For example, the growing popularity of EVs has also increased demand for high-performing semiconductors like silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), which can handle high-power applications more efficiently than traditional silicon chips — useful for increasing the driving range of EVs. Bosch, one of the leading automotive parts suppliers globally, recently doubled down on the silicon carbide space by acquiring TSI Semiconductors and announcing plans to invest $1.5B in upgrading one of its facilities to produce SiC semiconductors.

This trend towards efficient and high-performing semiconductors in the EV industry is likely to continue as automakers seek ways to improve vehicle performance and range.

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But soaring costs and regulatory uncertainty have prevented these companies from fully commercializing their solutions, even with consolidation in the space. Former market leader Argo AI even shut down in October, despite billion-dollar investments from Ford and Volkswagen.

Most recently, GM’s Cruise reported disappointing numbers, losing $561M in Q1’23 on $30M in revenue. The results fuel growing concerns around the viability of robotaxis.

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Smart grids, which rely on new technologies like smart meters and distributed energy resources to optimize energy flows and utility operations, are designed to be more resilient, efficient, and secure than traditional electrical grids. They allow utilities to better monitor and manage electricity flows, detect outages, and respond to restore power.

They are also a key part of transitioning toward a low-carbon economy, helping move away from fossil fuels while still providing reliable electricity services to households and businesses around the world.

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This achievement is partly attributed to its pioneering work in accelerated computing, which uses specialty hardware to complete demanding software tasks much faster than previously possible.

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In response, BP has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. While it recently rolled back some of its end-of-decade emission reduction targets and shared it would invest up to $8B in oil and gas projects by the same year, it also reaffirmed its net-zero pledge and stated that it would allocate up to $8B in additional capital for its greener segments, like biogas.

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Its portfolio includes several high-valued tech companies, such as Mindbody, Pluralsight, and Ping Identity.

Since the beginning of 2022, Vista Equity Partners has been involved in numerous transactions and has participated in multiple mega-rounds (deals worth $100M+). The firm has also taken several companies private at billion-dollar valuations.

Using CB Insights data, we mapped how Vista Equity Partners has spread its investments and acquisitions since 2022 across categories like cybersecurity, financial services, enterprise tech, and more.

CB Insights clients can dig deeper into all 21 deals listed above using this CB Insights platform search.

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The tech is already delivering time and cost savings in a range of business functions, from R&D to product design. For instance, generative AI could reduce design timelines by up to 90% for infrastructure projects and slash raw material use by upwards of 95% in industrial design. 

Industrials incumbents are moving quickly to take advantage. Hyundai, for instance, has used Autodesk’s generative design software to figure out how to efficiently make parts for new vehicle modalities. IBM, meanwhile, is using generative AI to identify and test computer chip materials. 

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While lots of retailers are currently struggling to figure out last-mile logistics, players who have been investing in the space for a while are moving their focus to areas like the middle mile (the leg before goods reach fulfillment centers) and intralogistics (the movement of goods within fulfillment centers).

Seeing an opportunity, Amazon is pairing its AWS cloud computing capabilities with extensive e-commerce logistics to create a suite of supply chain offerings for small to midsize businesses. It has even been extending these services beyond its marketplace clients with solutions like “Buy with Prime” which allows brands to offer Prime’s delivery speed, package tracking, and return logistics on their own e-commerce sites.

Doing so not only creates additional revenue for Amazon but also helps it optimize its own supply chains with fuller freight loads and more efficient operations. 

In this report, we break down Amazon’s strategy in the supply chain across 3 key takeaways: 

• Amazon is automating intralogistics. With Amazon’s enormous warehouse footprint, a dizzying number of offered products, and millions of packages shipped every week, automating intralogistics is key to driving e-commerce profitability for the tech giant. 
• Amazon wants to revitalize the middle mile. Amazon has been ramping up its middle mile capabilities with new products and investments in freight management and air cargo. In doing so, the tech giant is looking to capitalize on an often overlooked leg of the supply chain. 
• Amazon is betting on sustainable mobility. Amazon has taken some big swings in the electric vehicle market, striking deals to purchase fleets of vehicles and investing billions of dollars. 

