Shopify Acquires Warehouse Automation Firm To Boost Fulfillment Efforts

Shopify announced that it has reached an agreement to buy 6 River Systems, a provider of collaborative warehouse fulfillment solutions, in a deal worth $450 million.

The acquisition will help Shopify boost the growth of its Shopify Fulfillment Network, the fulfillment network it launched in June to ensure timely deliveries, lower shipping costs, and provide superior customer experience for merchants and their customers. The addition of 6 River Systems’ cloud-based software and collaborative mobile robots to the network will increase the speed and reliability of warehouse operations.

In addition, Shopify will utilize the acquisition to add a team with decades of experience in fulfillment software and robotics, including leaders from Kiva Systems (now Amazon Robotics).

“Shopify is taking on fulfillment the same way we’ve approached other commerce challenges, by bringing together the best technology to help everyone compete,” Tobi Lütke, CEO of Shopify, said in a press release. “With 6 River Systems, we will bring technology and operational efficiencies to companies of all sizes around the world.”

According to the release, 6 River Systems will also continue to build and sell its solution for warehouses.

“By joining Shopify, we’re changing the game of fulfillment. Together, we will help thousands of businesses improve their fulfillment operations, with an easy-to-learn solution that can more than double productivity and improve accuracy,” added Jerome Dubois, co-CEO and co-founder of 6 River Systems.

This is Shopify’s latest move to make the shopping experience easier for its customers. Earlier this year it launched a new retail hardware collection to improve in-person shopping for some of the world’s fastest-growing brands and their customers.

“We’ve helped merchants successfully build and grow their online stores for 14 years, and now we’re the best partner to help entrepreneurs capitalize on the huge opportunity of in-person selling,” Craig Miller, chief product officer for Shopify, said at the time. “Digitally native brands want to build loyal audiences through retail locations, and we’ve designed the best products to help them achieve this success.”