiences for customers by analyzing on-site actions.

“AI is changing the world, and with Crossing Minds’ recommendation platform, we are using AI to change the way products are marketed to individual customers, with astonishing returns,” Sebastian Thrun, co-founder of Crossing Minds, said in the press release. “With Shopify, we will now have the potential to reach millions of merchants.”

Related: Next 3 Years: Converting a Stranger in 3 Clicks With AI Recommendation-as-a-Service

Last month, Robicquet told PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster that in a quest for conversions, operators have long relied on the old-time search engine optimization (SEO) strategy: “What can I get from this kind of outlaw world of cookies that existed before for me to just start an understanding of who that person is?”

It’s more useful to know someone’s recent browsing and purchase history than it is to know their age and location, said Robicquet, adding that these improved data points greatly improve the output of Recommendation-as-a-Service platforms.