Amazon is automating intralogistics

Intralogistics involves the movement of information and goods within individual fulfillment or distribution centers. 

A key enabler of Amazon Prime’s quick delivery speed is the company’s extensive network of fulfillment centers. And with over 1,100 centers in the US alone and a reportedly extremely high employee turnover rate in warehouses, Amazon is keen to automate intralogistics as much as possible. 

Amazon is one of the top players for supply chain patents, with many of its filings related to automating intralogistics processes like mapping the footprints of fulfillment centers for efficiency or detecting inventory levels.

In 2022, the tech giant introduced new intralogistics robots named Sparrow and Cardinal. Currently, these robots are designed to sort packages, move goods throughout the fulfillment center, and pick goods of different shapes, sizes, and materials (an area existing picking robots have difficulty with). 

Amazon has also made moves outside of its internal robotics development, such as: 

• Acquiring intralogistics robot maker Cloostermans in Q3’22 to boost its robot research and deployment. 
• Announcing its warehouse & distribution network in Q3’22. This is a pay-as-you-go service offering inventory management within Amazon fulfillment centers and automated distribution for sellers.
• Expanding its warehouse footprint by investing in smaller fulfillment centers — situated near major population centers and stocked with in-demand items — to enable same-day deliveries for some of its goods. 

While Amazon has been ramping up its offerings and investments in this space over the last few years, the tech giant has recently conducted the largest layoff in its history and has closed or abandoned plans for dozens of warehouses. Given the increased focus on cost control, the success of its automation bets could be more important than ever.

Amazon wants to revitalize the middle mile

The middle mile is the leg of the supply chain where goods are brought from distribution centers to fulfillment centers. This leg can include ocean, air, and ground freight. While the middle mile has traditionally been outsourced, it has recently received more attention as squeezed supply chains have made headlines for costing retailers millions of dollars in profit. 

A successful middle mile is also crucial to last-mile operations to ensure fulfillment centers have goods in time to meet the ever-shorter delivery timeframes promised to customers.

Amazon has a distinct advantage in providing middle-mile services to retailers as it has already invested heavily in its own freight technology to make Prime shipping possible. Also, with Amazon Web Services’ cloud computing capabilities, the tech giant has high visibility into logistics — a key component of successful middle-mile operations. 

Building on this, Amazon offers Amazon Freight which allows retailers to book space on its freight trucks for thousands of routes across the US. Amazon uses algorithms to determine which vehicles are operating at LTL (less than load) to offer discounted shipping rates to retailers. 

Amazon has also made strategic moves with air cargo. Previously, the e-commerce retailer relied entirely on contracts with UPS and FedEx. But in the last few years, Amazon began to shift its strategy and in 2021 opened a $1.5B air hub in Kentucky to have more ownership over its middle mile. 

Additionally, Amazon has struck several deals for minority stake investments and strategic partnerships in this area, including: 

• A minority stake in Air Transport Services Group, an aircraft leasing and air cargo transport provider, in Q2’21
• A minority stake in Hawaiian Airlines to operate 10 airbus freight plans starting in fall 2023
• A partnership with Azul Cargo Express in Q4’22 to expand its delivery reach in Brazil
• A partnership with India-based Quikjet Cargo in Q1’23 to expand its reach in India

Amazon has been operating these planes under the brand Amazon Air which has expanded rapidly since its inception in 2015. With air cargo’s high barrier to entry both from a regulatory and capital standpoint, expect Amazon to begin creating additional revenue streams from its investments similar to what it has done with Amazon Freight. 

Amazon is betting on sustainable mobility

Fuel costs account for around 15% of last-mile expenses and volatile fuel prices can sometimes push this proportion even higher. However, it’s estimated that using electric last-mile vehicles can reduce fuel costs by more than half — attracting interest from big fleet operators. 

Amazon (which has a 2040 net-zero emissions goal) has already made significant moves to electrify its delivery fleet and has made some big bets on sustainable mobility, including: 

• Backing California-based EV maker Rivian and pledging to order 100,000 delivery vehicles from the company. Amazon has reportedly delivered 10M+ packages with Rivian EVs.
  
