● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact
Whatnot acquires Shaped to enhance live shopping recommendations
Key points
- Whatnot acquires Shaped to improve AI recommendations
- Integration aims to reduce recommendation latency further
- Shaped's technology combines customer data with AI for better discovery
Whatnot's Acquisition of Shaped
Livestream shopping app Whatnot announced its acquisition of Shaped, a company specializing in machine learning for real-time recommendation systems. This move is intended to enhance Whatnot's ability to help shoppers discover products more effectively amidst its dynamic auction environment.
Challenges in Live Commerce
Unlike stable e-commerce sites, Whatnot's marketplace features constantly changing inventory and live auctions that can vary in duration. This presents unique challenges for providing timely and relevant product recommendations.
Improvements in Recommendation Technology
Whatnot's VP of Data and AI, Emmanuel Fuentes, noted that the company has reduced recommendation latency from nearly a day to minutes over the past six years. The integration of Shaped's technology is expected to decrease this latency even further, potentially providing recommendations in real time.
About Shaped
Founded to assist businesses in creating AI-driven recommendation systems, Shaped has worked with notable clients like Outdoorsy and QVC. Its technology leverages large language models and machine learning, enabling tailored search and discovery.
Future Implications
The acquisition signifies Whatnot's commitment to enhancing its functionalities as it grows, especially after surpassing one billion orders and securing $225 million in Series F funding. The addition of Shaped's expertise will likely bolster Whatnot's competitiveness in the evolving live commerce market.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
Whatnot has acquired Shaped to improve its real-time recommendation capabilities in live commerce. This acquisition aims to address challenges in product discovery and personalization as the platform scales across diverse product categories.