Toronto’s BRIKA partners with RetailNext on in-store analytics

Jen Lee Koss and Kena Paranjape of BRIKA

Toronto retail innovator BRIKA has entered into an agreement with San Jose, California brick-and-mortar retail analytics specialists RetailNext Inc., who will deploy their retail analytics platform in BRIKA’s Queen Street West location and their holiday pop-up shop at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

“RetailNext allows us to continue to engage with our customers in a meaningful way after they’ve left the store,” said BRIKA co-founder Jen Lee Koss. “We’re excited to leverage this technology for both our online and brick and mortar platforms.”

Founded in 2012 by Kena Paranjape and Jen Lee Koss, BRIKA began life as an online-only retail outlet, featuring arts-and-crafts focused products made by North American artisans.

Paranjape’s background includes degrees from McGill and the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, while Lee Koss has degrees from Harvard College, Oxford University, as well as an MBA from Harvard Business School, in addition to a previous life as a Juilliard trained cellist.

The two bonded over Kena’s former blog, called In Life and In Fashion, and discovered that they shared a mutual interest and background in retail.

RetailNext’s client list includes over 200 retail brands, ranging from large online only retailers to small-to-medium enterprises, all of which use the company’s retail analytics platform to engage customers through a multichannel strategy.

“RetailNext is excited to be working with an innovative and creative company like BRIKA, an authentic brand committed to the timelessness of artistic craftmanship,” said RetailNext co-founder and CEO Alexei Agratchev. “Online merchants have rapidly entered the physical retail space, and we’ve seen a distinct shift in how in-store retail analytics are being deployed and utilized. Where once the sole purview of large chain stores, brands like BRIKA are now benefiting from deep insights into today’s shoppers and their value-driven shopping behaviors, and in turn are developing outstanding shopper-centered experiences.”

Makers of the type of product that BRIKA likes to showcase might take note that they’re having two DIY workshops at their Yorkdale Mall pop-up location on November 18 and 25.