• A commitment to deploy 10,000 electric delivery vehicles in India and entering into partnerships with India-based companies (Tata Motors, Mahindra Electric, Magenta Mobility, and TVS Motor) to produce those EVs. 
• Amazon is also still wanting to deploy battery-powered delivery drones under its Prime Air program, which has already made some test deliveries in California and Texas. However, this division has been heavily affected by the Q1’23 layoffs. 

Source: Amazon

With Amazon shipping well over a million packages a day, meaningful progress toward sustainable mobility could have a big impact. However, even with its carbon reduction efforts, Amazon’s total emissions grew by 18% in 2021 as demand for its services went up — signaling that the company will need to make additional investments in making its supply chain more sustainable to hit its net-zero goal by 2040.

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Many of this year’s winners focus on boosting the efficiency of retail operations across channels. To this end, AI is being deployed by winners across categories, to automate everything from inventory forecasting and management to counterfeit tracking. Additionally, platforms that integrate tech stacks — whether in stores or for digital selling — are gaining traction in developed as well as emerging markets. 

Other companies in this year’s winning cohort help retailers create more engaging shopping experiences, via tools like chat commerce, shoppable video, and NFTs. Sustainable shopping solutions for both consumers and retailers make a notable appearance as well.

Using the CB Insights platform, our research team picked these 100 private market vendors from a pool of over 7K companies, including applicants and nominees. 

The list includes early- and mid-stage startups driving innovation across store tech, e-commerce, loyalty & rewards, supply chain & logistics, and digital engagement. They were chosen based on factors including funding, proprietary Mosaic scores, market potential, business relationships, investor profile, news sentiment analysis, competitive landscape, team strength, and tech novelty. The research team also reviewed hundreds of Analyst Briefings submitted by applicants.

Clients can access the entire Retail Tech 100 list and interactive Collection here. (If you don’t have a CB Insights login, create one here.)

Companies are categorized by their primary focus area and client base. Categories in the market map are not mutually exclusive. Please click to enlarge.

Want to be considered for future rankings? Fill out this initial application form (it’ll take no more than a few minutes). If selected, you’ll be asked to complete our Analyst Briefing Survey so that our analysts can better understand your products, customers, and market traction.

RETAIL TECH 100 COHORT HIGHLIGHTS

Overall funding & valuation trends: The cohort has raised nearly $5B across more than 250 equity deals since 2019 (as of 3/2/23). In 2022 alone, companies on the list raised more than $3.1B across 106 deals. This year’s list features 3 unicorns: self-checkout company Mashgin, delivery management platform Veho, and omnichannel operations and loyalty tool Swiftly. 

Funding leaders: Cart.com, which makes end-to-end e-commerce technology, is the most well-funded company on the list, with $323M in total equity funding. Delivery management unicorn Veho comes in second with $299M in funding. New unicorn Swiftly rounds out the top 3 with $216M in total equity funding.

Global reach: This year’s winners come from 20 different countries. Fifty-six of the selected companies (56%) are headquartered in the US. The United Kingdom comes in second with 6 (6%) and China and Australia are tied for third with 5 companies (5%) each. 

Notably, 12 companies on the list (12%) represent emerging market economies. Local companies in these markets are increasingly looking to deploy tech to make fragmented and informal retail processes more efficient and trackable.

Some of the companies in these geographies — like Majoo (Indonesia) and Dot (India) — offer omnichannel retail operations platforms that help retailers digitize operations across in-store and online channels. Other solutions — such as Khazenly (Egypt) — are focused on delivery management.

Top investors: Insight Partners is the top investor in this year’s list. It has invested in 8 of this year’s winners since 2019, including 3D digital content producer and manager nfinite, food traceability solution iFoodDS, and delivery management platform Shipium. Tiger Global is close behind with 7 companies, followed by Accel with 5.

Digital content and engagement rules: The biggest category for this year’s list is digital shopper engagement, which has 16 companies (16%). The companies in this category allow retailers to connect with shoppers across platforms and channels, with a focus on personalization and loyalty. 

