Kibo to Acquire Certona, Fusing Pioneering Personalization with a Robust Cloud Commerce Suite for Retailers and Brands

DALLAS, Feb. 19, 2019 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Kibo, a leader in cloud commerce, and Certona, the leading real-time omnichannel personalization solution and pioneer of AI-driven experience individualization, today announced they are joining forces. By coming together, Kibo and Certona are combining a robust cloud commerce platform, comprised of both eCommerce and order management solutions, with a best-in-class personalization platform. As the market becomes more dynamic and competitive, retailers need individualized ways to build loyalty, drive sales, and streamline their business. The combined company represents a milestone for the future of digital commerce – putting personalization of the customer journey front and center for retailers while also providing flexible, innovative cloud-based commerce solutions.

 

By combining their strengths, Certona and Kibo are better equipped to pursue a shared vision of unified cloud commerce with personalization at its core. Certona will be able to offer Kibo clients more options for their personalization needs while at the same time leveraging the immense experience and expertise that Certona brings to the table. Certona clients will continue to enjoy the service and support that they have come to expect while also having unique access to Kibo’s suite of cloud commerce solutions — all while benefiting from the advantages of utilizing a single provider.

 

“Kibo is dedicated to partnering with our clients to provide retailers robust commerce solutions, which will enable them to deliver outstanding consumer experiences. To that end, we also believe those experiences are more powerful and compelling when they’re personalized to the needs of the consumer,” said David Post, CEO, Kibo. “To prepare our clients for what’s to come in commerce, we looked for a true innovator that would elevate our current personalization capabilities, and we found it in Certona. Together with Certona, we will continue to be a good partner to our clients and meeting them where they are along their digital transformation journey. Through our continued support of Certona’s integrations with other ecommerce providers –and leveraging Certona’s personalization capabilities in Kibo’s cloud commerce platform, we’re committed to our clients’ financial success.”

 

“We believe that personalization represents the greatest opportunity for innovation in digital commerce. We see today as a milestone in the industry – fusing the power of robust eCommerce and order management solutions with our trusted personalization platform,” said Meyar Sheik, CEO and co-founder, Certona. “The combining of our two companies is a natural progression of our growth trajectory and continued desire to make it faster and easier for retailers to launch end-to-end, personalized shopping experiences for their consumers. As well, by combining our strengths, we can make our products more intuitive, improving the relationship between retailers and shoppers by giving our clients the right solutions and industry experience to achieve their goals.”

 

More than 400 retailers and branded manufacturers rely on Kibo to deliver connected consumer experiences across mobile devices and retail touchpoints. Kibo’s cloud commerce platform includes eCommerce, distributed order management, and mobile point of commerce solutions delivered via a modern, cloud-based infrastructure. The Kibo platform scales as clients grow their business while maintaining a low cost of ownership and faster time to market than other solutions.

 

Certona is the #1 Personalization Provider according to the Internet Retailer Top 1000 and was named a Leader in 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Personalization Engines. In 2018, the company expanded its machine learning and AI patent portfolio to a total of 13 patents.

 

“We are proud to have brought these two companies together to create a unique partnership in the market. With this transaction, we are creating a highly differentiated offering for retailers and brands,” said Patrick Severson, Vista Equity Partners. “Certona is a market leader in personalization and will continue to grow and accelerate that leadership with the combined world-class expertise and resources of Vista Equity Partners and Kibo.”

 

About Certona

Certona Corporation, the leading real-time omnichannel personalization solution and pioneer of AI-driven experience individualization, powers over 100 billion unique experiences each month. Trusted by more than 500 brands and retailers in over 70 countries, Certona’s patented technology leverages machine learning and predictive analytics to deliver a fully-orchestrated experience with optimized content and messaging to increase engagement and conversions across all customer touchpoints.

 

 About Kibo

At Kibo, we provide cloud commerce solutions inspired by your needs and designed to empower your teams. We’re at your side, committed to your financial success in an unpredictable world. Together, we can see further, think bigger, and climb higher. Our software and services include eCommerce, Order Management, Personalization, and Mobile Point-of-Commerce for retailers, manufacturers, and brands. Whether you’re an eCommerce veteran or just getting started, B2C or B2B, our solutions are designed to power the shopping experience – from first click to doorstep – and to scale with you as your business grows. For more information, visit kibocommerce.com.