Tampa, Florida-based Upshop has added two industry executives to its leadership team.
The technology firm named Ryan Voorhees as COO and Mark Hawthorne as chief innovation and strategy officer. The former Albertsons and Safeway executives have experience leveraging technology, data science, analytics and business process improvements to transform the grocery shopping experience.
“Technology built to improve the in-store experience is not new. What’s changed is shopper expectations and what those expectations mean for store operations. In order to realize true ROI – financial returns and shopper loyalty – technology must be successfully adopted by the people delivering the experience: associates,” said Shamus Hines, Upshop CEO.
“Our team is implementing a playbook that guarantees the Upshop platform enables operational success and ensures everyone wins – the retailer, the associate and the shopper.”
Voorhees brings operational knowledge from a 25-year career driving experience – improving processes and profits while launching customer-centric marketing and merchandising initiatives. His knowledge creates opportunity in leveraging technology to strengthen customer understanding and use data to form actionable insights.
“Having the customer journey at the center of the business is a requirement, not a consideration,” Voorhees said. “Upshop is there: we have hardwired the customer into the organization, focusing all efforts on maximizing user adoption and financial results for our retail partners. Dedicating ourselves to enabling business process improvement is what’s going to help retailers get the most out of our technology – and help them make their business smarter.”
Hawthorne adds experience with a career marked by large-scale contributions to major retail organizations like Albertsons. Background in retail growth strategy gives Hawthorne expertise in bridging system investment and data strategy with operational efficiency and adoption.
“The goal of our unified, total store platform is to simplify operations across the store,” Hawthorne said. “We offer a solution that marries user simplicity with advanced analytics; providing retailers confidence that they are maximizing labor and limiting waste, all while giving shoppers access to the freshest possible experience.”
Lee Allen, director of IT at Vallarta Supermarkets, said, “Upshop sets the bar as best in class at customer success. The team has raised the game, ultimately elevating our relationship with Upshop and the value we gain from their solutions. The team works diligently to ensure we understand the implications of our business choices, and they are passionate about making sure Vallarta is getting the most out of our investment.”
Upshop has been building store operations technology for more than 30 years to provide simplified, connected SaaS-based solutions for retailers. The technology forms one platform that provides end-to-end visibility, increased sales, major waste reduction and streamlined labor efficiencies.
