Discounter partners with retail accelerator program start-up to monitor product inspections
Target has found a way to get more visibility into its vendors’ production efforts.
Product inspections are often a manual, time-consuming process — a practice that Target knows first-hand. After handwriting details about merchandise, including potential product defects, inspectors create a report which may not get into the retailer’s hands until a few days later. However, it can take weeks for the information to get back to everyone involved, according to Target’s blog, “A Bullseye View.”
Target hopes to solve these issues with a solution from Inspectario, a start-up firm that developed a Web- and mobile-enabled platform that provides real-time transparency into factory work happening around the world. Specifically, the platform can manage purchase orders, book inspections, generate reports for retailers, predict defections in products, and provide factory risk assessments and reports on their inspections.
The discounter is currently rolling out the technology platform with 50 of our apparel vendors in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.
“This kind of transparency will allow us to make real-time decisions about our products,” said Irene Quarshie, Target’s VP of product quality and responsible sourcing. “Second, it will help us greatly improve the consistency and quality of the products we offer, making it really clear where and how they’re made — that’s something guests care a lot about and have come to expect from Target.”
Target is no stranger to the start-up company — Inspectario participated in the discounter’s inaugural Target + Techstars Retail Accelerator class. Following the program, Inspectario raised $3.7 million in seed round of funding. Investments were led by Target, with smaller contributions from Matchstick Ventures, a Minneapolis-based venture capital firm, and Techstars Ventures, according to The Star Tribune.
To learn more about the partnership, click here.
Product inspections are often a manual, time-consuming process — a practice that Target knows first-hand. After handwriting details about merchandise, including potential product defects, inspectors create a report which may not get into the retailer’s hands until a few days later. However, it can take weeks for the information to get back to everyone involved, according to Target’s blog, “A Bullseye View.”
Target hopes to solve these issues with a solution from Inspectario, a start-up firm that developed a Web- and mobile-enabled platform that provides real-time transparency into factory work happening around the world. Specifically, the platform can manage purchase orders, book inspections, generate reports for retailers, predict defections in products, and provide factory risk assessments and reports on their inspections.
The discounter is currently rolling out the technology platform with 50 of our apparel vendors in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.
“This kind of transparency will allow us to make real-time decisions about our products,” said Irene Quarshie, Target’s VP of product quality and responsible sourcing. “Second, it will help us greatly improve the consistency and quality of the products we offer, making it really clear where and how they’re made — that’s something guests care a lot about and have come to expect from Target.”
Target is no stranger to the start-up company — Inspectario participated in the discounter’s inaugural Target + Techstars Retail Accelerator class. Following the program, Inspectario raised $3.7 million in seed round of funding. Investments were led by Target, with smaller contributions from Matchstick Ventures, a Minneapolis-based venture capital firm, and Techstars Ventures, according to The Star Tribune.
To learn more about the partnership, click here.