Zolak Joins Handelsverband Österreich as a Startup Partner

Zolak has joined Handelsverband Österreich as a Startup Partner, strengthening our presence in Austria and across the wider DACH market.

The partnership brings us closer to the retailers and technology companies shaping the region’s digital commerce landscape, giving us the opportunity to share our expertise, learn from the market, and work together on better ways to present, configure and sell complex products online.

About Handelsverband Österreich

Handelsverband Österreich (The Austrian Retail Association) is one of the key organizations in Austria's retail sector. Its network brings together close to 4,000 members, covering more than 85% of the Austrian retail market, alongside around 200 partners providing technology, services and expertise to the industry.

Together, its members employ around 300,000 people across 25,000 locations and generate approximately €65 billion in annual revenue.

Beyond its member network, Handelsverband brings the industry together through retail media, research, events and other initiatives connecting retailers, technology companies and industry experts. Its reach also extends beyond Austria, with audiences and industry connections across the wider DACH region and Europe.

Why the Partnership Matters 

Online sales in Austria continue to grow. In 2025, Austrians spent €12.5 billion shopping online and through other distance retail channels — 14% more than the previous year. Around 6 million Austrians now shop this way, while furniture alone accounted for approximately €820 million in distance retail sales.

As more products are sold online, helping customers understand what they are buying becomes increasingly important. In 2025, 44% of distance retail shoppers returned at least part of an order. Returns happen for many reasons, but clearer visuals, more product detail and better ways to explore products can help reduce uncertainty before purchase.

At the same time, 87% of purchases in Austria still happen in physical stores. Retail is not simply moving from offline to online — customers increasingly research products in one channel and buy in another.

Digital product experiences therefore need to support different stages of the buying journey and different types of products.

• Some products need strong, clear visuals.

• Configurable products need interactive ways to explore options.

• Context-dependent products need realistic environments to help customers understand scale and fit.

This is the challenge Zolak is built to address — combining AI product content, 3D visualization, interactive configuration and virtual showroom experiences to help retailers give customers clearer ways to understand and explore products.

Becoming a Startup Partner of Handelsverband brings Zolak closer to the retailers and technology teams working on these challenges every day. It helps us better understand the needs shaping the Austrian and wider DACH retail market and build solutions around how people research, evaluate and buy products today.

Next Stop: Retail Tech Day 2026

One of the first opportunities to bring the partnership to life will be Retail Tech Day 2026 in Vienna. On November 19, Zolak will join the event’s Startup Area to meet retailers, technology partners and innovation teams from across the Austrian market.

Retail Tech Day brings together retailers, technology companies and innovators working across AI, AR/VR, ecommerce, retail media, robotics, and other technologies shaping how products are sold and experienced. It’s one of the key moments in the Handelsverband calendar — a place where teams explore what’s next for digital retail.

Source: Handelsverband.at

What Visitors Can Explore with Zolak

At the Startup Area, we’ll demonstrate how retailers can use AI and 3D technology to create richer product experiences and make complex products easier for customers to understand before purchase.

Visitors will be able to explore how retailers can:

• Turn existing product images into new ecommerce content with AI.
• Give customers interactive 3D views of their products.
• Make configurable products interactive.
• Visualize products in realistic environments.

For us, the event is also an opportunity to hear directly from retailers about the challenges they are working to solve and the technologies they see shaping the next stage of digital commerce in Austria and the wider DACH region.

If you're attending Retail Tech Day, come and meet the Zolak team in the Startup Area!