For instance, Charles and Postscript both make chat commerce platforms that enable marketing and checkout via text. Meanwhile, Arianee, METAV.RS, and Novel help brands develop NFTs and use Web3 tools to boost loyalty and authenticate their products. 

Automation is driving efficiency: Automation solutions reach across categories on this year’s list as retailers and brands look for tools to make their operations faster and smarter. 

Alloy, for instance, makes a platform to connect e-commerce teams’ apps and automate tasks. Several other companies build supply chain integration platforms that aggregate tools and use AI to optimize decision-making. Meanwhile, Vue.ai, Lily AI, and Pixyle use AI to automate product tagging and broader catalog management online, which can ultimately boost the accuracy of shoppers’ searches and drive more buying. 

Early-stage innovation: More than half of the winners in this year’s cohort are early-stage companies (seed/angel or Series A). These companies are developing innovative solutions to promote more specialized and personalized shopping experiences.

For example, EQL’s e-commerce platform is specialized for “hype commerce,” or limited-time drops for hot products. EON creates digital IDs (or digital twins) to make apparel traceable. And Nibble Technology uses AI and chat commerce to inject negotiation into e-commerce shopping.

What we didn’t find: Despite retailers’ acute challenges in a few areas — namely loss prevention and employee empowerment — our research turned up fewer-than-expected earlier-stage companies solving these problems in new ways. 

However, a few tools still stood out in these areas. For example, Spot’s AI-powered video intelligence system helps retailers track everything from shoplifting to employee issues. Meanwhile, SparkPlug’s platform helps retailers reward employees in a tough labor market through the gamification of tasks.

THE RETAIL TECH 100 CLASS OF 2022: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

The 2022 Retail Tech 100 winners have accomplished a great deal since March 2022. Together, they have seen:

• Over $2.5B in equity funding across 25+ deals (as of 3/2/23)
• 10 mega-rounds (deals worth $100M+), including a $300M round to cross-border payments company Xendit
• 2 exits: 1 merger and 1 acquisition
• 1 new entrant to the $1B+ unicorn club

If you want to learn more about the Retail Tech 100 Class of 2022, check out the full list of previous winners.

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The company’s nuclear power plants make up approximately 60% of its power generation portfolio. Through strategic partnerships with companies like Westinghouse Electric and General Electric, Exelon is using data analytics to improve efficiency at nuclear facilities and other power plants.

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• Virtual power plants to increase grid flexibility during peak demand and reduce the need for distant, centralized power stations
• Microgrids to increase power reliability and security
• Remote drone monitoring to reduce operational costs for maintaining grid assets such as power lines and substations
• Grid storage to increase grid sustainability and reliability by storing renewable energy until it is needed
• Blockchain technology to help track renewable energy credits and facilitate peer-to-peer energy trading

Below, we dive into these technologies: how they work, who has an edge, and how they’re shaping the future of the power grid.

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Microfulfillment centers (MFCs) are small fulfillment centers, often located in “dark” warehouses or within stores themselves, that help retailers more quickly fulfill buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS) or delivery orders. Many of these microfulfillment options use robotics to automate order picking and preparation. Currently, MFCs are most efficient with consumer packaged goods, which tend to be relatively uniformly shaped and durable, making them easier for robots to handle.

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E-commerce fulfillment & logistics providers help retailers quickly and easily fulfill online orders through a suite of offerings. Services can include access to fulfillment centers to enable distributed inventory, express shipping, order and inventory management, and reporting and analytics dashboards.

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Thanks to these new technologies, carbon emissions from the electric power sector in the US have fallen by almost a third in the past decade or so. This occurred despite a similar amount of electricity generation and no increase in the inflation-adjusted real price of electricity.

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Despite a slowdown in the rate of growth, e-commerce’s share of total retail sales remains higher than it was pre-pandemic — and associated revenues in the US are projected to keep rising. Funding to e-commerce enablement companies topped $11B last year as an increasing number of vendors entered the market.

Reflecting this growth, e-commerce tech stacks are becoming much more complex.

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However, the company’s recent rebrand from Total to TotalEnergies reflects a change in strategy to include more sustainable business segments. As part of the transition, the company is focused on vehicle electrification (both the infrastructure and charging solutions to optimize the flow of energy) as well as EV battery tech. 

