The Retail Times is a weekly newsletter covering retail tech news from Canada and around the globe.
Subscribe to R|T using the form at the bottom of this page to ensure you don’t miss out on the most important retail tech news every week!
Shopify makes strategic investment in Israeli ecommerce marketing startup Yotpo with new partnership (BETAKIT)
Yotpo is just the latest Shopify investment as the Ottawa-based company races to bulk up its ecosystem with both funds and acquisitions.
Women in Tech Hiring Event
VanHack’s Women in Tech hiring event starts September 21st. In our last event, 30+ companies made over 700 connections, leading to 20+ women getting hired within days. Attending our event will provide companies who are struggling to find senior talent an opportunity to connect with dozens of female senior developers within one day.
Sign up for our event and find your next hire with VanHack!
Amazon is working on a new point-of-sale system to lure merchants from Shopify, Square, and PayPal (BUSINESS INSIDER)
The new point-of-sale system gives a glimpse into Amazon’s thinking on how to attract more small-business sellers to its marketplace.
Creative Layer secures backing from Shopify CEO, Celtic House for personalized printing platform for Shopify creators (BETAKIT)
The Ottawa-based company has already secured $3 million in seed funding led by Shopify co-founder and CEO Tobi Lütke and Celtic House Venture Partners, both of whom previously invested in Canvaspop.
Square rolls out Square Register POS solution for Canada (PYMNTS)
Alyssa Henry, Square executive vice president, said that since the U.S. launch in 2017, Square Register has been relied on by many kinds of businesses.
Canadian tech leaders want more government guidance before returning to the office (BETAKIT)
At a recent panel for BetaKit Patreon supporters, a trio of Canadian tech’s people leaders said companies need more government leadership regarding how to navigate vaccination policies and mandates in the workplace.
#paid secures $18.9 million CAD Series B round to capitalize on the exploding creator economy (BETAKIT)
“Every major consumer brand today is being built with creators at the core, but the world of brand and creator collaboration is still super messy and broken.”
PayPal to buy Japan’s Paidy for $2.7 billion (WALL STREET JOURNAL)
Set to close in the fourth quarter, it’s the latest in a flurry of deals involving buy now, pay later’ companies.
Facebook makes payments product available off platform, starting with US Shopify merchants (BETAKIT)
In June, Shopify announced that Shop Pay will also be available to non-Shopify merchants selling on Facebook and Google.
Food delivery apps sue New York over fee limits (NEW YORK TIMES)
Grubhub, Uber Eats and Door Dash have characterized a 15 percent cap on fees charged to restaurants as an unconstitutional measure that will hurt consumers.
Tencent-backed Sea raises $6 billion in fresh capital (BNN BLOOMBERG)
The share offering includes a potential overallotment which, if exercised, would increase its size to about $4 billion.
Gatik raises $107 million CAD Series B round, announces Texas expansion (BETAKIT)
Along with the funding announcement, Gatik has revealed plans to expand its operations in Texas, where it intends to establish “a long-term presence.”
The way Amazon uses tech to squeeze performance out of workers deserves its own name: Bezosism (WALL STREET JOURNAL)
The e-commerce giant has supercharged systems of management invented a century ago with surveillance, algorithms and data, leading to a new ‘ism’.
Emerge Commerce to acquire BattlBox, Carnivore Club for up to $23.8 million CAD (BETAKIT)
Emerge announced the BattlBox acquisition alongside the company’s Q2 financial results. The company said its revenue growth was driven by its acquisition of truLOCAL in January.
‘A solution in search of a problem’: Facebook’s Ray-Ban Stories are the fashionable smart glasses that consumers still might not want (MODERN RETAIL)
Another tech giant is taking a go at trying to make smart glasses fashionable.
Why Amazon really built a new warehouse on the U.S.-Mexico border (REST OF WORLD)
The fulfillment center in Tijuana is a symbol of how the pandemic has changed the way the world shops.
Toronto tech smashed venture funding records in Q2 with $1.46 billion raised
Toronto was one of four Canadian tech markets to set funding records in Q2 2021, along with BC, Waterloo Region, and Montréal (Calgary? Not so much). The quarter helped push H1 investment to its highest levels.