OnBuy announces a strategic collaboration with Google Cloud to power international expansion. With Google Cloud’s Virtual Private Cloud and AI tools like Vertex AI, OnBuy will improve its marketplace efficiency, enhance customer experiences, and reduce costs globally.
OnBuy, a UK-based online marketplace, is partnering with Google Cloud to scale its operations globally. The collaboration, announced on 11 Oct 2024, will provide OnBuy with cutting-edge cloud infrastructure and AI capabilities to boost international growth. OnBuy aims to optimize both seller and customer experiences while lowering costs through Google Cloud’s services. As OnBuy founder and CEO Cas Paton said, “We turned to Google Cloud because we needed a platform we could trust with our data.”
OnBuy will leverage Google Cloud’s Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) for secure, scalable infrastructure across regions. Cloud Storage will offer fast, cost-efficient, durable data storage, while Cloud SQL will help manage its databases smoothly. These tools are key to improving operational efficiency and allowing OnBuy to focus on expansion rather than maintenance. Adrian Poole from Google Cloud highlighted the importance of cloud services, stating, “We believe we can be a critical innovation partner in OnBuy’s growth journey.”
One of the standout features of this collaboration is the integration of AI and generative AI tools. OnBuy is exploring Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform to create a product auto-categorisation algorithm, which will predict the correct categories for new products at scale. The use of AI will streamline marketplace operations, leading to faster, more accurate results. This experiment could open the door for further AI-based innovations across the company.
As the retail industry undergoes rapid digital transformation, OnBuy’s partnership with Google Cloud positions it at the forefront of this change. OnBuy will not only enhance its customer experience with faster and more secure checkouts but also unlock new revenue streams by adopting future tools and systems. Paton expressed excitement about the future, noting that Google Cloud’s flexibility would allow OnBuy to continuously improve and innovate in online retail.
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