Today’s Daily MarTech Round-up covers the latest in Cloud, Marketing Analytics, Automation, Customer experience AI and ML announcements from ZON, Vibes, National Retail Solutions, Espressive, Groupon, Amperity and Replicant.ai.

ZON, the Region’s First Fully Decentralized Mobile E-commerce Platform, Closes UAE’s Largest Ever Seed Funding Round

ZON, the region’s first fully decentralized mobile-only e-commerce network, has closed its seed funding round at an unprecedented US$8 million, making it the largest recorded single seed round in the UAE. The seed round was led by ASA Ventures and a consortium of private investors looking to support the disruption of the e-commerce sector in the region and beyond.

Vibes Makes Text Messaging Free for Essential Businesses to Communicate with Employees

Vibes, the leading mobile engagement platform for connecting people to the brands they love, announced the free availability of Vibes Notify, a text messaging broadcast solution, to any essential businessⁱ during the COVID-19 pandemic.

National Retail Solutions (NRS) Joins Nielsen Connect Partner Network

National Retail Solutions (NRS), the operator of a leading nationwide point-of-sale (POS) network for independent retailers, today announced that it has joined Nielsen’s Connect Partner Network.

Espressive Raises $30 Million Series B to Cement Leadership in AI for Enterprise Service Management as Demand for Intelligent Automation Heats Up

Espressive, a pioneer in artificial intelligence (AI) for enterprise service management (ESM), announced $30 million in Series B funding led by global venture capital and private equity firm Insight Partners with participation from Series A investors, General Catalyst, and Wing Venture Capital. Jeff Horing, co-Founder and Managing Director at Insight Partners will also be joining the Espressive Board of Directors.

Groupon Announces Management Transition

Groupon announced that Rich Williams is no longer serving as CEO and that Aaron Cooper, Groupon’s President of North America, has been appointed interim CEO by the Board of Directors. Chief Operating Officer Steve Krenzer is also no longer serving in his role. Williams and Krenzer will continue as employees of the Company.

Amperity Hires Chris Chapo, Data & Analytics Leader From Gap INC.

Amperity, the first AI-powered Customer Data Platform (CDP), today announced that Chris Chapo will join the company as VP of Customer Success. Chris comes to Amperity with over two decades of retail analytics experience, most recently as SVP of Data and Analytics at Gap Inc. Chris will be responsible for expanding Amperity’s analytics and customer intelligence offering following Amperity’s recent acquisition of Custora’s customer analytics platform.

AI Voice Responders Support Call Centers During COVID-19

Call centers are the backbone of any business. In these torrid times, every call center is under intense pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. AI Voice Responders have come to the rescue. One such AI Voice Responder supporting call centers during stressed situations belongs to Replicant.ai, the leading-edge provider of Artificial Intelligence-enabled Voice technologies.