Retail Technology Sector Overview – Q3 2019 Update

In this post we examine the different components of the retail technology ecosystem. We will illustrate what the categories of innovation are and how they compare to one another.

Marketing Platforms Is The Largest Retail Technology Category

Let’s start off by looking at the Sector Map. There are 1,930 retail technology startups across 21 categories through Q3 2019. They have cumulatively raised $97B. The Sector Map highlights the number of companies in each category. It also shows a random sampling of companies within the category.

We see that Marketing Platforms is the largest category with 283 companies. This category includes companies that enable merchants to execute marketing campaigns, manage customer relationships, and improve customer engagement. Some example companies in this category include Showpad, Sprinklr, Gainsight, and Medallia.

Introducing the Retail Technology Category Funding Rank Chart

Now let’s look at the Category Funding Rank Chart. This graph illustrates how the relative category funding ranks have evolved over time. Please note that a category’s ranking in each year indicates its relative placement based on the funding made into that category in that year only, without including any cumulative funding from the previous years.

As you can see, while some categories have maintained relatively stable funding ranks, others have shifted around considerably. This chart gives a sense of where dollars are flowing within the retail technology ecosystem over the past few years.

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