Mondelez to partner with startups on Shopper Futures

NEW YORK and TORONTO — Mondelez is kicking off a new mobile marketing push that it’s hoping will bring innovative solutions to typical challenges shoppers face. By partnering with Canadian and American startups, Mondelez’s Shopper Futures program will implement the chosen startups’ in a 90-day pilot program. The program was kicked off with events in New York on June 3 and Toronto on June 4. 

 

“Technology has had an undeniable impact on the consumer path to purchase,” Mondelez’s head of U.S. media and communications, Laura Henderson, said. “Through Shopper Futures, we're collaborating with the brightest minds in the industry and startup world to shape the future of retail, both in-store and online. This time around, we're focused on solving real shopper challenges in our snacking categories and unlocking new opportunities for growth.”

 

Nine of the startups who apply will receive funding from Mondelez and be paired with a retailer and brand marketers from brands like Cadbury, Oreo and others before the pilot execution of their solutions begin. 

 

“We’re excited to approach Shopper Futures from a North American perspective and to offer startups the potential for immediate exposure and access across our region,” Mondelez, Canada’s director of media and consumer engagement, Kristi Karens said. "This next phase of our Futures-focused programming promises to be extremely interesting, not just for the participating brands, startups and retailers, but for the e-commerce and retail industries in general. We’re looking forward to seeing the great innovations that will come to market.”

 

Interested U.S.- or Canada-based startups that have technology they can implement in a live market can apply online through June 27.