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However, as the shift toward autonomous and electric vehicles accelerates, automotive suppliers like Bosch are ramping up their investment in next-generation automotive technologies — such as advanced electronics and semiconductors — as well as establishing more collaborative relationships with other manufacturers.

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These trends are generating a glut of used EV batteries that contain critical raw materials and still hold an average of 80% of their charge capacity.

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Automakers are shifting away from traditional technologies like internal combustion engines and moving toward a future of autonomous vehicles, electrification, and increased connectivity.

This transformation also extends beyond the vehicle and into the factory, where automation and robotics play an increasing role in the assembly line.

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For example, those focused on reducing the cost of the last mile can discover relevant tech solutions in our last-mile market map, understand where delivery leaders like DoorDash are making strategic bets, and get an idea of what last-mile delivery might look like in 2030.

Our predictions for the upcoming year include:

• As retailers continue to invest in their own supply chain operations, we expect to see them increasingly experiment with new retail formats that position brick-and-mortar locations for distribution and fulfillment. Retailers that are early movers in supply chain investments could tap into B2B services as an additional revenue stream. 
• CPG brands will invest more heavily to scale their sustainability efforts — such as those related to production and waste management  — to meet previously set benchmarks, regulatory frameworks, and consumer demands. 
• With supply chain security top of mind, big tech companies will leverage their expansive data lakes to provide B2B offerings that make the supply chain more connected, efficient, and traceable.

To kick off 2023, we brought together our top supply chain & logistics research in the curated list below.

RETAIL

• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report — Supply Chain Optimization In Retail
• Unbundling SHEIN: How fast fashion is being disrupted
• [Client Research] How American Eagle and Gap are entering the third-party logistics space
• [Client Research] Analyzing Walmart’s growth strategy: How the retail giant is building e-commerce and boosting profits
• [Client Research] Unbundling Sephora: How the beauty retail experience is being disrupted
• [Client Research] Analyzing Alibaba’s growth strategy: How the tech giant is reimagining retail to drive its global ambitions
• [Client Research] Market Trend Report: Delivery Management Software for Retailers

FOOD & GROCERY

• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Supply Chain Optimization in Grocery
• [Client Research] MVP Technology Framework: Supply Chain Optimization for Grocery Retailers
• The Future of the Supermarket: How technology is making grocery shopping more personalized, efficient, and sustainable
• [Client Research] 40+ early-stage companies transforming food & beverage product development and distribution
• [Client Research] Analyzing Carrefour’s growth strategy: How the retailer is digitizing its operations to improve profitability
• [Client Research] What this $37B grocery giant is doing to optimize its inventory management
• [Client Research] Analyzing Ocado’s growth strategy: How the grocery tech giant is shaping the future of the supermarket
• [Client Research] What are Walmart, Kroger, and Albertsons doing in microfulfillment?
• The Future of Fast Food: How robot chefs, virtual ordering, and autonomous delivery will feed us in 2030

SUSTAINABILITY

• [Client Research] Analyzing PepsiCo’s growth strategy: How the CPG giant is improving supply chain sustainability and reducing emissions
• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Sustainability in the Supply Chain for Retailers
• [Client Research] 13 technologies making the supply chain more sustainable — and the ones that retailers should prioritize now
• [Client Research] 107 companies helping advanced manufacturers make their operations more sustainable
• [Client Research] 88 companies reducing food waste across the supply chain
• [Client Research] Analyzing Nestlé’s growth strategy: How the company is prioritizing health & sustainability across its portfolio
• [Client Research] Analyzing Danone’s Growth Strategy: How the CPG giant is creating a more sustainable food supply chain
• [Client Research] Analyzing Unilever’s growth strategy: How the CPG giant is doubling down on sustainability and digital transformation

LAST-MILE FULFILLMENT 

• The Future of Last-Mile Delivery: How technology is tackling the complexity and cost of fulfillment
• [Client Research] 60+ early-stage companies reshaping food & meal delivery
• [Client Research] 218 companies helping retail leaders make last-mile operations faster, cheaper, and more efficient
• [Client Research] Analyzing DoorDash’s operational strategy: How the delivery leader is investing in local commerce
• How restaurants can reduce reliance on gig workers using autonomous delivery

