In this exclusive CanadianSME Small Business Magazine interview, Yaniv Zukerman, Chief Marketing Officer of A2Z Cust2Mate Solutions Corp., shares how the company is transforming in-store retail with its AI-powered smart shopping cart platform. Leveraging more than 25 years of experience in marketing, business strategy, and technology, Yaniv has helped organizations drive innovation, strengthen brand positioning, and accelerate business growth.
Yaniv discusses how Cust2Mate is enabling retailers to deliver smarter, more personalized shopping experiences through AI, real-time shopper insights, and data-driven engagement. He also explores the future of retail innovation, the successful adoption of AI at scale, and how customer-centric technology is helping retailers improve operational efficiency, unlock new revenue opportunities, and stay ahead in an evolving marketplace.
What has helped Cust2Mate stand out in today’s retail tech market?
Cust2Mate stands out because we look beyond the shopping cart itself. We see the cart as the entry point to a connected in-store engagement platform that helps retailers digitize the physical shopping journey.
Our platform combines AI, a host of sensors, and real-time data to create a shopping experience that is more seamless, personalized, transparent and rewarding for consumers while delivering measurable business value for retailers. It enables shoppers to scan as they shop, see their running total, receive relevant offers, information and product recommendations, and enjoy a faster, more convenient trip through the store.
For retailers, the platform goes far beyond checkout. It helps improve operational efficiency, reduce shrinkage, increase basket size, generate actionable shopper insights, and create new retail media opportunities by connecting brands with shoppers at the point where purchase decisions are made.
We believe the future of retail is not about making physical stores look like e-commerce. It’s about bringing the intelligence, personalization, and connectivity consumers expect from digital shopping into the store, while preserving everything people value about shopping in person.
What separates retailers that successfully scale AI from those stuck in pilot mode?
The retailers that successfully scale AI don’t see it as a technology project. They see it as a business transformation initiative with clear objectives and measurable outcomes.
The ones that get stuck in pilot mode are often looking for a single AI use case or a quick win. The retailers that succeed take a broader view. They integrate AI into the shopping journey and store operations, where it can improve both the customer experience and day-to-day execution. That requires the right data, integration with existing systems, and a willingness to adapt processes, not just deploy new technology.
Our recent consumer research highlights why this matters. Shoppers told us they expect physical stores to be more seamless, transparent, personalized, and connected, yet many feel today’s experience still falls short. Retailers that are successfully scaling AI are using it to close that gap, delivering tangible value to shoppers while improving operational performance. When AI becomes part of how the store naturally operates, rather than a separate pilot, that’s when it starts to deliver real business impact.
How does Cust2Mate use real-time data and testing to improve in-store decisions?
The biggest advantage of a smart cart is that it’s the only in-store platform that stays with the shopper throughout the entire shopping journey. While other retail systems capture isolated moments, such as entering the store, making a purchase, or passing a digital sign, the smart cart continuously understands what’s happening from the moment shopping begins until checkout.
That creates a unique stream of real-time, first-party shopper data. We can understand what products shoppers scan, what they put back, how their basket evolves, where they spend time, and how they move through the store. More importantly, because those insights are available instantly, retailers can respond while the shopping trip is still in progress with relevant offers, product recommendations, or guidance.
The same data also helps retailers continuously improve their stores. They can test merchandising strategies, optimize product placement, evaluate promotions, and better understand shopper behavior based on what customers actually do, not just what they ultimately purchase. Over time, every shopping trip makes the platform smarter and helps retailers make better operational and commercial decisions.
What makes collaboration between marketing, product, and retail partners work well at Cust2Mate?
Innovation at Cust2Mate starts with understanding the market. Marketing acts as the voice of the customer by continuously gathering insights from retailers, shopper research, industry trends, competitive analysis, and our own market observations. That information helps define the market requirements for new capabilities and ensures every product decision is driven by real customer needs rather than technology for its own sake.
From there, Product translates those requirements into solutions, while our Operations team brings a practical perspective based on hands-on experience deploying and supporting retailers in the field. Together, the three teams work closely to evaluate ideas, prioritize the roadmap, and ensure every new capability is both valuable and practical to implement.
Our retail partners are an integral part of that process. We work with them to validate needs, pilot new capabilities, measure the business impact, gather feedback, and continuously refine the solution. That ongoing collaboration ensures our platform evolves in line with changing shopper expectations and the realities of running modern retail stores.
What advice would you give retailers building an AI-driven GTM strategy?
My advice would be to start with the shopper, not with AI. Ask what friction you want to remove, what decisions you want to make easier, and what value you want to create for both shoppers and store associates. AI should be the enabler, not the objective.
The second piece of advice is to avoid isolated AI initiatives. Retailers will get far more value by building an integrated platform where AI, shopper data, store operations, and customer engagement work together, rather than deploying a series of disconnected tools.
Finally, define success in business terms. Don’t measure how many AI pilots you’ve launched or how many models you’ve deployed. Measure whether shoppers are finding products more easily, whether basket sizes are increasing, whether operations are becoming more efficient, and whether customers are choosing to come back.
At the end of the day, the best AI is the AI shoppers don’t even notice. They simply leave the store feeling that shopping was easier, faster, and more relevant than before.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. Our platform is dedicated to fostering dialogue and sharing insights that inspire and empower small and medium-sized businesses across Canada.
