Whatnot acquires Shaped to power real-time live shopping recommendations
TechCrunch AI Lauren Forristal
Whatnot acquired Shaped, a machine learning company specializing in real-time recommendations and search systems, to improve product discovery as its livestream shopping marketplace expands. The company has reduced recommendation latency from roughly a day to minutes over six years and processes more than 500,000 hours of live video weekly. The integration of Shaped's technology is expected to push recommendations closer to real time, addressing live commerce's core challenge of matching shifting buyer demand with constantly changing inventory and auction schedules.
Why it matters
Livestream shopping platform Whatnot has acquired AI startup Shaped, a machine learning company focused on real-time recommendations and search. The deal will bolster Whatnot’s personalization and discovery features as it expands into new product categories.
