Staples Looks to Get Personal With Latest Acquisition The office-supplies retailer has nabbed Silicon Valley startup Runa to personalize the online shopping experience.
By Andrea Huspeni •
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In a bid to boost online sales, Staples anounced it has acquired Runa, a San Mateo, Calif.-based startup focused on e-commerce personalization technology.
The move will help the office-supplies retailer better compete against Amazon and others in the e-commerce space.
"Runa has a unique platform and outstanding talent with experience in e-commerce and online marketplaces," said Ronald Sargent, the CEO and chairman of Staples, in a statement. "With Runa, we're adding technology to better serve our customers with personalized items, offers and delivery estimates, all in real-time.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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Staples will leverage Runa's personalization software by utilizing its PerfectOffer service, which delivers real-time, customized offers, and its PerfectShipping technology, a platform focused on providing delivery estimates and free-shipping options.
The retailer also plans on transitioning Runa's office into Staples' third technology lab, with the first located in Cambridge, Mass., and plans underway for the second to open in Seattle. Thus far, these labs have been innovating around the ecommerce and mobile space. It would seem the newest addition would follow suit.
Staples has reportedly said that all of Runa's employees will come on board. The company is also looking to hire additional staff with backgrounds in programming, "deep learning" and data.
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Runa was founded in 2009 and has received more than $10 million in investment from Merus Capital and Sierra Ventures, among others. In the past, the company has toted partnerships with eBay and Rovio Entertainment, the creators of the Angry Bird franchise.
