Nordstrom Acquires 2 Digital Retail Startups

Nordstrom announced yesterday that it's acquiring two leading retail technology companies: BevyUp, a digital selling tool, and MessageYes, a platform rooted in conversational commerce. More specifically, BevyUp is a platform that allows sales associates to communicate with each other on the back end, and encourages shoppers to share information with each other and browse items together online. Its digital selling platform will be incorporated into a new mobile app for Nordstrom's employees, rolling out next year, the companies said.

MessageYes offers brands the opportunity to send shoppers more personalized notifications, with their consent, while they browse online. Shoppers can ultimately respond "Yes" to one of Nordstrom's messages to instantly buy products from their phones.

"The retail environment is changing faster than ever," said Brian Gill, technology senior vice president at Nordstrom. "We need to invest in technologies that will enable us to deliver on those qualities and better serve customers in a digitally connected world."

Total Retail's Take: The notion that Nordstrom is actively investing in and working to upgrade its approach to mobile shopping, including in its physical stores, should not go unnoticed. These two acquisitions fit with Nordstrom's ongoing efforts to integrate its physical and digital shopping experiences as much as possible, something it has already strived to do with mobile app features like a reserve online/try on in-store capability launched in 2016. The upscale department store chain is trying to reinvent itself while staying true to its brand, a challenge many retailers have failed to meet.