Intershop Communications, a German B2B commerce solution provider, announced that it has acquired Dutch software company SPARQUE.AI. By mutual agreement, the parties have decided not to disclose the purchase price of the transaction.
While SPARQUE.AI’s incumbent management will retain 20 per cent of the shares, Intershop will get the remaining 80 per cent in 2026.
How does this acquisition benefit Intershop?
As a part of the deal, Intershop has secured the right to use SPARQUE’s e-commerce technology for personalised searches and product recommendations. The company also brought SPARQUE’s e-commerce team on board to the growing Intershop team.
The search algorithms from SPARQUE.AI predict what buyers want and personalise search results, product recommendations, navigation, and more.
Intershop will integrate the SaaS solution into its own cloud-based e-commerce platform, while SPARQUE.AI will continue operating independently.
Markus Klahn, CEO of Intershop, says, “SPARQUE.AI is an ideal addition to our continuously optimised high-performance B2B commerce platform. We have already deployed SPARQUE.AI’s technology very successfully with existing Intershop customers leading to an increased website conversion rate of a remarkable 20 per cent. This AI-optimised user experience then typically results in a 29 per cent increase in sales.”
SPARQUE: What you need to know
Based out of Utrecht, SPARQUE.AI was founded by Chi Shing Chang in 2016. SPARQUE.AI is a search and recommendation engine for e-commerce based on software from Spinque B.V, which emerged from the Dutch National Research Institute for Mathematics and Informatics (CWI) in Amsterdam.
The AI-powered algorithms are ready for use in a few days and are fed by a variety of data sources such as ERP, e-commerce, PIM, as well as a customer’s browsing history or real-time data such as the weather or current location.
Current SPARQUE.AI customers include well-known wholesalers, and Intershop customers like MS Schippers, Isero, Wiltec, and Starxx.
Intershop: What you need to know
Based out of Germany, Intershop enables manufacturers and wholesalers to digitalise and boost their businesses.
The company’s e-commerce platform and cloud-based technology help B2B companies to establish and expand their digital presence, improve customer experience, and increase online revenue. To date, Intershop has worked with more than300 clients.