FLEET & FREIGHT MANAGEMENT

• [Client Research] Unbundling Maersk: How one of the world’s largest shipping companies is being disrupted
• [Client Research] The Future of the Fleet: How technology is making transporting freight more efficient and sustainable
• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Fleet & Freight Optimization in Retail
• [Client Research] MVP Technology Framework: Fleet & Freight Optimization for Retail
• [Client Research] Analyzing Amazon’s growth strategy: How the tech giant is shaping the future of transportation and logistics
• [Client Research] Analyzing Ryder’s growth strategy: How the transportation giant is becoming a leader in supply chain & logistics tech 

The post Our top supply chain & logistics research and trends to watch appeared first on CB Insights Research.

The warehouse automation and robotics category includes warehouse automation solutions designed to work mostly independently of people, from product sorting to equipment that autonomously scans packages to create custom-sized boxes.

Features & capabilities

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As uncertainty and volatility grew in 2022, retailers and brands zeroed in on tech to boost conversion and grow revenues.

No matter the environment, our research helps retail players make tech-buying decisions. For example, discover tech solutions in merchandising in our merchandising tech market map, determine which tech markets to prioritize with our corresponding MVP framework, and decide which companies are ideal for partnerships or investments with our market-specific ESP Vendor Rankings, including this one covering trade promotion optimization.

Looking ahead to 2023, we’ll be watching:

• Tech that helps build new revenue streams as well as the solutions that help retailers cut costs and drive efficiency, across stores as well as e-commerce.
• Continued growth in emerging markets across the globe, creating new opportunities for digitization.
• New media platforms and modes of digital content production.
• New types of customer journey tracking and personalization tech.

The points above are in focus as we develop the 2023 Retail Tech 100, our annual list of the most innovative B2B retail companies in the world. Look for it in March 2023.

In the meantime, we’ve created a guide below to help you check out our top research in retail and e-commerce — and prep for the year to come. 

OMNICHANNEL RETAIL 

• The Big Tech in Retail Report: How Meta, Amazon, and Google are transforming retail
• The Retail Tech 100: The top retail tech companies of 2022
• 13 tech solutions to help recession-proof retail businesses
• The Future of the Post-Purchase Experience: How technology is transforming the way we shop
• The Future of Fashion: From design to merchandising, how tech is reshaping the industry
• The shift to a circular economy: How tech is shaping the future of sustainable retail
• [Client Research] Analyzing Walmart’s Growth Strategy: How the retail giant is building e-commerce and boosting profits
• [Client Research] Unbundling Sephora: How the beauty retail experience is being disrupted
• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Merchandising Tech for Brands & Retailers
• [Client Research] These 15 technologies are helping brands & retailers supercharge merchandising — here are the ones to prioritize
• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Hourly Employee Management Tech
• [Client Research] Prioritizing the 13 technologies combating labor shortages for hourly employees across industries
• [Client Research] Analyzing Alibaba’s growth strategy: How the tech giant is reimagining retail to drive its global ambitions 
• [Client Research] 157 companies helping grocery leaders adapt to the omnichannel shopper journey
• [Client Research] How grocery retailers should prioritize these 11 technologies supporting omnichannel enablement
• [Client Research] Analyzing Carrefour’s growth strategy: How the retailer is digitizing its operations to improve profitability
• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Loyalty & Retention Tech in Consumer & Retail
• [Client Research] 10 technologies that strengthen customer loyalty and retention — and the ones retail leaders should prioritize now
• [Client Research] Analyzing 7-Eleven’s growth strategy: How the world’s largest convenience chain is improving customer experience and engagement
• [Client Research] 70+ early-stage companies reimagining luxury retail
• [Client Research] Analyzing Kering’s growth strategy: How the luxury giant behind Gucci and Balenciaga is innovating across sustainability, the metaverse, and more
• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Customer Service in Consumer & Retail
• [Client Research] MVP Technology Framework: Customer Service for Consumer & Retail Leaders
• [Client Research] 54 companies using AI to automate customer service interactions
• [Client Research] Analyzing H&M’s growth strategy: How the fashion giant is innovating in sustainability and omnichannel commerce
• [Client Research] These 134 companies are transforming how brands & retailers acquire customers

