stor.ai Teams With Toshiba Global To Advance Online Grocery Shopping

End-to-end digital grocery solution stor.ai is expanding its partnership with retail store technology firm Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions to offer an integrated tool to help eCommerce businesses.

“With eCommerce growing at breakneck speeds, retail store integration has often struggled to keep pace with rising use – and retailers increasingly demand integrated online sales solutions to ensure positive retail experiences for customers,” Orlee Tal, CEO, stor.ai, said in a press release on Wednesday (July 21).

“This partnership strengthens the stor.ai mission, which is to create customer-first commerce, where consumers have one seamless, personalized, digital experience across all platforms. Aligning with Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions will help retailers shift towards front-end and digital transformation in a simple, convenient and user-oriented manner,” Tal added.

The collaboration between the two firms is intended to combine stor.ai’s platform with Tiger Global’s ecosystem and extend tools to digital merchants that will assist them with launching a scalable web-based storefront.

The pace of online grocery shopping accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic and retailers are seeking integrated tools that support in-store as well as digital commerce, according to the release.

Toshiba Global Commerce Solution is the market leader in its sector across the U.S. and abroad, per the release. The company has more than 3.25 million point-of-sale (POS) and self-checkout units installed around the globe.

The partnership will also allow stor.ai to offer a white-labeled software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution via Microsoft Azure to extend a robust digital shopping experience on all devices. Toshiba Global Commerce Solution is also collaborating with store.ai to develop a full menu of eCommerce solutions that will cover the retailer and consumer journey from digital orders, in-store fulfillment and last-mile delivery.

“By partnering with stor.ai, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions can enable an integrated digital shopping experience for our retailers, allowing for an alternative to services such as Instacart,” said John Pistone, executive director, Solutions Strategy and Business Development, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions.

PYMNTS data shows that 72 percent of grocery shoppers order online for delivery and 28 percent turn to curbside pickup.

In-store self-checkout has changed Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Vice President of Business Strategy Kirk Goldman told PYMNTS that retailers have gotten savvier.