Zilker Technology Builds Cognitive Shopping Solution as Part of IBM’s Watson Build Challenge

Zilker Technology was selected in phase two of the Watson Build challenge to develop its cognitive solution, Z’Concierge – The Cognitive Shopping Experience, into a working prototype using IBM Watson APIs on the IBM Cloud. IBM provided Zilker with access to IBM development tools, business mentors and cognitive specialists to help bring its concept to life.

The Watson Build challenge is IBM’s first cognitive challenge designed solely for Business Partners. In phase one, IBM received hundreds of business plan submissions from business partners around the world. In phase two, select Watson based solutions were chosen to progress to the next phase where partners will build working prototypes to demonstrate these cognitive products and services.

“The response to our first-ever Watson Build challenge for business partners has been phenomenal,” said John Teltsch, General Manager, IBM Global Business Partners. “We congratulate Zilker Technology for presenting a strong business plan centered around IBM Cloud and Watson and progressing to the next round of the challenge. We look forward to supporting Zilker as it works on a prototype for Z’Concierge – The Cognitive Shopping Experience with the goal of bringing it to our joint clients.“

Utilizing IBM’s Watson Technologies (Watson APIs, Watson Commerce, Watson Content Hub within IBM Cloud) as the backbone for the solution, Z’Concierge is a powerful mobile app platform that revolutionizes the shopping experience for in-store customers while maximizing conversion for businesses. It may seem like magic, but Z’Concierge leverages retailers’ big data and consumer analytics to provide geospatial personalized content that enhances the shopping experience. Based on a consumer’s shopping trends, the application’s cognitive abilities can predict and automatically present product options that are specific to a shopper’s needs. When shoppers select a product, Z’Concierge can also communicate with smart appliances via IoT technology so that they don’t forget important accessories while they are at the store. With Z’Concierge, customers have the power to bring the great features of online shopping along with them as you shop in their favorite stores. The stores themselves can empower their customers with complete and accurate product information.

“We are very excited to be able to offer Z’Concierge to our clients,” said Rob Thomas, CEO of Zilker Technology. “The cognitive space is very exciting with unlimited potential for our company. Every day there are more innovative solutions being created and we at Zilker are empowered to be in a position to bring disruptive solutions like Z’Concierge to market.”

Zilker has deep experience in Watson Commerce, Digital Experience, and IBM Cloud. The Watson Build challenge has allowed Zilker to bridge these offerings and enhance what the company does with cognitive abilities. The Zilker team is benefitting from the unique Watson Build opportunity not only because of the competition aspect but also for the increased collaboration among team members. Learning new things and being able to apply the Watson cognitive APIs in meaningful and insightful ways has been invigorating, providing growth opportunities for all team members. Zilker has used these experiences for several new customer opportunities by showing the “art of the possible.”

The Z’Concierge prototype has brought a new dimension to Zilker’s sales process and customer offerings. This experience, and working directly with the IBM technical team, has allowed Zilker to bridge the gap between products outside of IBM, and is allowing customers to gain unique advantages from IBM products.

Zilker Technology is a Gold IBM Business Partner in IBM PartnerWorld, a program that gives channel partners the resources and tools they need to succeed in the Cognitive Era.

For more on the Watson Build, click here.

About Zilker Technology

Zilker Technology is an expert Digital Consultancy and Systems Integrator that combines the agility of a start-up with the experience and expertise of a global consulting firm. Zilker specializes in unlocking the value of client data and delivering it to new digital platforms. With a team of highly trusted industry experts, Zilker can create powerful digital solutions for customers, with the skills to integrate with very complex back-end systems both on-premise or in the cloud. For more, visit www.ztech.io.