E-COMMERCE AND DIGITAL SHOPPING

• The Future of E-Commerce: How AI advisors, crypto wallets, and the metaverse will enable shopping in 2030
• Unbundling SHEIN: How fast fashion is being disrupted
• [Client Research] The virtual fitting room: How Amazon, Walmart, Alibaba, and others are using AI and AR to transform shopping
• [Client Research] Unbundling TikTok: How influencer marketing and the creator economy are getting disrupted
• [Client Research] 74 companies powering super apps like WhatsApp and WeChat
• [Client Research] Analyzing Shopify’s growth strategy: How the e-commerce platform is expanding its merchants’ reach and speeding up delivery
• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: E-Commerce Tech in Consumer & Retail
• [Client Research] MVP Technology Framework: E-Commerce Tech for Consumer & Retail
• [Client Research] 100+ startups driving innovation in recommerce tech
• [Client Research] Analyzing eBay’s growth strategy: How the company is prioritizing category specialization & luxury authentication

STORE TECH

• The Future of the Supermarket: How technology is making grocery shopping more personalized, efficient, and sustainable
• 5 new formats reinventing the physical retail store experience
• [Client Research] 160 companies making retail stores more profitable, efficient, and engaging
• [Client Research] Prioritizing 13 technologies digitizing and automating retail stores

SUPPLY CHAIN, FULFILLMENT, & DELIVERY

• The Future of the Fleet: How technology is making transporting freight more efficient and sustainable
• The Future of Last-Mile Delivery: How technology is tackling the complexity and cost of fulfillment
• [Client Research] What are Walmart, Kroger, and Albertsons doing in microfulfillment?
• [Client Research] How American Eagle and Gap are entering the third-party logistics space
• [Client Research] 218 companies helping retail leaders make last-mile operations faster, cheaper, and more efficient
• [Client Research] Analyzing DoorDash’s operational strategy: How the delivery leader is investing in local commerce
• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Supply Chain Optimization in Grocery
• [Client Research] MVP Technology Framework: Supply Chain Optimization for Grocery Retailers
• [Client Research] Analyzing Ocado’s growth strategy: How the grocery tech giant is shaping the future of the supermarket
• [Client Research] 60+ early-stage companies reshaping food & meal delivery

DIGITAL CONTENT & MEDIA

• • Unbundling Meta: How the tech giant’s digital advertising business is being disrupted
  • What L’Oréal, Nike, and LVMH are doing in Web3
  • [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Retail Media Networks
  • [Client Research] These 14 technologies are helping retailers build out their media networks — here are the ones to prioritize
  • [Client Research] 171 companies helping brands scale and automate their digital content offerings
  • [Client Research] 95+ early-stage companies using AI to create and edit digital content

The post Our top retail & e-commerce research and trends to watch appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Collaborative robots (cobots) are mobile or stationary robots designed to work safely alongside people. Some examples include autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that help shuttle items around the warehouse, intelligent control arms that assist with picking and sorting, and automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRSs) that automatically place and retrieve items.

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The old power grid was centered around large, centralized, fossil fuel-based power plants located away from population centers as well as the use of transmission and distribution lines to connect power generators with power consumers.

Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are now challenging the fossil fuel-based nature of conventional power generation, while new distributed energy resources (DERs) like rooftop solar panels are shifting power stations to a more decentralized model. While these changes make the power grid more sustainable, new digitization and automation tech is required to bring these devices onto the grid in a way that is cost-competitive with conventional fossil fuel power generation.

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The post 146 companies helping utility companies digitize and automate operations appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Our 139-page coffee table book features 120+ market maps created by CB Insights analysts to help you identify which technology markets and companies should be on your radar, including AI lifecycle management, omnichannel enablement, B2B payments tech, and more.

If you’re a tech nerd like us, we think you’ll enjoy this one.

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